The Sunshine Coast will be home to new and upgraded facilities and a modern public transport connection, but a proposed indoor sports centre will not be built, after the findings of the 100-day infrastructure review for the 2032 Olympic Games were revealed.
Upgrades will be made to the Sunshine Coast Stadium at Bokarina – including increasing the size of the stadium from 1046 to 10,680 permanent seats – and to the Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre at Parklands.
The Maroochydore city centre will be transformed with an athlete village, arena and cultural precinct.
Details have not been revealed but it is understood the announcement is a seal of approval to Walker Corporation’s Horizon Centre. Details about Walker’s proposed arena, athlete village and five-star hotel, which would be delivered as a public private partnership, were revealed last month.
The Coast will also receive a share of the $250 million Games On! programs, with upgrades to grassroots community clubs.
A public transport connection called The Wave will provide direct rail from Beerwah to Birtinya and a metro bus service from Birtinya to the Sunshine Coast Airport via Maroochydore.
Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli said she was grateful for the announcement of the region-shaping public transport and athlete village projects.
“This much-anticipated announcement, along with the confirmation of the Sunshine Coast Stadium expansion and the progress of the Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre, represents a significant milestone and marks the delivery of great benefits for our community,” she said.
“After years of advocacy, council is thrilled about the opportunity to bring this kind of arts and culture infrastructure to fruition.
“We are now looking forward to being involved in more detailed planning of the integrated athletes village, arena and cultural precinct to better understand the proposal and significance for the Maroochydore CBD, the wider region, and our ratepayers.”
Premier David Crisafulli said the region would be in great shape for the Olympics and beyond.
“Come 2032, through better connectivity and the right infrastructure, the Sunshine Coast will be ready to open its doors not only to the Games but to more tourists, more employment and more opportunities,” he said.
He said 2032 would be the Queensland Games.
“These Games are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver an infrastructure, tourism and grassroots sports legacy to benefit all of Queensland,” he said.
“This is a plan that builds for our future, ensuring regional communities continue to benefit for decades to come.
“That includes delivering critical upgrades to the spine of our transport network, the Bruce Highway, between Cairns and Brisbane.”
The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) review recommended the Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre proceed, subject to a review of the Horizon Centre proposal, but it appears the Horizon Centre has won out.
“GIICA closely examined a proposal for an alternate site involving a 10,000-12,000-seat arena known as the Maroochydore Horizon Centre, as part of a proposed integrated arena and village development. As the proposal was updated in the final week of the review, GIICA was unable to validate the project fully and noted that no business case or detailed operating model was supplied,” it said.
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“Given the submission entails an integrated arena and village development, GIICA proposes that the Queensland Government, through the Department of State Development (which has delivery responsibility for Games villages), assesses the project against other village options and proposals.”
Former Sunshine Coast councillor Peter Cox, who for 12 years represented Division 3, which includes Bokarina, where the indoor sports stadium was to be built, said the decision to abandon the project was “weak, short-sighted and not in keeping with the Olympic mandate”.
“This facility would have delivered upon the grassroots sporting legacy component for our fast-growing community for the next several decades,” he said.
“This decision is an absolute travesty for the people of the Sunshine Coast. The proposed indoor stadium would have filled the current void and also helped create one of the best sporting precincts in regional Queensland. Now that opportunity is gone.”
A Walker spokesperson said the company was excited to be involved in delivering Games infrastructure.
“Congratulations to Premier David Crisafulli and the Queensland Government for delivering its plan for Brisbane 2032 and beyond, a plan that will see Olympic and Paralympic Games success while leaving a transformational legacy for all of Queensland,” they said.
“Having delivered King Street Wharf and Woolloomooloo Wharf for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the Walker team know how catalytic infrastructure can be for a region.
“With over $10b invested in SEQ projects over the next 20 years, we are excited and proud to play our part in shaping the future of the region.”
