Victoria Park Golf Course Makes Way For Brisbane’s Version Of Central Park

Victoria Park Golf Course will be permanently closed to create Brisbane’s biggest public park in almost half a century. The plan was welcomed by Brisbane opposition Labor councillors, who argued they had been calling for a rethink of golf courses for at least a year.

On Sunday June 9, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced The Victoria Park Vision; a proposal to develop the Victoria Park Golf Course into the biggest park Brisbane has seen in 50 years.

“When you think of some of [the] great parklands across the globe, Central Park in New York City, Lumpini Park in Bangkok and Hyde Park in London come to mind for their hundreds of trees, free attractions and for offering people a green sanctuary within a busy capital city.”

The site is entirely owned by Brisbane City Council, with the new green space to consist of water features, woodlands and gardens. 

Once completed, the new park will be the second biggest in Brisbane behind Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, and will be more than double the size of the City Botanic Gardens.

Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner said the council would consider a range of opportunities for the new space, including pop-up cinemas, markets and play areas for all ages.

The Council will allocate $1 million to the park in its upcoming budget and will begin working on the project in 2021, when the golf course will be permanently closed. However, the Council announced that the popular driving range, putt-putt course, wedding venue and function centre will remain in the new parkland.

Lord Mayor Schrinner advised “people love and value the existing putt putt course and driving range, with more than 180,000 people using these facilities in the past financial year.”

However the Council announced that rounds played at the golf course have decreased by about 16% over the past eight years.

Work is already under way by the Council to improve access to the park, where car parking is available and both lines of the high-frequency Brisbane Metro will transport passengers directly to the parkland via Herston and Kelvin Grove stations in the future.