Push for Rockhampton rail roundhouse to be retained amid Olympic development

Australia Broadcast Center

07-05-2025

The future of one of a rare railway roundhouse hangs in the balance with a central Queensland rail workshop set to house 1,200 athletes and support crew for the 2032 Olympic Games.
The Rockhampton roundhouse is one of only two intact roundhouses in the Southern Hemisphere.
The city's historic railyards, established in the 1870s, sit on a 21-hectare block of prime CBD land.
A group of passionate rail enthusiasts hope to retain its historic charm.
The full circle roundhouse during construction in 1914.
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Supplied: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland
)
The main feature of the site is the railway roundhouse, a circular shed with an internal courtyard and fully rotational turntable to move trains around and onto the rail line.
"It's [the roundhouse] one of very, very few in the world," CQ Heritage Rail president Peter Draper said.
There are seven sections in the building, making a total of 52 locomotive stalls that form a shed for a single engine.
The roundhouse is the only full-circle roundhouse constructed in Queensland for steam locomotives.
Mechanics shifted towards diesel-electric and electric in the following decades and it was closed as a steam train depot in 1969.
The Sunlander train travels through the Rockhampton railyards in 1966.
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Supplied: Weston Langford
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"It's very important because of the industrial significance, the using it for steam, the significance with the engines, the people working in it, everything like that,"
Mr Draper said.
It was announced in March that Rockhampton would host rowing for the 2032 games, despite concern from national and international bodies
Exempt from heritage protection
Steam trains are stored in the Rockhampton roundhouse in 1966.
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Supplied: Weston Langford
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The Queensland government last month passed a bill in parliament to give the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority
They included the Queensland Heritage Act, into which the Rockhampton Railway Workshops were entered in 1992.
Mr Draper was nervous to hear heritage laws would be exempt from the Olympics venues.
"I'm hoping that there's no change with the roundhouse at all because, the Olympics will be wonderful but the significance of the roundhouse, as well as being unique in Queensland, it's something that's too big to lose, particularly for Rocky," he said.
"I think there's a lot of potential if it's done right and the roundhouse can be the centrepiece."
Steam trains use the roundhouse at Rockhampton in 1970.
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Supplied: Queensland Rail
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Member for Rockhampton Donna Kirkland has campaigned for regional centres to host Olympic events.
She said the heritage aspects of the Rockhampton railyards site would be taken into consideration during the development.
"Anything that's got that historical significance is not going to be abandoned," she said.
Donna Kirkland says the development will enhance the site.
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ABC Capricornia: Russel Talbot
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"
It [the housing] will be bringing new life into these beautiful historic railyards, it will showcase the heritage.
"
Mr Draper also welcomed change at the site, as parts of it had laid dormant for 15 years.
The Queensland government under Anna Bligh sold off the site in 2010 to Aurizon as part of a statewide privatisation.
However, the company closed it eight years later, putting more than 300 workers out of jobs.
Then-premier Annastacia Palaszczuk bought the site back in 2022 for $21 million.
Successive governments have since spruiked redevelopment for the site.
The Rockhampton Railyards are set to be transformed for the Olympic Games.
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ABC Capricornia: Russel Talbot
)
A master plan was unveiled in 2024 to recreate the space as a heritage centre with a family recreational area and hospitality and events spaces.
Some sheds have been leased to industrial businesses.
"In the meantime, with the dragging on the buildings are deteriorating," Mr Draper said.
Future planning
Australia has hosted Olympics twice, in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.
The village from the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which accommodated 6,500 people, have become public housing.
Photo shows
An illustration of a large stadium in a green park near the CBD.
There's a mixed history of private investment in sporting infrastructure. One thing is sure, those investing in sporting assets want to see returns that compensate the risk involved, writes Liam Walsh.
The Sydney 2000 athlete village provided housing for 15,300 competitors and officials, built in the suburb of Newington under a $590 million contract.
The houses were sold to the public afterwards.
A spokesperson for the Queensland government said the Rockhampton athletes village would also be converted into permanent housing as part of a legacy project.
Premier David Crisafulli previously told media the government would work with the private sector to deliver the project.
"I'm very much in favour of the Olympics, I can see a lot of benefits but they need to get in and not make rash decisions and leave us with something that's going to be lasting," Mr Draper said.
"It will be great for the city [Rockhampton], bring that part of town alive."
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