Why a Stadium in Victoria Park Doesn’t Make Sense

Victoria Park / Barrambin is Brisbane’s largest inner-city green space. Proposals to build an Olympic stadium in this location are highly impractical, short-sighted and just don’t ‘make sense’. Here’s why -

1. Unsuitable Topography

Victoria Park’s hilly terrain makes it an entirely impractical location for a stadium. Excavation costs to level the land would be exorbitant, adding unnecessary financial burdens to an already costly project. The steep gradients further complicate construction logistics, making this site far less viable than flat, accessible alternatives.

Illustration of the park’s topography. The closer the lines are together, the steeper / hillier the terrain.

2. Existing Traffic Gridlock

The area surrounding Victoria Park is already plagued by significant traffic congestion. The park is encircled by major institutions, including -

  • Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH): Queensland’s largest hospital, with over 9,000 staff and 1 million episodes of care annually

  • Queensland University of Technology (QUT): 20,000 students at its Kelvin Grove campus

  • Kelvin Grove College: A school with over 4,000 students nearby

  • University of Queensland Herston Campus: 2,000 students across the road

Adding stadium-related traffic to an area already gridlocked by hospital access, school drop-offs, and nearby events at Ballymore, the RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane’s Grammar and Terrace schools would cause chaos for commuters and emergency services.

3. Inadequate Public Transport

When compared to Brisbane’s existing stadiums, such as the Gabba and Suncorp, the proposed stadium at Victoria Park is poorly serviced by public transport. The nearest train station, Exhibition Station, requires a walk that is twice as far as the walks from public transport hubs to the Gabba or Suncorp. Additionally, this walk traverses hilly terrain, making it inaccessible for older individuals or anyone with mobility challenges.

Cross River Rail to the Gabba

Milton Train Station to Suncorp Stadium

Exhibition Station to Proposed Stadium Site at Victoria Park / Barrambin

4. Irreplaceable Loss of Green Space

Brisbane already ranks as the Australian capital city with the least inner-city green space per capita. Victoria Park is one of the few remaining expansive green spaces in the inner-city, offering vital ecological and community benefits. Paving over this park for a stadium would further diminish Brisbane’s liveability and fail to preserve its legacy as a city that values nature.

Victoria Park is often referred to as Brisbane’s Central Park - a place for the people, not commercial development.

5. Impact on Queensland’s Largest Hospital

Victoria Park’s proximity to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) also raises serious concerns. As Queensland’s largest hospital, RBWH employs over 9,000 staff and, in 2023, provided more than one million episodes of care. A stadium next door to our major hospital would bring significant noise, traffic, and disruption, negatively impacting healthcare services and the wellbeing of hospital staff, patients, and visitors. A stadium in such close proximity to the RBWH would likely also create critical delays for ambulances and emergency services on game days, jeopardising patient care and outcomes.

6. No Bars or Dining Options Nearby

The area surrounding Victoria Park is a medical and education precinct, dominated by hospitals, universities, and schools. Unlike Suncorp Stadium or the Gabba, which are surrounded by vibrant dining and entertainment precincts, there are no nearby options for food, bars, or other stadium-goer amenities. Additionally, there is no room to build such infrastructure.

7. Green Spaces Are Essential for Cooling Cities

Urban green spaces like Victoria Park play a critical role in naturally cooling cities, mitigating the urban heat island effect caused by concrete and asphalt. Trees and vegetation in parks reduce temperatures, improve air quality, and provide shaded areas that help combat the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves. A recent study published in Nature Communications found that urban tree cover can lower local temperatures by up to 5°C, significantly mitigating heat stress in our city.

Removing green spaces and replacing them with heat-retaining infrastructure, like a stadium, would exacerbate Brisbane’s urban heat challenges. In a warming climate, protecting and expanding green spaces is essential for ensuring cities remain liveable, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly and children.

"Our research shows increasing urban vegetation will become essential for our three largest cities - Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane - to reduce serious heatwave impacts by 2060-2080"

- Dr Lucy Richardson from the Monash Climate Change research communication hub (ABC News)

8. Impact on Ecosystem & Wildlife

Victoria Park is home to a rich tapestry of biodiversity. The area supports over 60 bird species, including iconic Australian species such as the Rainbow Lorikeet, Laughing Kookaburra, and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. Other avian inhabitants, like the Nankeen Kestrel and Tawny Frogmouth, reflect the park's role as a haven for both common and specialised species. In addition to birds, the park shelters native mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and a diverse array of insects and pollinators essential for healthy ecosystems. Paving over this natural habitat for a stadium would devastate these populations, permanently displacing wildlife and disrupting ecological connections.

9. Impact on a Culturally Significant Site

Victoria Park / Barrambin holds significant cultural importance for First Nations’ people. The name 'Barrambin' translates to 'windy place’ and this area was characterised by open woodlands interspersed with chains of waterholes and springs, notably the sacred site of York's Hollow, which still exists today.

Before European settlement, Barrambin served as a central meeting and gathering place for Indigenous groups travelling through the region. It was a venue for various cultural activities, including corroborees, dances, hunting, and fishing. The waterholes, abundant with waterlilies, waterfowl, yabbies, eels, and bream, provided essential resources for the local communities. The surrounding open woodlands were home to diverse fauna such as gliders, koalas, possums, kangaroos, and emus.

The area is associated with Dreaming stories, particularly the creation of the Brisbane River by a Dreaming Ancestor, often depicted as an eel, rainbow serpent, or carpet snake. According to these stories, the Ancestor carved out the river valley while fleeing from Goanna, who sought her eggs. These eggs, carried in her mouth, were said to have spilled at the river's mouth, forming the islands and the people. To invoke rain, First Nations peoples would perform ceremonies at the waterholes, where a rainmaker would dive in to symbolically 'cut' the Dreaming Ancestor free from the bottom. Development of a stadium risks erasing these tangible and intangible cultural markers.

"York’s Hollow is the most important Aboriginal cultural heritage site known within the study area. It is the place most frequently referred to in the literature concerning Aborigines and early Brisbane. It includes the area now covered by Victoria Park"

- Indigenous Cultural Heritage Report for Cross River Rail

"The impact on York’s Hollow, which is of particular Aboriginal significance, will also need to be carefully managed... any impacts on the shape and vegetation of the landscape may have cultural significance for Aboriginal Parties."

- Indigenous Cultural Heritage Report for Cross River Rail

"[Victoria Park / Barrambin] has always been a place of gathering and learning; a place of vibrant community and complex interaction; a place of deep spiritual significance"

- Associate Professor Ray Kerkhove and Professor Ben Wilson