New Browne Park Stadium: Construction to start in September as CQ Capras desperately need to find suitable interim home

With a massive redevelopment of Rockhampton’s Browne Park set to start soon, pressure is mounting to find somewhere the region’s premier rugby league team and others can play for the next two years. Full details here.

The CQ Capras are lobbying for Rockhampton’s Rugby Park to be upgraded to a standard where it can become their home ground for the next two years, as well as a multi-purpose facility for other sporting codes and the broader community.

But the clock is ticking with work set to start in months on stage one of the $25 million redevelopment of Browne Park, the Capras’ current home ground and the spiritual home of rugby league in the city.

Stage one includes a new western grandstand with seating for up to 4000 spectators, with Browne Park ultimately transformed into a 10,000-seat stadium.

What the Browne Park upgrade will look like.

The work is scheduled to be complete in time for the start of the 2024 winter sports season but it leaves the Capras and the other sporting bodies that use Browne Park searching for viable alternatives to train and play.

Capras’ CEO Peter White has been campaigning for the upgrade of Rugby Park, which is leased by Rockhampton Grammar School, stressing it would be of benefit not only for his club and rugby league but other sports.

Mr White had previously said that Browne Park was one of the most used football fields in Australia, with up to 72 games and 28 training sessions held there a month.

“As we know, there is a clear lack of suitable training and playing fields for most sports,” Mr White said.

“The fact that we are unable to host regional or state carnivals in most sporting codes is very frustrating to say the least, and there are still no female-compliant dressing rooms in Rockhampton despite surrounding towns having them.

“What we have proposed as a collective is to tick all these boxes and assist community and state level competition codes to grow and expand their participation numbers.”

The football field at the Rockhampton Grammar School’s Rugby Park.

Rockhampton Grammar School's Rugby Park.

The final master plan for the Rugby Park redevelopment includes three full-sized rugby league/union fields, lighting upgrades and four new female-compliant dressing sheds.

Mr White said the Capras, along with Rockhampton Rugby League and Rockhampton Schools Rugby League, had devised the Rockhampton Community Rugby League Facilities Strategy 2022-2025.

It outlines a range of issues identifying the need for sporting facilities in the city to be upgraded.

Among them are participation being inhibited due to the lack of suitable facilities, injuries more likely to players due to damaged fields through overuse and no financial or community benefits being realised due to the city’s inability to host regional, state and national carnivals in several sports.

Legendary rugby league coach Wayne Bennett supported the proposal last December, saying facilities he had seen in other regional centres “far exceed” those in Rockhampton.

Mr White said another of the strategy’s recommendations was for the installation of lighting at Kettle Park, which is leased by The Cathedral College.

Both schools would continue to maintain the facilities to the benefit of the community.

He said the Rugby Park and Kettle Park upgrades would help alleviate the pressures that sporting clubs were now confronted with and importantly, allow competitions to continue.

Mr White said he saw the proposal as a “win-win” but things had to start happening now with the shutdown of Browne Park now just months away.

The current grandstand on the Murray Street side of Browne Park.

Sport was first played on the site in 1890 and the Murray Street oval was renamed Browne Park in 1958 after long-serving Rockhampton Rugby League president John (Jack) Browne.

Member for Rockhampton Barry O’Rourke said the new 10,000-seat Browne Park Stadium would take Rockhampton’s traditional home of rugby league to a “completely new level”.

“This is a potential game changer for Rockhampton that will open up new possibilities for additional NRL content in rugby league’s traditional heartland, significant sporting carnivals, as well as cultural and entertainment events,” he said.

A tender for $850,000 was awarded to Cox Architecture in March for the principal consultant and Currie and Brown Australia was awarded a $121,00 tender for quantity surveyor works in February.

The Queensland Government announced the commitment of the $25 million in September 2020 following several years of lobbying by the Browne Park Trust with Paul Hoolihan at the helm.

A master plan is being prepared for a new western grandstand, upgraded media and player facilities, new lighting and extra space for catering.

The facility currently has a capacity of 5200, with the new grandstand doubling this.

Construction of the new western grandstand will support more than 80 local jobs and building work is expected on the Murray Street footpath.

There will be a temporary partial closure of the street while the work is underway and will return to full, two-way traffic once completed.

Future stages would include more seating and facilities on the Albert and George Street sides of the venue.

There would be no major alterations to the Rockhampton Leagues Club.

Originally published as New Browne Park Stadium: Construction to start in September as CQ Capras desperately need to find suitable interim home