Victoria Park/Barrambin Parklands

After almost a century, the Victoria Park Parklands are once again open to the public, with the former golf course transitioning into 64 hectares of new inner-city parkland.

Whilst only in the early stages of what will be a whopping $141 million dollar investment by the Brisbane City Council, visitors are now welcome to pack a picnic, grab a ball and spend some time in the beautiful, manicured parklands.

Currently home to rolling green hills, a water hole, city views and a magnificent Jacaranda in a tree-lined gully, the Victoria Park Parklands is the perfect inner-city oasis for Brisbane families and visitors to enjoy.

Future Plans for the Victoria Park/Barrambin Parklands

Over the next four years the BCC has much grander plans for this enormous green space, with hopes to not only restore the park to its former glory and reconnect visitors with local history, culture and nature but also to bring more education and recreation to the area.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said “restoring the natural landscape, wetlands and watering holes, massively increasing tree cover and introducing nature-based play spaces, including a tree house, are all part of the exciting final plan.”

Excitingly, Victoria Park will also be the venue for the temporary equestrian cross country course and a BMX freestyle track for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As such, the blueprint for the parklands will be delivered in stages, with the areas being used for the Games transformed after 2032.

The Victoria Park/Barrambin Master Plan includes:

60% canopy cover to create homes for wildlife and improve urban cooling
Adventure Valley – which will include a mountain bike track and high ropes course
The Tree House lookout and cafe
Nature water play gully
Reinstated waterholes and wetlands
Adventure playground
Community sports precinct
Community edible garden

Work will soon begin on a fantastic new pump track (near Herston Road), followed by the construction of Spring Hill Common near Gregory Terrace.

Lord Mayor Schrinner says, “Victoria Park represents a unique opportunity to deliver a new destination for Brisbane that is loved by residents and visitors alike.” We certainly can’t wait to see what unfolds at this amazing Brisbane location.

Did you know?

Victoria Park has played a significant role in Brisbane’s history. The site was an important meeting and camping place for Indigenous people who came from all over South-East Queensland for corroborees.
The park was gazetted as a reserve for recreation in 1875 and was a site for brick making and timber-felling industries.
It was also Brisbane’s first municipal rubbish dump and then was converted into a golf course in the 1930’s.
During World War II the park was home to hundreds of American soldiers based in Brisbane, with these houses later used for social housing for displaced residents.
Victoria Park remains one of the largest parks in Brisbane with a new history unfolding as it transforms into a uniquely Brisbane destination.
A tree survey done as part of the draft master plan investigations has found more than 2800 trees in the park which represents approximately 10% canopy coverage. Over the next 50 years this canopy coverage will increase to 60%.

The perfect picnic spot

So next time the sun is shining and your family is itching to get outside and make the most of our beautiful natural environment, why not head out to the newly re-opened Victoria Park Parklands? And if it is a picnic you are hankering for, we have been told that these are some of the best picnic spots in the parklands.

Enjoy a picnic under the magnificent Jacaranda tree in the tree-lined gully running through the middle of the park.
Perfect picnic spots are located on the various hills overlooking the city – located near the main carpark off Herston Road and throughout the middle of the park.
From the Kelvin Grove side of the park, just off Victoria Park Road, there is a secluded area of parkland – just a short two-minute walk to the Kelvin Grove Urban Village to pick up picnic supplies.
Relax by a waterhole along York’s Hollow – a series of waterholes adjacent to the bikeway along the Inner City Bypass side of the park.
Take in the sunset from the Spring Hill side of the park – there are many spots along this part of the park with parking available in Centenary Aquatic Centre and along Gregory Terrace.