Getting to the 2032 Olympic venues by public transport
Where to stay, how to get there, and the black spots
Brisbane 2032 is billed as a “public transport Games” with no new Olympic car parking. Mostly it stacks up: 12 of 24South East Queensland venues have a train or tram at the door, and the marquee sites — the main stadium, Suncorp, the Gabba, South Bank — are all rail- or busway-connected. But some venues are a genuine trek, and where you stay makes all the difference. This is the visitor's guide: where to base yourself, where the athlete villages are, how to reach each venue, the transit black spots, the parking reality, and a scorecard for all 24 venues.
12
venues rail or tram at the door
7
venues that are bus-only
2
Brisbane venues with no rail or busway plan
24
SEQ venues in this guide
The venues, mapped by transport access
Every venue on the South East Queensland map, coloured by how you reach it on today's network. The three clusters — Brisbane in the middle, the Gold Coast to the south, the Sunshine Coast to the north — tell the story at a glance. Filter by access, or tap a pin.
Tap or hover a pin to see its venue, its transport access and its nearest station. Purple squares are the three athlete villages.
By the numbers
10
venues within an 800m walk of a train
510m
median walk, a Brisbane rail venue to its station
5.6km
from the nearest train to the Chandler venues (velodrome + shooting)
50%
of venues rail or tram at the door
Straight-line walking distances from each venue to the nearest TransLink station it can actually reach (so the tennis centre counts its walkable station, not the one across the river).
Where to stay for the best venue access
The single biggest thing you control. Base yourself well and most of the Games is a walk or a short ride away.
Inner north (Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley, Newstead, Spring Hill)Top pick
7 venues within 5km · 6 rail- or tram-connected
The best base for the marquee events. You can walk or take a short busway ride to the main stadium, the aquatic centre, the athlete-village precinct and the CBD, and it's a couple of train stops to the Gabba. Train and Brisbane Metro busway both run through it.
CBD & South BankTop pick
6 venues within 5km · 5 rail- or tram-connected
The most central all-rounder. South Bank's own venue is on your doorstep, and every line and busway radiates from the city — you're rarely more than a short ride from an inner venue. The plan treats the city and its surrounding venues as one walkable 'Olympic Park'.
Milton / Paddington
6 venues within 5km · 5 rail- or tram-connected
Right by Suncorp Stadium (Milton station), and a quick run into the city for everything else.
Broadbeach / Southport (Gold Coast)
3 venues within 5km · 3 rail- or tram-connected
For the Gold Coast events. The G:link tram links the convention centre, Broadwater Parklands and beach venues, and connects to the heavy-rail line for the trip to Brisbane.
Maroochydore / Kawana (Sunshine Coast)
1 venue within 5km · 0 rail- or tram-connected
For the Sunshine Coast events and village. Handy to those venues, but car-dependent — there is no heavy rail on the coast for 2032.
Where the athlete villages are
Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills
1.5km from the CBD, with Bowen Hills station, the CRR-upgraded Exhibition station and the busway on its doorstep — the best-connected of the three villages, and the same precinct as the main stadium and aquatic centre.
Royal Pines Resort, Benowa
Inland at Benowa, a few kilometres from the G:link tram — bus and shuttle access for the Gold Coast events.
Maroochydore City Centre
A new precinct in the Maroochydore CBD. The Wave rail line aims to reach Maroochydore in time, but for 2032 it is bus and road access.
How to reach the venues
Grouped by cluster, from the city.
The city cluster — main stadium, aquatic centre, showgrounds, athlete village, South Bank
Most of the Games happens in and around the CBD, which the plan treats as one walkable 'Olympic Park'. Walk it, or hop the Brisbane Metro busway or a train to Fortitude Valley, Bowen Hills or South Bank. This is the easiest part of the Games to reach — and the reason to base yourself inner-city.
The Gabba (Woolloongabba)
The Woolloongabba busway is at the door today, and Cross River Rail's new Woolloongabba train station opens right beside it before the Games — so it becomes rail at the door.
Suncorp Stadium (Milton)
Train to Milton station, or a 20-minute walk from the city along Caxton Street.
The rail-served outer venues
Boondall (basketball), Petrie (boxing), Springfield's Brighton Homes Arena, Eagle Farm (golf), Birkdale (canoe slalom) and Robina on the Gold Coast all have a train station at the door — just take the line out and walk.
