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The Queensland government has revealed plans to build the 2032 Olympics main stadium on Victoria Park, a significant Indigenous site in central Brisbane.
The location, which has been a subject of controversy, is historically known as a massacre site and is situated along a songline.
The $3.8bn stadium will hold 63,000 spectators.
During his election campaign, Premier David Crisafulli had pledged not to build a new stadium, especially ruling out Victoria Park as the site for athletics.
This announcement has already led to protests, with groups such as Save Victoria Park organising against the project and considering legal action.
They argue that the development would irreversibly damage important green space and disrespect the cultural significance of the site.
Yuggera woman Aunty Deb Sandy, whose family has long ties to the area, expressed deep concerns about the proposed stadium to The Guardian.
Aunty Deb stressed that the land is home to many Indigenous people, and building on it would be akin to disrespecting their history and connection to the land.
“It’s almost like our history doesn’t matter,” she said.
Cultural significance and history of Barrambin
Victoria Park, also known by its traditional place name Barrambin, is a deeply meaningful and culturally significant area with a rich history.
For tens of thousands of years, it served as a meeting and gathering place for Turrbal and Yuggera peoples, as well as a location of sacred rituals.
It is home to a Bora (initiation site), a sacred bunyip waterhole, and archaeological findings, such as stone flints and oyster shells, have also been uncovered throughout the park.
Dr. Ray Kerkhove, a historian who specialises in reconstructing Indigenous site histories, has extensively researched Victoria Park’s significance.
He highlights the area as one of the most culturally valuable sites in the region, with remnants of ancient Indigenous practices scattered throughout the landscape.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who supported the park’s redevelopment into a public space in 2020, has since changed his stance, now endorsing the construction of a stadium at Victoria Park.
Despite his previous remarks highlighting the park’s rich Indigenous heritage, he now backs the development, which has led to considerable public outcry.
Victoria Park’s cultural history spans centuries, with the site serving as a town for up to 1,500 Indigenous people throughout the 19th century, before they were forcibly removed and put on to missions.
Many returned to the park in the 20th century when they were allowed to leave the missions.
Aunty Deb Sandy told The Guardian that she was raised alongside people who had lived in Victoria Park as children.
She emphasised that Indigenous people kept returning to the site because “It’s home.”
