Greenheart Parklands: The 257-Hectare Project Redefining Central Gold Coast

Status: Stage 1 open (April 2025) — Stage 2 pending federal environmental approval Location: Robina and Merrimac (geographic centre of the Gold Coast city) Total area: 257 hectares — six times the size of Broadwater Parklands Delivered by: City of Gold Coast

What Is Greenheart?

Greenheart is the Gold Coast's largest ever parkland project — a 257-hectare network of open space, trails, waterways, and event lawns that will stretch across the geographic centre of the city, spanning the suburbs of Robina and Merrimac.⁴

When complete, Greenheart will be six times the size of the Broadwater Parklands. It will connect Robina Town Centre, Cbus Super Stadium, the Gold Coast Sports Precinct at Carrara, and the broader western residential areas of the central Gold Coast — creating a continuous green corridor of a scale the city has never had before.

Stage 1 — the 22.5-hectare Robina Parklands section — opened in April 2025.⁸ It was immediately popular, establishing the template for what the full precinct will become.

What Stage 1 Delivered

The Robina Parklands (Stage 1) of the Greenheart initiative officially opened on 15 April 2025 with:¹³

- 22.5 hectares of new parkland in Robina - Walking, running, and cycling trails - Recreational lawns and gathering spaces - 400 new trees and 17,000 new plants - Connectivity to surrounding residential precincts - A teaser of the broader network's potential

The investment in Stage 1 alone represents $25 million+ in landscaping, infrastructure, and public space.¹² A community celebration event was held on 3 May 2025 to mark the opening.

What Stage 2 Will Add

Stage 2 is currently in development and will include:

- A creek crossing at Cbus Super Stadium — linking the parkland network directly to the stadium precinct and the Gold Coast Sports Precinct - An outdoor concert venue for up to 50,000 people — a major new event infrastructure asset for the Gold Coast, capable of hosting music festivals, outdoor sporting events, and large-scale public gatherings at a scale not previously available in the city's centre

The outdoor concert venue, in particular, is a transformative piece of event infrastructure. The Gold Coast currently lacks a large-scale outdoor performance venue of this capacity — the Greenheart amphitheatre/event precinct would change the city's event attractiveness substantially.

Where Stage 2 Stands Now

The broader Merrimac precinct — the main 224-hectare Greenheart Community Parklands — is currently in the federal environmental approvals phase. The EPBC Act referral (Application No. 03032) was lodged in August 2025 and is listed as "Locked", meaning it is under active federal assessment.⁶ No approval decision has been published.

This federal approval is the critical path item. Construction of the main Merrimac Greenheart precinct cannot proceed until it is resolved. Early and enabling works are scheduled to commence from January 2026 per the EPBC referral documentation, with construction of the first phase of the broader precinct anticipated to begin in 2027 and all stages targeted for completion by 31 December 2032.⁶

Council has confirmed it is incorporating community feedback to inform the design of the next phase of the Masterplan.³ No Stage 2 construction contracts, budget announcements, or timeline revisions have been publicly released as of 2 March 2026.

The Full 257-Hectare Vision

When all stages of Greenheart are complete, the precinct will include:

- 257 hectares of connected open space - 27 kilometres of trails for walking, running, and cycling - Multiple sports fields for community and club use - Wetlands and creek corridors — restored and enhanced natural waterway systems - The outdoor concert venue (up to 50,000 capacity) - Connections to Robina Town Centre, Cbus Super Stadium, the Carrara Sports Precinct, and surrounding residential areas

Why Greenheart Matters for Property

Large-scale parks and open space consistently appear as one of the strongest property price premiums in academic research and transaction data. Properties adjacent to parks and green space achieve measurable premiums over comparable properties without that amenity — typically 5%–15% depending on the scale and quality of the green space.

Greenheart is not an ordinary local park. It is a city-defining piece of green infrastructure at the geographic heart of the Gold Coast's most active development corridor.

Robina: Already the epicentre of new apartment construction (see Apartment Construction article), Robina's residential market will benefit from direct adjacency to Greenheart. The Lakesview Robina masterplanned community (2,750 homes) by Walker Corporation explicitly incorporates connectivity to Robina Parklands and Greenheart as a key feature.

Merrimac: A suburb historically less prominent than its neighbours, Merrimac sits directly within the Greenheart precinct boundary. Combined with the new Merrimac Train Station (currently under construction as part of the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project) and proximity to the Coomera Connector motorway, Merrimac is the southern Gold Coast suburb most comprehensively positioned for upside from intersecting infrastructure investments.

