The pursuit of an Olympic stadium ‘Queenslanders can be proud of’

While the so-called “minor” Olympic and Paralympic venues for 2032 have been the source of much debate, there’s no doubt the jewel in the crown – Brisbane’s main Olympic stadium – has been the most contentious of all.

By the time Premier David Crisafulli takes the stage at a Brisbane business lunch on Tuesday, 1343 days would have passed since the International Olympic Committee officially awarded Brisbane the Games.

Finally, the indecisiveness, the captain’s calls and the naked politicking will be over. Instead of constant debate and talk, ground will be broken and our Games will start to physically take shape.

The road to this point has been as long as it is winding, as the proposed stadium location shifted with the political wind.

Albion Park

The original proposal for a Brisbane Olympic stadium at Albion.Credit: International Olympic Committee

Albion Park, Brisbane’s home of greyhound and harness racing, was what the Council of Mayors (SEQ) had in mind when it decided to bid for the Olympics more than a decade ago.

Built with a temporary 50,000 capacity, the stadium would have been downsized to a boutique rectangular stadium post-2032, something that has been identified by many – including Football Australia and Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner – as a vital missing link in Brisbane’s sport and entertainment offerings.

If that proved unviable, the International Olympic Committee had a ready-made back-up.

Carrara Stadium

Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast hosted the Commonwealth Games track and field events in 2018.Credit: Getty

The home of the Gold Coast Suns was offered up by the IOC as an “alternative existing option” to Albion in its February 2021 feasibility statement.

With the addition of temporary seating during the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Carrara Stadium held 40,000, with a pre- and post-Games capacity of 27,500.

But given Carrara was not in Brisbane, it was always going to be nothing more than a back-up plan.

The Gabba

The planned Gabba redevelopment, which would have been completed for the 2032 Games.Credit: Queensland Government

Then-premier Annastacia Palaszczuk threw a spanner in the works a few months before Brisbane was awarded the Games by unilaterally declaring the Gabba as Brisbane 2032’s main Olympic stadium.

The announcement blindsided the Morrison government, the state’s Games delivery partner, and threatened the existence of the historic East Brisbane State School.

Palaszczuk’s captain’s call was met with fierce local opposition.

When the estimated cost ballooned from $1 billion to $2.7 billion, it became a political liability for new Labor premier Steven Miles.

Victoria Park

Brisbane architectural firm Archipelago’s proposed Victoria Park stadium is one of the more contentious proposals.Credit: Archipelago

Miles appointed former Brisbane LNP lord mayor Graham Quirk to head a 60-day review of Olympic venues as one of his first orders of business as premier.

“My preference would be that they come back and say, actually, ‘there is an alternative and here’s what we think you should do’,” Miles said as he announced Quirk’s appointment last January.

“In which case, I will take that advice.”

Quirk and the review team recommended a stadium be built at Victoria Park, the largest remaining piece of green space near Brisbane’s CBD.

Victoria Park was only the frontrunner for about four hours, until Miles decided not to take Quirk’s advice after all, and instead go down an old and familiar route.

Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre

Plans for QSAC’s planned Olympic transformation, as exclusively revealed by this masthead in July.Credit: RTI - Queensland Government

In rejecting Quirk’s Victoria Park recommendation, Miles instead chose the old QEII Stadium at Nathan, now called the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, as Brisbane 2032’s main stadium.

Located about 10 kilometres south of the CBD, QSAC hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games.

A Right to Information request by this masthead was first to reveal the design of the would-be Olympic stadium – a no-frills venue with one covered grandstand, with most of the crowd exposed to the elements in uncovered temporary seating.

Post-Games, the athletics venue would have accommodated just 14,000 spectators.

An estimated $400 million would have needed to be spent to provide adequate public transport for the Games, with the nearest train station at Banoon a 3.1-kilometre walk from the stadium.

As opposition leader, Crisafulli promised a new 100-day review of Olympic venues in the lead-up to 2024’s state election, which he said would deliver venues “Queenslanders can be proud of”.

As premier, he fulfilled that commitment in November when the seven-member Games Independent Infrastructure and Co-ordination Authority was selected to conduct the review.

100-day review

While none of the following proposals have been official policy, with Victoria Park back in scope, they were presented to GIICA’s 100-day review.

Mayne Railyards

Artists’ impression of Wilkinson Eyre’s proposal for an Olympic stadium at the Mayne rail stabling yards.Credit: Wilkinson Eyre

International architecture firm Wilkinson Eyre proposed a 60,000-seat stadium, along with an arena, on the site of the Mayne railyards at Bowen Hills.

The costs and challenges associated with either building a podium above the railyards, or relocating them elsewhere, could prove obstacles to the vision.

Gabba West

The 60,000-seat stadium would be made of timber.Credit: Kirk Studio

Kirk Studio proposed a timber stadium just across the road from the existing Gabba, above the new Cross River Rail site.

The existing Gabba would remain in place for the 2032 Games, but be converted to housing and parkland once the event was over.

Hamilton Northshore

A visionary yet more expensive and unlikely option proposed is the Hamilton Northshore site from a consortium called the Brisbane Design Alliance.Credit: Brisbane Design Alliance

The Brisbane Design Alliance proposed a $6 billion, privately funded stadium for Hamilton Northshore.

With 60,000 seats, the stadium would be close to the planned athletes’ village at Hamilton, but a lack of mass transit links to the site remained a significant limitation.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.