City-shaping project underway

There’s a fair bit happening at Victoria Park these days. Progress is a beautiful thing, so it’s about time initial site preparation works got underway for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic stadium. The $3.6 billion, 63,000-seat venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as athletics events, before becoming the city’s premier stadium for sport and entertainment after the Games.

Projects of this scale are never without their challenges. Five people were arrested last week following protests calling for the parklands to be preserved. But surely most Queenslanders simply want the government to get on with it?

Internal migration analysis by KPMG shows Australians are moving away from the country’s largest capitals, with more than 33,000 people leaving Sydney and 8,500 departing Melbourne in the year to June 2025. The beneficiary of this migration shift is Brisbane, which recorded net internal migration of more than 11,000 people in 2024–25.

Brisbane is changing whether locals like it or not. With that growth comes innovation and the revitalisation of precincts including Hamilton/Northshore, Woolloongabba and Roma Street.

Even some of the city’s most popular existing lifestyle destinations are receiving a pre-Olympic makeover to accommodate population growth and demand. Recently approved by Brisbane City Council is the $500 million expansion of Howard Smith Wharves. Dubbed HSW 2.0, the project will feature a new 106-room hotel featuring a rooftop restaurant, bar and pool, plus Brisbane’s first over-river swimming pool. Plans also include upgrades to Felons Barrel Hall, around 8,500sq m of additional public space featuring landscaped areas and riverfront viewing points, improved river access, and two cliffside lifts.

Congratulations to the man behind HSW, Brisbane-born entrepreneur and Artemus Group founder Adam Flaskas, for hitting a massive home run with this project.

Before I sign off this week, here’s a quick heads-up for anyone looking to impress their partner. CJ Hendry’s iconic Flower Shop pop-up is coming to Brisbane from 25 June to 12 July at 1 Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley. Google it and thank me later…

I hope you enjoy the read.

Matt Lancashire