Brisbane’s future Olympic identity is set to be reshaped around Victoria Park and Bowen Hills, as the Queensland Government officially confirms a reworked master plan for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The plan cements the city’s central role in delivering key Games venues and establishes a long-term civic legacy in the heart of Brisbane.
Three major investments stand at the centre of the 2032 Delivery Plan: a new 63,000-seat stadium, a 25,000-capacity aquatic centre at Spring Hill’s Centenary Pool site, and a reimagined Athletes Village at the Brisbane Showgrounds.
The updated plan, published following the 100-Day Review and months of consultation with the International Olympic Committee and all levels of government, marks a decisive break from the previously proposed Gabba rebuild and signals a stronger consolidation of Olympic infrastructure in Brisbane’s inner north.
Watch Brisbane 2032 Olympic Announcement in full
Stadium at Victoria Park
A new 63,000-seat Brisbane Stadium will be built at Victoria Park, in what is described as one of the most significant inner-city sporting investments in Queensland’s history.
The stadium is designed to host the Olympic and Paralympic athletics events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. After the Games, it will serve as a multi-purpose venue capable of hosting AFL, cricket and major entertainment events. Legacy tenants would likely include the Brisbane Lions, Brisbane Heat and Queensland Bulls, positioning the stadium as a new centre of sporting gravity for Brisbane.
The stadium’s masterplan integrates with the broader Victoria Park redevelopment strategy, offering city views and public parkland integration while avoiding the cost and disruption associated with demolishing and rebuilding the Gabba.
World-Class National Aquatic Centre at Spring Hill
Just 1.5 kilometres away, the existing Centenary Pool site in Spring Hill will be transformed into the National Aquatic Centre, designed as a permanent high-performance and community aquatic precinct.
The centre will include both a main and secondary indoor stadium with elite training pools and will host swimming, diving and water polo during the Games. For Olympic use, the venue will expand to a capacity of more than 25,000 spectators, making it one of the largest aquatics venues in Olympic history. After the Games, the venue will retain a legacy seating capacity of 8,000 and serve as a national hub for Australia’s four peak aquatic sports.
The location was selected due to its proximity to the city, access to existing transport links, and integration into surrounding green space. The Chandler Aquatic Centre (Brisbane Aquatic Centre) will also be upgraded to provide additional competition and training capacity.
Athletes Village at Brisbane Showgrounds
The Brisbane Athletes Village will be located at the Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills, a site already known for hosting the city’s iconic Ekka.
The Village will house more than 10,000 Olympic athletes and team officials, and over 5,000 during the Paralympic Games, with strong access to transport and a location within walking distance of the aquatic centre and less than 2km from the stadium.
The Showgrounds precinct will also undergo a major upgrade to its Main Arena, increasing capacity to 20,000 and enhancing the site’s events capability beyond the Games. Post-Games, the Athletes Village will be converted into permanent housing, contributing to the state’s housing supply strategy.
Woolloongabba Entertainment Hub – Brisbane Live Repositioned & Gabba Demolition
With the Victoria Park stadium confirmed, the previously proposed Gabba rebuild has been shelved. The Gabba will instead be demolished to make way for a major urban renewal precinct, leveraging the completed Cross River Rail infrastructure now under construction.
Replacing the Gabba as a venue anchor, the long-mooted Brisbane Live arena — originally proposed for Roma Street — will now be privately funded with a and delivered directly adjacent to the Woolloongabba Cross River Rail station, on the former GoPrint site.
This shift effectively turns the broader Woolloongabba precinct into a high-density, transit-oriented entertainment hub, featuring a new entertainment arena, residential development and pedestrian connections into South Brisbane and the inner city.
Compact, Walkable Games Zone
The consolidation of major venues in Brisbane’s northside brings a focused Olympic footprint to the city’s inner core, supported by improved transport links and long-term community benefits.
Combined, the new stadium, aquatic centre and Athletes Village form a compact, walkable Games zone centred around Victoria Park and Bowen Hills. This cluster approach is consistent with international best practice for city-based Games and is expected to ease logistics, enhance visitor experience and reduce operational complexity.
Other Brisbane-based projects in the 2032 Delivery Plan include major upgrades to the Queensland Tennis Centre, including a new 3,000-seat showcourt, accessibility upgrades at Chandler including a new para-sport facility, redevelopment of the Brisbane International Shooting Centre at Belmont, and active transport upgrades across the CBD and venue corridors.
