Brisbane booming in run-up to the Games

Press, 8 September 1982, Page 25

Brisbane booming in run-up to the Games

ROD DEW

If the economic cloud covering much of the western world is now begining to darken the sun-bleached Australian landscape, this is not readily apparent in the busy capital of Queensland. Brisbane, now putting a final polish on extensive preparations for the XII Commonwealth Games, is experiencing a building and business boom quite out of tune with what is happening elsewhere. Major building projects break the skyline all over the central city area, outnumbered only by the giant cranes reaching out over them. Last year, alone, building permits valued at sAust39o million were issued by the Brisbane City Council, which claims to be the third largest metropolitan local authority in the w’orld. In the main business area, development work already under way or firmly planned is valued at a mind-boggling sAust3 billion. And there can be no doubt that the catalyst for much of this has been the Commonwealth Games, which will formally open in the new Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre at Nathan on September 30. Brisbane is treating the 10 days of the Games as one of the most important periods in its history. Nearly sAustloo million has , been invested in the Games; and Brisbane is hoping for a big return on this in ways far removed from the sport. Tourism, international trade and investment are just some of the things which will depend on, the image Brisbane shows the world next, month. But the “sunshine city” has already taken great strides since its humble days as a convict settlement. Once widely regarded as the Cinderella City of Australia, Brisbane has grown in a little more than 20 years from a sprawling, over-sized country town into a sophisticated and thriving metropolis.

Favoured with a picturesque setting, it is surrounded by low hills and covers both .banks of •> the. Brisbane River — a broad, meandering waterway which serves a multitude of purposes ranging from shipping to recreation.

In recent times, Brisbane's assets and obvious potential have become widely recognised. There is no more popular place to live in Australia at present, if the spectacular increase in population is any indication. Officially, some 720,000 people live within the 1220 square kilometres of greater Brisbane, but a census has not been taken since 1976. Educated guesses put the present total at closer to one mil lion.

The number of southern Australians moving north across the border into Queensland has accelerated spectacularly. Immigration into the “sunshine state” is currently running at 5000 a month, and more than threequarters of these finally wind up in Brisbane.

High on the list of attractions in Brisbane is the subtropical climate. Mild winters and a pleasant level of warmth in the summers hold enormous appeal. Daily maximum temperatures in the middle of winter frequently reach 20deg. C, and. yet, at the height of summer, the temperatures rarely rise above 30deg. The average maximum for the year is a comfortable 25deg. Because of the amount of building activity, there is also more work available for skilled people than in many other parts of Australia. This has obvious appeal. Skyscrapers, shopping malls and international hotels are growing like mushrooms. Facilities for the Commonwealth Games, such as the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium for track and field, and the magnificent Chandler Sports Centre for swimming, cycling, badminton, weight-lifting and table tennis (a demonstration sport), cost in excess of sAust4o million. Such figures are staggering compared to the financial levels existing in Christchurch prioi; to the 1974 Commonwealth Games. But they are little more than a speck of sand in the Australian outback when compared with the total building activity in Brisbane. One major project is the

enormous Queensland Cultural Centre, being built on a site overlooking the wide Brisbane River. At today’s prices, the estimated cost will be sAustl44 million. However, when the complex is completed towards the end of 1985 the cost is expected by most to be much higher, perhaps as much as sAust3oo million. So far, only the art gallery section has been completed. This has 4700 square metres of gallery space, highlighted by a water mall, and will be used to house a display of costumes, masks and jewellery of the Commonwealth during Festival 'B2, an art and cultural festival being held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games. The performing arts section of the centre will boast the Lyric Theatre, capable of catering for 2000 patrons, and the Concert Hall, of similar capacity. The total performing arts section is larger than the Sydney Opera House, and will be completed in 1984. Other sections include the museum, which will also be completed in 1984, and a new state library, scheduled for opening in 1985. The complex is magnificent in its scope, but the planners appear to have invited one likely problem by the provision of insufficient space for car parking. Space has been allowed for only 500 cars, which seems

