19/04/2026
The joy of two 11 year old girls rolling down grassy hills, roaming free in Barrambin Victoria Park after playing a round of putt putt golf last week.
This is Brisbane's beautiful green heart ð, a place we have loved visiting since coming to this city 16 years ago. Playing 'golf', attending events and enjoying the parklands with amazing view out to the city skyline.
Barrambin is home to 200 year old native trees, bushland, migratory birds, like the bush stone curlew, superb fairy wren and other unique wildlife. A wetland with water hole, a sacred site to the Yuggera people, an inter-tribal meeting place for thousands of years. When First Nations Australians were forcibly removed from their Country and killed for access to land and drinking water it also became a massacre site.
Sadly, this place is due to be closed to the public at the end of May, in little more than a month.
A bistro staff member told me everything closes 25 May. He said he didnt know when he started working there 6 months ago as this is/was Brisbane City Council protected parklands (and the original olympic stadium submission was planned for the Gabba).
All 64 hectares of parklands will be bulldozed for the Queensland Government's brand new $7.3 billion 65,000 seat Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Centre, 2 of 17 sporting and entertainment venues 'specially built for in 6 years time and 'benefit of Queenslanders for generations to come'.
Except many of us would greatly benefit from and prefer to help regenerate this beautiful peaceful green space in the middle of a city, for our health and well being, our childrens and for all residents and visitors to Brisbane to enjoy.
Victoria Park is already surrounded by RWQH hospital, university, major roads, housing and industry and Brisbane has 6-9 existing stadiums including Suncorp less than 4 kms away and the iconic Gabba. Both are central with better public transport access.
Victoria Park is part of Australia's cultural and environmental heritage and deserves to be recognised and protected.
Why can't we regenerate and enhance what we have, not destroy the green space Brisbane has left?