Delivery and Timeline
The Queensland Government has reaffirmed that the revised Games infrastructure will remain within the agreed $7.1 billion funding envelope, shared between the Australian and Queensland governments.
Construction on the stadium, aquatic centre and Athletes Village is expected to commence before 2027, with all major Brisbane-based venues scheduled to be complete ahead of 2030.
While the Delivery Plan still references supporting venues across the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and key regional centres, the emphasis has now shifted back toward Brisbane as the Games’ operational and symbolic core.
The Delivery Plan also outlines transport legacy initiatives in key regional centres, including the Sunshine Coast, where the state government has committed to supporting the development of the WAVE — a proposed high-frequency mass transit solution between Maroochydore and the Sunshine Coast Stadium precinct.
Short for “Wiser Access. Value for money. Efficient,” the WAVE aims to improve mobility between venues and communities during the Games, while acting as a catalyst for long-term modal shift across the Sunshine Coast’s coastal corridor. Planning work is already underway, with the intent for the WAVE to be operational in time for the Games, linking major event sites to local hubs and supporting sustainable transport outcomes beyond 2032.
Didn’t think Queensland was capable, but I think we might’ve gotten the best case scenario
Fantastic, Ready Set, let’s Go Brisbane
I have been very doubtful about the Olympics but I think Crisafulli has done well on this. He has cleverly woven the needs of areas with developments for the Olympics. Queensland has needed something like this for at least the last thirty years to reflect its growth and prominence. Probably Expo 88 was the last event of international note here.
Brisbane and Queensland is transitioning to the real third city of Australia and this truly reflects this mindset and development.
Now the challenge of getting it done on time and “close to” budget.
We will never get that green space back.
Never.
What future government is going to resume buildings to give residents a park?
How will 100+yo trees be replaced?
As more shoebox apartments are built, where will people go to enjoy large open parklands? Will there be replacement greenspace as we densify? Nope.
Shortsighted and gutless.
Reed have you actually been to that part of the park? Very few matures trees and mostly a big sunken grass void between hills filled with the insufferable sights and sounds of a driving range. While I think there are better parts of the park that would suit a stadium, don’t be hyperbolic.
IMHO the parkland argument could have been better solved by agreeing to build over the ICB and train line, or offset the taken parkland and returning it to the Gabba site (which has very limited green space).
Anyway, we shall see.
I really like this new plan for the games. Ticks all of the boxes. It’s a shame that the main stadium isn’t at least 80,000 seats but it’s still looking great. Any word on the Brisbane Airtrain finally coming into public hands, before the games?
No acknowledgement that the stadium is completely physically cut off from the CBD, Valley, Roma St station and any food & drink and entertainment venues by a giant shitty highway and train lines?
Victor, it’s not completely cut off. There’s an existing land bridge connecting the northern (victoria park) to southern (Gregory Tce park) and we know council had plans for at least two extra bridges -as part of the park rejuvenation works (pre-Olympics.) So there’s potential scope for more connectivity.
There’s also a pedestrian underpass walkways between Exhibition Station and the park south-east corner. And another pedestrian/ cycleway underpass between Ekka sideshow alley and Gilchrist Ave.
I understand the Vic Park stadium image is just an “artist’s impression” and not finalised. But it’s a bit worrying that it appears to be located right over the existing function centre & mini golf -very far away from any nearby train stations. Plus also, no new land-bridges over the ICB to link the two parks and reduce traffic noise.
Here’s hoping the stadium location moves east so that the Exhibition station is max. 400m walking distance. That will also make it equidistant to the existing Herston (future metro) stop. Add in some bridges to cover the ICB between Bowen Bridge Rd and the existing land bridge, and you’ll have a truly lasting legacy stadium.
Any reason WHY the Exhibition stadium needs to be upgraded? The athlete’s village is going to absorb alot of the animal stables/ sheds and pavilions, so future Ekkas are either going to be significantly downsized or (more appropriately) moved to a new site.
I see no need for a medium sized stadium post-Olympics, especially when it’s right next door to future high density apartments.
Brisbane Live is also going ahead as a private development (on public owned land) -surely that would be a better suited venue? Why throw public money into upgrading the Exhibition and create direct competition with the private sector?