Carrara: The Stage 2 creek crossing connecting to Cbus Super Stadium gives Carrara direct parkland access to the Greenheart network, enhancing the appeal of the stadium precinct residential area.

The 2032 Olympics Connection

The Greenheart precinct is physically adjacent to Cbus Super Stadium (a confirmed 2032 Olympic football venue) and the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre at Carrara (confirmed for judo, wrestling, and boccia). The outdoor concert venue contemplated in Stage 2 would add further large-scale event capacity to the precinct for potential Games use.

The CBD Robina precinct — which encompasses Cbus Super Stadium, Robina Hospital, Bond University, and the Robina Train Station — is being actively marketed as an Olympic-connected investment zone. Greenheart is positioned as the green spine running through this precinct.

Robina Town Centre: The Commercial Anchor

Robina Town Centre — owned and managed by QIC (Queensland Investment Corporation) — is the southern Gold Coast's dominant retail and commercial anchor:

- 400+ retailers across 130,000m2 of retail space - 7 anchor tenants - The largest regional shopping centre on the Gold Coast - The commercial core around which the entire CBD Robina precinct is oriented

QIC is actively managing the evolution of the centre through an ongoing redevelopment program. The Northern Malls project management has been delivered in collaboration with RCP Australia and RPS Group; laser scanning of the Bazaar Street Mall has been completed for future development planning.

The centre's continued evolution — alongside Greenheart, the new apartment pipeline, and the 2032 Olympics precinct narrative — makes Robina the most comprehensively positioned suburb in the southern Gold Coast for the decade ahead.

Key Developments in the Robina Stadium Village Precinct

The CBD Robina / Stadium Village precinct (centred on Stadium Drive) is seeing concentrated development activity:

- Cbus Super Stadium ($160M facility; major upgrade to come for Olympics) - Robina Hospital (expanding in line with the Gold Coast's population growth) - Robina Train Station and Bus Interchange (key node; will benefit from Logan Faster Rail frequency upgrades) - Bond University Institute of Health & Sport (directly adjacent; major employer and education anchor) - Vue Terrace Homes ($170M — sold out before completion) - Sentinel Build-to-Rent (300 units approved — Stadium Drive)

Multiple development sites in the precinct are actively being marketed to investors and developers, with the 2032 Olympics and Greenheart cited as headline investment catalysts.

Sources

1. City of Gold Coast (2025) Greenheart Master Plan, City of Gold Coast. goldcoast.qld.gov.au 2. City of Gold Coast (2026) Greenheart, GC Have Your Say. gchaveyoursay.com.au 3. City of Gold Coast (2026) Greenheart, GC Have Your Say. gchaveyoursay.com.au 4. City of Gold Coast (2025) Greenheart Master Plan, City of Gold Coast. goldcoast.qld.gov.au 5. Mirage News (2025) Gold Coast Unveils Greenheart Robina Parklands, Mirage News. miragenews.com 6. City of Gold Coast (2025) Greenheart Community Parklands EPBC Act Referral Report, EPBC Public Portal. epbcpublicportal.environment.gov.au 7. GC Mag (2025) Gold Coast Launches Stage 1 of Greenheart Masterplan, GC Mag. gcmag.com.au 8. Mirage News (2025) Gold Coast Unveils Greenheart Robina Parklands, Mirage News. miragenews.com 9. Inside Local Government (2025) Gold Coast Council unveils new 'green heart' parklands, Inside Local Government. insidelocalgovernment.com.au 10. GC Mag (2025) Gold Coast Launches Stage 1 of Greenheart Masterplan, GC Mag. gcmag.com.au 11. Inside Local Government (2025) Gold Coast Council unveils new 'green heart' parklands, Inside Local Government. insidelocalgovernment.com.au 12. Inside Local Government (2025) Gold Coast Council unveils new 'green heart' parklands, Inside Local Government. insidelocalgovernment.com.au 13. GC Mag (2025) Gold Coast Launches Stage 1 of Greenheart Masterplan, GC Mag. gcmag.com.au

Article first published: February 2026. Last reviewed: 2 March 2026. Review triggers: EPBC federal approval decision (Application No. 03032); Stage 2 construction commencement; outdoor concert venue confirmation; Walker Corporation Lakesview Robina construction start; Merrimac Train Station construction progress.

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