The tricky one — the Chandler cluster
The velodrome and the shooting centre have no train or busway nearby — the nearest station is more than 5km away. Today that's a bus trip; expect Games-time shuttle buses from the nearest rail hub, and allow extra time. This is the part of the network to plan around.
Gold Coast
Take the heavy-rail line from Brisbane and change to the G:link tram, which links the convention centre, Broadwater Parklands and the beach venues.
Sunshine Coast
There's no heavy rail on the coast for 2032. Plan for a bus, a shuttle or a car — or the new Wave line partway down and a connection for the rest.
Getting from one event to the next
Got tickets to events in different clusters? Within a cluster it's quick, but crossing the Games is a saga. Between two proper stadiums — the Sunshine Coast to Robina on the Gold Coast — it's 3h 54m each way on public transport. The Games spans 169km across three cities; the very furthest point, the remote mountain-bike course near Nambour, is a full 4h 49m from the Gold Coast.
Sunshine Coast stadium to the Gold Coast
Sunshine Coast Stadium → Robina Stadium · bus → bus → train · 2 changes
Main stadium to the Sunshine Coast
Victoria Park Stadium → Sunshine Coast Stadium · train → 3 buses · 3 changes
Main stadium to the Gold Coast
Victoria Park Stadium → Robina Stadium · one train (Gold Coast line) · direct
The two furthest Brisbane venues
Brighton Homes Arena, Springfield → Moreton Bay Indoor, Petrie · one train, right across the city · direct
Athlete village to the velodrome
Brisbane Showgrounds → Anna Meares Velodrome · two buses · 1 change
The Gabba to Suncorp Stadium
The Gabba → Suncorp Stadium · one bus · direct
Real journeys from transit directions on a normal weekday, today's scheduled network. Games-time will add extra and express services, but the geography doesn't change. The takeaway: plan your tickets by cluster and day, not across the whole of South East Queensland.
The transit black spots
Two parts of the Games are genuinely awkward without a car, and neither has a committed rail or busway fix:
- The Chandler cluster (velodrome + shooting centre), in Brisbane's east — the nearest train is more than 5km away.
- The Sunshine Coast venues — no heavy rail on the coast for 2032.
For these, don't plan to turn up on a whim: look for Games shuttle buses from the nearest rail hub, or a park-and-ride and drive. Allow extra time both ways.
Parking & the “no-car Games”
There is no new Olympic car parking planned. Brisbane 2032 is built around public and active transport: extra train, busway and bus services at Games time, a walkable city centre, and getting spectators to the venues without driving. In practice that means don't plan to drive to the inner-city venues — parking is limited and will be restricted — and expect park-and-ride at outer stations plus shuttles for the venues with no rail. The finer detail, like whether a Games ticket includes free travel and where the park-and-ride sites are, hasn't been announced yet.
The full scorecard, venue by venue
Every venue rated on today's network: rail or tram at the door, a walk to a station, busway-only, or bus-only. Tap a venue to see exactly where it is.
Brisbane · 14 venues
Modern pentathlon
Basketball
Athlete village, events
Boxing
Canoe slalom
Golf
3x3 basketball
Football, rugby sevens
Fortitude Valley station is about a 9-min walk, and the Herston busway (Brisbane Metro) is closer still.
Swimming, diving, water polo
Yeerongpilly station is about a 10-min walk (the closer Yeronga station is across the river, with no crossing). Event shuttle buses usually run.
Tennis
Busway right at the door (QUT Kelvin Grove & Herston, on the Brisbane Metro), Fortitude Valley station about an 11-min walk, and it's walkable from the CBD.
By 2032: The Exhibition station beside the precinct — heavy rail that opens for major events — is being upgraded by Cross River Rail, and would be the Games-day station for the stadium.
Ceremonies, athletics
Woolloongabba busway station is right at the door (300m).
By 2032: Cross River Rail's new Woolloongabba train station opens beside it before the Games — turning a busway stop into rail at the door.
Cricket (potential)
Track cycling, BMX
Shooting
Gold Coast · 7 venues
Football
Beach volleyball
Triathlon, marathon swim
Volleyball, weightlifting
Volleyball, wheelchair rugby
Judo, wrestling
Hockey
Sunshine Coast · 3 venues
Bus only. The nearest train station is 13.8km away.
By 2032: The Wave rail line won't reach here by 2032 — bus and active transport only.
Road cycling, marathon
Bus only. The nearest train station is 16.6km away.