hardly adequate for a venue which could attract thousands of people at one time. Brisbane’s Eagle Farm Airport is being redeveloped to provide a new international. standard airport by early 1986, So far, sAusts3 million has been spent and the total cost is estimated to be sAust232 million at 1981 prices. In addition, the existing domestic airport terminal has been given a sAust2.B million facelift. With so much building going on, a change in character is inevitable, but Brisbane residents feel that it will be for the better. Most can remember the time when only 38 per cent of the city was serviced ■ by sewer and rows of backyard “dunnies” were a feature of city life. That was only 20 years ago. Now’ the city is fully reticulated, increasing the numbers of properties on the sewer by 164,000. No-one wants to turn back the clock on this advance. - The 20-year plan for Brisbane has been one of general tidying up, giving the city a sense of pride. With the choice of Brisbane for the Commonwealth Games, the tidying up campaign has increased in intensity. The campaign moved into top gear with “Image ’82,” a $500,000 plan for landscaping and tree planting along

major roads leading to Commonwealth Games venues. A scheme for providing one free tree for every ratepayer every year was approved by the council in an effort to encourage residents to take pride in their own gardens. This has been a remarkable success. Last year some 23.000 free trees were distributed.

In . recent months, the "Shine on Brisbane" campaign has been under way. prompting people to paint their houses and fences, and to plant flowers and shrubs in their gardens. Brisbane’s new sAust2.s Queen. Street Mall will be completed by the opening of •the Games, transforming the business heart of the city in much the same way as the new City Mall has in Christchurch. Another pedestrian area is being provided in Anzac Square. These areas will be dotted with trees and shrubs, providing a 'green oasis in the concrete jungle. The aim is to halt creeping inner-city commercial death which has afflicted so many cities throughout the world. More than sAust2oo,ooo is being spent on landscaping the south bank of the Brisbane River, which'- winds through" the centre of Brisbane. A feature of the area will be the. floral “Games Gardens” two 20-metre-wide circular beds which will display the Games emblem in flowers.

Brisbane is not am old settlement by most world standards., It was founded in 1825 when the original Moreton Bay settlement at Redcliffe was moved to the vicinity of the present-day Queen and William Streets. Brisbane and the Moreton Bay area were part of New South Wales until December, 1859, when the Colony of Queensland was formed. Many relics of the past can be found in Brisbane alongside modern glasshouse architecture and beneath arcs of traffic freeways. The City Hall, in King George Square, once the administrative centre of the Brisbane City Council, is now being used as a cultural and community centre. An impressive old stone building, fronted by pillars and palm trees, it features a clock tower and is generally regarded as the centre of the city. Across King George Square is the Albert Street Methodist Church, a Gothic Revival Church in red brick and white Oamaru stone. It was built in 1889. Even older is the nearby Anne Street Presbyterian Church, opened in 1872. Parliament House, overlooking the Botanic Gardens, is another historic building. The Queensland Parliament has been meeting there since 1868. It is regarded as a fine example of French Renaissance architecture. The Treasury Building is another fine old building, an island block of Italian Renaissance architecture. There is a reminder of the convict era in the Observatory in Wickham Terrace, a tall- circular construction

with tiny windows. Orginally built by convict labour in 1829, it was to have been a windmill but, because of a mechanical defect, the sails would not work.

Brisbane’s oldest building is the old Government Stores in Queens Wharf Road running alongside the Brisbane River. This was opened in 1829. Constructed in stone, the. building and the hillside' area surrounding it are at present being renovated. Queens Wharf Road, a rather inconspicuous piece of tarmac, was actually the first road built in the convict settlement of, Brisbane Town more than 100 years ago. There is obviously plenty to delight the historian in Brisbane, although the emphasis is on the future.’ Brisbane is growing city and so far, at any rate, the growing pains have been minimal. This is attributed at least in part to the firm business approach to the administration by the Brisbane City Council.

Brisbane’s council affairs are controlled by 20 aidermen (councillors) under the leadership of a Lord Mayor. All are full-time, salaried workers who give their full attention to council matters. Ony Brisbane, of all the Australian cities, has such a full-time, paid council, a situation made possible because it is the only local authority in greater Brisbane. This is reflected in the professional manner in which the city is administered. This year, the council is working to a record budget of sAust3s4 million.

The advent of the Games has helped achieve the new record spending, but everyone is very much aware that for 10 days next month the city will be in the international limelight. An estimated one billion people will watch the Games on television and as many again will read of events in newspapers and listen on radio. Careful planning has ensured that Australia’s largest municipality will look more beautiful and attractive than at any other time in its 156year history. Brisbane is ready to take its place in the centre of the Commonwealth stage.