Brisbane Olympic Precinct Pushes Forward

Brisbane City Council is pushing ahead with the design of an Olympic sporting precinct on the site of a Harness Racing track in the city’s inner north. 

The Urban Developer broke the news of the proposed 12-court indoor arena on the site of the city’s primary harness racing track at Breakfast Creek last year, with an Olympic sporting precinct mooted across the flood-prone 29ha site. 

Deputy mayor Krista Adams launched the concept plan, which would go to public consultation. 

But Adams said it would be a dedicated greenfield and sporting precinct, with no plans for commercial or residential development on the significant inner-city site.

“This is the beginning of what we need to get done … OCOG (the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games) has the final say on Olympic venues but we need to start the conversation now,” Adams said.

“There is a great opportunity to seize this moment and get a legacy for Brisbane residents for the years to come. 

“We’ve got Brothers Rugby and Queensland Cricket on the site and we’ve been working with them to work through a design that will see us through decades to come for our sporting future.

“The Schrinner Council is very firm in their belief that this needs to be green space, it needs to be a sporting precinct, it needs to have facilities and sporting infrastructure. There’s been a lot of density around the RNA, around Hamilton Northshore and so we think it’s already a bit lacking in sporting facilities in those areas and this really gives a boost to a slightly tired Albion area.”

▲ Plans for the sporting precinct include multi-use fields, a proposed baseball field and a public realm connecting the indoor arena, Brothers Rugby Club and Alan Border Field, which just received a $1-billion renovation.

The indoor sports centre for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games will comprise 12 basketball courts to accommodate basketball, badminton, volleyball, goal ball and wheelchair rugby.

The Albion and Breakfast Creek areas were severely impacted during the recent Brisbane floods and Adams said the council was working with Queensland Urban Utilities on flood mitigation strategies for overland flow and water harvesting to irrigate the fields. 

The Urban Developer believes the state government and Racing Queensland are still scoping prospective harness racing venues as work begins on redesigning the precinct. 

Minister assisting the Premier on Olympics and Paralympics Sport and Engagement Stirling Hinchliffe was notably absent from the launch for the Breakfast Creek Sporting Precinct. 

“They’ve known for quite a while they’re moving off that site, that’s why we’ve included them in this concept plan,” Adams said. 

“This is a concept plan that Brisbane City Council is putting out for discussion. We’ve been talking with the state government and OCOG, so they know what our designs are. 

“This is not the final concept but it’s one that we think will have an excellent outcome.” 

The Racing Development Corporation bought the Albion Park racecourse for $9 million in 1982 for the redevelopment of the venue for harness racing.