By 2032: The Wave rail line is under construction, but its Stage 1 only reaches Caloundra by 2032 — a station at the venue precinct (Birtinya) is a later stage, so a bus link is still likely for the Games.
Football
Mountain bike
What's being built before the Games
The scorecard is today's network. Four committed projects reshape it before 2032.
A 5.9km rail tunnel under the city and river with four new stations (Woolloongabba, Boggo Road, Albert Street, Roma Street) and an upgraded Exhibition station.
What it fixes: Puts a train station at The Gabba (Woolloongabba), adds CBD stations near the South Bank and city venues, reopens Exhibition for the showgrounds precinct, and lets Sunshine Coast trains run through to the city.
A new heavy-rail line from Beerwah toward the Sunshine Coast. Stage 1 (Beerwah to Caloundra, 19km) is funded for 2032.
What it fixes: Brings rail toward the Sunshine Coast venues — but the station nearest the venue precinct (Birtinya) is a later, unfunded stage, so a bus connection to the venues is still likely for the Games.
High-frequency electric buses running the busways (Metro 1 and Metro 2).
What it fixes: It's how you actually reach the venues with no train — the main stadium at Victoria Park, the Gabba and South Bank all sit on a Metro busway.
The Gold Coast tram spine, now running to Burleigh Heads, with a further extension planned.
What it fixes: Tram at the door for the Broadbeach and Southport venues.
Free to cite
Free to quote and republish with attribution to GoThere Brisbane (CC BY 4.0). Download the venue CSV, or get in touch for a custom cut.
How we rated the venues
For each venue we measured the walking distance to the nearest train station, G:link tram stop and busway station on the public TransLink network, and rated it: rail/tram at the door (within 800m), a walk to a station (800m to 1.6km), busway only, or bus only. Where a straight line crosses a barrier — the tennis centre's nearest station is across the river — we use the nearest station you can actually walk to, and we count the event-only Exhibition station for the stadium precinct.
Honest caveats
- The venue plan can still change — based on the Queensland Government's March 2025 2032 Delivery Plan, and revised before.
- This is today's network; the “by 2032” notes flag committed upgrades.
- Games-time extra services, shuttles and parking rules aren't finalised — where to stay and the scorecard are the stable parts.
GoThere Brisbane analysis of the public TransLink stop network (walking distance from each venue to the nearest train, tram and busway). Venue and transport plans from 2032 Delivery Plan (venues), 2032 Delivery Plan (transport), Venue list cross-check. Analysis by GoThere Brisbane, updated 2026-07-19.
2032 transport questions
Where should I stay for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics?+
For the main events, base yourself inner-north (Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill, Newstead) or in the CBD / South Bank — you can walk or take a short ride to the main stadium, aquatic centre, athlete village and city venues, and it's a couple of stops to the Gabba. For Gold Coast events, Broadbeach or Southport (on the tram); for the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore or Kawana.
Where is the Brisbane 2032 athlete village?+
The main athlete village is at the Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills, about 1.5km from the CBD, with Bowen Hills station, the upgraded Exhibition station and the busway on its doorstep. There are satellite villages at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast and in the Maroochydore CBD on the Sunshine Coast.
Can you get to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic stadium by train?+
Nearly at the door. The main stadium at Victoria Park (Herston) has the busway and Brisbane Metro right beside it and Fortitude Valley station about an 11-min walk away. The Exhibition station next to the precinct — heavy rail that opens for major events and is being upgraded by Cross River Rail — would be the Games-day station. So it's busway- and rail-connected and walkable from the CBD.
Will there be parking at the 2032 venues?+
Brisbane 2032 is planned as a public- and active-transport Games, with extra train, busway and bus services at Games time rather than new venue car parking. Expect to travel by public transport, walk in the city, and use park-and-ride and shuttles for the outer venues. The detail — free travel on a Games ticket, park-and-ride sites — is not finalised yet.
How long does it take to get between the 2032 venues?+
Within a cluster, minutes — the Gabba to Suncorp is a 25-minute bus, and the marquee city venues are walkable. Across clusters it's a saga: Sunshine Coast Stadium to Robina on the Gold Coast is 3h 54m each way, and the Games spans 169km across three cities. Plan tickets by cluster and day.
Which venues are hard to reach on public transport?+
The Chandler cluster (the velodrome and shooting centre) is bus-only with no rail or busway and no committed fix, and the Sunshine Coast venues have no heavy rail for 2032. Plan for shuttles or a car for those.