Victoria Park closure cuts international students' access to vital refuge

Victoria Park closure fuels international students' fears of loneliness, isolation Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 5:42am International students fear their loneliness and isolation will worsen following the closure of Victoria Park to make way for Brisbane's new Olympic stadium. Numerous students have told the ABC that the park was a free space where they felt welcome when they were lonely and was a haven where they could meet other community members to stave off homesickness. "It's incomparable," said Indonesian PhD student Yesika Maya Ocktarani. "I think it [was] a good place for us to heal ourselves, really." Public access to most of the park, on the northern fringe of the CBD, has been blocked since May, when construction began on the $3.6 billion stadium. The site of the 63,000-seat venue, which will be the centrepiece of the Brisbane Olympic Games in 2032, has divided community opinion, with Indigenous groups saying it has deep cultural significance. Mrs Ocktarani, who lives nearby and attends the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), regularly visited Victoria Park for both personal relaxation and community gatherings. She said she felt isolated after arriving in Brisbane in February 2023 to study, but found support in the Indonesian student groups meeting at the park. "To fill the emptiness and loneliness [of] becoming PHD student,"she said. "If we meet other Indonesian students, and then we talk about that [the challenges of PhD life], it's like catharsis … like healing as well, it's good for our mental wellbeing." Mrs Ocktarani — a member of the Indonesian Higher Degree Research (HDR) student group and the broader international HDR community — said Victoria Park had multiple areas where people could meet. Moving gatherings to other parks nearby was not an option because they were too small and did not have the same amenities, such as barbecues and playgrounds, she said. Vietnamese QUT masters student Micky Mai said the park helped international students build friendships and feel connected to the community. "To me, Victoria Park is much more than a public park," Mr Mai said. "It represents friendship, belonging, and some of my happiest memories as an international student." He said one of his favourite memories was attending the Mid-Autumn Festival at the park with friends. The group made traditional Vietnamese lanterns and shared cultural traditions, which made him "feel closer to home". Indonesian student association president at the University of Queensland (UQ), Alifina Izza, who is studying a master of public health, agreed with Mr Mai's and Mrs Ocktarani's sentiments. She said that international students' involvement in associations was important for both personal and professional wellbeing, and having convenient access to gatherings in places such as the park had helped her and others to adjust to life in Australia. "It makes me never [feel] homesick to be honest," Ms Izza said. Since public access to vast areas of Victoria Park closed, Ms Izza said the UQ Public Health Association (UQPHA), of which she is a member, had had to move its meetings from the park to campus rooms and corridors. The group now had to "fight" to secure suitable spaces, she said. Closure could affect foreign enrolments American PhD student Aidan Estes said parkland was a drawcard for him when considering where to study, and he used to ride through Victoria Park from his home in Herston to study at QUT's Kelvin Grove campus. "One of the main things I look for when I'm trying to move to a city is if they have a lot of green spaces,"he said. "So having those kinds of green spaces, it was nice … and kind of reminded me of home a little bit." International Students Representative Council of Australia (ISRC) president Weihong Liang said that the long-term disruption of a major community space could have impacts beyond the loss of a physical gathering place. He believes it could also affect international students' "sense of connection" to the city and their ability to engage with community life outside campus. "More broadly, the attractiveness of a study destination is not determined only by university rankings, employment opportunities or visa settings," he said. "It is also shaped by quality of life, safety, affordability, public transport, access to open space, and whether students feel included in the wider community." Mr Liang said the ISRC recognised the importance of major public infrastructure and the significance of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, international students should be recognised as part of the community affected when major public spaces near student populations are redeveloped, he added. "Successful urban redevelopment should strengthen, rather than weaken, the social infrastructure that supports students and local communities," he said. 'It's like Brisbane's lungs' QUT urban planning lecturer Dr Mark Limb said access to parkland was vital for the wellbeing of not only the city's international students, but for everyone living in apartments or accommodation with limited gardens and greenery. "Especially so for students because students are typically trying to save some money," he said, emphasising that parks are free meeting spaces. Evelynd, a PhD student at QUT who uses a single name, lives with two housemates and has access to only a small balcony, making nearby green spaces such as Victoria Park "very valuable". "What stood out for me the first time I visited here is actually how big it is and then how open and relaxed the space felt," she says. "It's like Brisbane's lungs." Dr Limb said that beyond community connection, the wellbeing created by using parklands came from a combination of having a quiet space, connecting with nature by seeing wildlife and trees, and simply having some space to breathe. QUT masters student Gilang Maulana used to visit Victoria Park "almost every day" to unwind and felt a sense of belonging despite usually being by himself. "There used to be signs around the park near areas with trees on 'how to slow down,'" he said. "One of the methods was to breathe and look at the fractal patterns in trees, and I found myself still doing that before the access closed. "I think it's just the fresh air or sunlight or looking at trees and birds or actually touching grass,"Mr Maulana said. "The quietness, or a combination of all of those, made the park really nice to go to." Diaswati Mardiasmo, a member of the Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics 2032 Legacy Committee, said international students' sense of loss over Victoria Park was both "valid" and "understandable". However, Dr Mardiasmo, who is also a member of Indonesian diaspora in Brisbane, said that the feeling that Victoria Park was more than just a park was "not exclusive to international students". "As Brisbane residents, we need to be able to be proud of what Brisbane can offer on the international stage, such as the Olympics," she said. "With other alternatives nearby, and also free … it is possible to create a new 'home', a new place to meet and build … memories — as long as you have [other international students] with you." She urged the students and community groups to consider other options, including Roma Street Parkland, King Edward Park, Centenary Place Park and South Bank Parklands. "It's not the house that makes a home, it's the people that make it a home,"she said.