Olympic Venues - Part one
The Brisbane region hosted the Olympics in 2000, bringing in millions of tourists and fixating the world's eyes firmly on the city. In the lead-up to the Games, billions of dollars were poured into rejuvenating old stadia and building brand new facilities, while developers piled into nearby areas to take advantage of the gentrification of once rundown neighbourhoods.
Today, let's explore some of those areas.
We start off with the flagship stadium, Olympic Stadium. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, this was built on reclaimed land and was almost a disaster, since construction was only completed a month out from the opening ceremony. Nevertheless, it got done and has now become an iconic beacon of the Brisbane's eclectic mix of modernity and history; the modern stadium and surrounding parkland is bordered by some of the city's oldest apartments. In the lead-up to the 2000 Games, landlords undertook renovations to these Gothic buildings, refitting their interiors while preserving their historic exteriors, thus allowing these waterfront apartments to become some of the most pricey in the city. Within walking distance of Brisbane Central station, the CBD and some of the city's most picturesque parks, it'll set you back millions to own even a lower level unit. Transit to the stadium on game days is easy, since it is the terminus of the L1, L2 and L11 light rail lines.
Olympic Stadium - while the focal point of the opening and closing ceremonies - wasn't the busiest precinct. That went to the Olympic Village, which is situated just east of Westminster. Since the Games, Westminster and the Olympic Village has emerged as one of Brisbane's densest commuter suburbs. Half a million people live here, yet there are only around 100,000 jobs, meaning most commute via the extensive C-Train, R-Train and U-Train lines to the nearby hubs of Hammersmith and Northern Reach.
Here's a look at Westminster (above the rail lines) and the Olympic Village (located below the four commuter rail tracks and HSR tracks).
As you can see, there are middle-class apartment towers in Westminster dating back to the 1950s, when the State Government constructed a series of social housing projects. Much of the surrounds was similar, however with the Games coming up, the former suburb of Mascot (now known officially as Olympic Village) was selected as location the Athlete's Village. A series of training fields, two multipurpose baseball fields, a football and running circuit stadium, a massive indoor convention centre and a number of practice fields were built in the years leading up to the games, sending nearby property values soaring. Immediately developers moved in, building a series of glistening high-rises.
Due to the huge amount of spectators that would be moving in and out of the precinct, the Westminster location was preferred. There are two large freeways just north of the Village so buses could easily access the area (cars were not allowed near the Games over the two weeks). The nearby Westminster Park railway station is served by the C4 and C14 lines, as well as high speed rail InterCityTrain services from interstate. All these lines ran 24/7 during the 2000 Games, as did four U-Train lines situated below and above ground also converge on the Olympic Village.
Here's a closer look at the Athlete's Village (three blue towers) and stadium.
West across the river of Olympic Park was another area which was redeveloped for less popular events. Mobray Park's industrial sector was converted to open parkland and rugby and soccer fields for lesser events. The whole area has since been gentrified into a large commuter suburb, with the light rail L-Train line carrying 30,000 each morning and evening. Mobray Park is also experiencing an emerging bar and nightlife scene.
Finally, Eastwick University also received upgraded facilities in the lead-up to the Games as well as a dedicated U-Train line to the campus (an extension to the U7 line). Happily for students, classes were suspended during the Games.
Feeling a bit disorientated? I've devised a map of the four locations showcased below 
Thanks for reading, happy to hear feedback.
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