Flashback: The 1990s plan for the Gold Coast to host Expo 2002 at Coomera
EXPO 88 was a big success and put southeast Queensland on the map. So plans were rolled out for the Gold Coast to host the event and bring it back for another round of celebration.
Gold Coast
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THE legacy of the Commonwealth Games is on the minds of Gold Coast city leaders six weeks after the closing ceremony.
With $30 billion in development rolling out as a result of the big event, GOLDOC is this week continuing to wrap up its work and distribute to schools much of the sporting equipment used during the event.
But 20 years ago this week the legacy of another event was on the minds of the city — the mooted push to host Expo 2002.
The idea of the Glitter Strip hosting the event was first voiced in 1996 and was the brainchild of Robina councillor Jan Grew who began drawing up a bid with colleague David Power.
The pair set their sights on the 2002 event and drew up a proposal which received the backing of then-mayor Ray Stevens who felt the idea was worth investigating.
With the backing of the State Government and the council, the bid for Expo 2002 pushed ahead and came down to a vote by the Bureau of International Expositions in Paris in June 1998.
In the weeks before the vote, retail heavyweight Westfield offered its support to the Borbidge Government to plan the development of the Coomera site, which would allow the site to become a shopping centre after Expo was finished.
Westfield Queensland asset general manager John Widdup told the Bulletin the real test for the Gold Coast would be guaranteeing the site remain relevant.
“In dealing with World Expo we believe the real test will be how to develop the site so it is not only relevant for a three-month period of Expo but will remain relevant to the population beyond that,” he said.
“If we are successful in development a shopping centre at Helensvale, Westfield is happy to offer assistance to structure the Expo site so it remains relevant after 2002.”
The Australian bid, headed by World Expo ’88 chief Sir Llew Edwards, was for a $407 million interactive technology event at Coomera.
Cr Grew, Mr Power and then-new Gold Coast Mayor Gary Baildon flew to Paris with Sir Llew and former governor-general Bill Hayden to make the city’s case.
Confidence was high in the Australian camp shortly before the vote, with sources saying only three or four votes “either way’’ would determine whether the Expo was held on the Gold Coast or in Manila.
Manila’s bid was dealt a blow when it was revealed its national exposition would be delayed because of construction problems.
Delegates from the 84-member BIE attended a lunch at the Australian embassy before the vote.
The vote ultimately was tied, forcing a second round where Manila trumped Australia’s Gold Coast bid by just four votes.
The reaction from locals was furious, with the Bulletin reporting at the time that France and Switzerland had led the ambush that snatched the event from the Glitter Strip. Sir Llew lashed out at Japan and declared that the nation had “no integrity”.
Financial problems forced Manilla to pull out and allowed the Gold Coast to make a second push to secure the Expo but it was not successful.
Ultimately, Westfield went ahead with the Helensvale Town Centre in the mid-2000s and went on to build the Coomera Town Centre, stage one of which is expected to be completed later this year.
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