Stand on Gregory Terrace and look north: you are witnessing 150 years of history that has just turned a corner toward what many say is its grimmest chapter yet.
Affectionately known for over a century as the “lungs of the city,” this 64-hectare expanse has survived everything from railway lines and WWII military huts to the Inner City Bypass.
But its latest transformation—the 2032 Olympic stadium—comes with a radical and quiet status change.
The government recently revoked the park’s historic Deeds of Grant in Trust (DoGiT), converting the entire the park to freehold land.
It represents a structural weakening of public safeguards and has mandated the parkland—which was to be used for “no other purpose whatsoever”—be handed over to private interests.
As Ed Haysom notes in his Village Voice column this month, the park (originally known as Barrambin) has always been under pressure. It was shaped by Indigenous occupation, colonial hostilities, and Victorian-era health ideals. He points out that while Olympic stadiums serve a singular moment in time, parks will serve generations.
The community is now left with a haunting question: how much of the park will survive?
Brisbane inherited this landscape as a shared open space; now, the battle is on to ensure our civic responsibilities actually match our golden Olympic aspirations.
What are your thoughts on the development of Victoria Park? Have your say at [email protected].
