Myth: It Was a Golf Course, What’s the Big Deal?

Victoria Park has been public land since it was gazetted as a park in 1875. Its recent transformation from golf course to an open parkland has simply restored it to a more inclusive purpose, allowing far more people to access and enjoy the space. Turning it into a stadium would once again restrict its use to specific events and exclude much of the Brisbane community. While a park is accessible to everyone every day, a stadium serves a much more narrow purpose, catering mainly to ticketed events.

It’s also worth noting that Victoria Park’s transformation from a golf course to a public park was a significant win for Brisbane residents. It represents a shift towards inclusivity, sustainability, and community-centered urban planning. To now destroy it for a stadium is a regression, not progress.

In addition to this, Brisbane has the lowest amount inner-city green space compared to all other Australian capital cities. At 64 hectares, Victoria Park is the city’s largest park within 5km of the CBD. This may seem like a lot of space but it actually pales in comparison with every other major city in Australia and many leading cities internationally. Leading cities around the world prioritise green space and know that green space enhances liveability, improves mental and physical health, improves air quality, combats urban heat and supports local wildlife.

Largest green parks within 5km of city centre -

  • Darwin: 1303 hectares

  • Paris: 995 hectares

  • Adelaide: 760 hectares

  • Perth: 400 hectares

  • Melbourne: 350 hectares

  • New York City: 341 hectares

  • Hobart: 230 hectares

  • Sydney: 189 hectares

  • London: 160 hectares

  • Brisbane: 64 hectares

Losing more green space to a stadium would worsen this disparity and significantly impact Brisbane’s liveability.

Finally, it’s worth noting that when the park operated as a golf course, although it was limited in accessibility, at least it still provided greenery and ecological benefits to the city such as cooling the surrounding area, supporting biodiversity, and acting as a natural flood buffer. A stadium, with its concrete and hardscaping, would remove these benefits entirely, leaving Brisbane with even less inner-city green space. A golf course was always able to be reversed back into parkland. Once built, it would be virtually impossible to return the area to its natural state, making it a permanent change on the landscape.