Hercules Street Park Archives

Mental Health Awareness Walk to Start in Hamilton

A 50km mental health fundraising walk involving former NRL players and sporting personalities will begin in Hamilton, with participants set to depart from Hercules Street Park before making their way across Brisbane ahead of Magic Round.

The “M-Brace the Magic” walk will take place on Friday, 15 May, running from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Participants will begin at Hercules Street Park in Hamilton before travelling through Kangaroo Point, Hawthorne, Bulimba, South Brisbane, West End and St Lucia, eventually finishing at Suncorp Stadium for the opening Magic Round game between the Sharks and Bulldogs.

Among those taking part are former NRL players Ryan Girdler, Tim Smith, Dene Halatau and Todd Carney, alongside other sporting identities and media personalities.

According to organisers, the event aims to raise awareness around mental health as rates of anxiety, trauma and depression continue to rise across Australia. Money raised through the fundraiser will go towards free mental health services.

The event is linked to Magic Round weekend, one of the largest events on Brisbane’s rugby league calendar.

For Hamilton residents, the fundraiser places the suburb at the official starting point of the 50km walk. Participants are expected to walk in stages ranging from 10km to 14km between scheduled breaks. The event will include morning and afternoon pitstops at the City Botanic Gardens.

Brisbane beverage company Sip Coco has partnered with the event and will provide drinks to participants during the walk. The company’s range includes pure coconut water as well as flavours including passionfruit, ginger, watermelon, lychee and pineapple.

Sip Coco said the partnership marks its second involvement in a sporting event following a partnership with Surfing Queensland’s Gold Coast Open earlier this year. Sip Coco Marketing Director Tayla Dodd said the company was proud to support the fundraiser.

“With no added sugar and five natural electrolytes – sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus – our pure coconut water is the perfect way to rehydrate after a long walk,” she said.

“We applaud all the players, athletes and fans who are tackling this epic walk for a good cause.”

The company launched in June last year and says more than 500 cafes and retail outlets around Australia now stock its products.

Organisers say the fundraiser is designed to raise both money and awareness around mental health support.

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Published 11-May-2026

Hercules Street Park Now Open After Multi-million Dollar Upgrade

The Hercules Street Park (Hamilton Recreation Reserve) has been reopened following the completion of its $10-million upgrade works.

The park upgrade project is part of the Northshore Hamilton urban renewal, which will see the 304-hectare industrial area transformed into a 2.5km riverside precinct over the next 20 years.

“Since Northshore Hamilton was declared a PDA in 2008, the landscape of the industrial and port precinct has changed dramatically,” Minister for State Development Cameron Dick said.

Funding for the Hercules Street Park upgrade project was made possible through contributions from developers in the Northshore Hamilton PDA. The upgrade works took under 12 months to complete.

The new Hercules Street Park features 16,000 new plants; a playground and water play facility; a “pup-graded” dog off-leash park; a multicourt play area and exercise; and a barbeque and seating areas.

Mr Dick added that the playground features a multi-level industrial themed container play structure with a four-metre-high tube-slide and a traditional swing. The smart water play area, he said, utilises water captured and stored in tanks, and features a “synchronised programs and lighting at night to create a family-friendly space.”

Northshore Hamilton is Queensland’s largest waterfront urban renewal project with the State Government’s property development and community-shaping agency, Economic Development Queensland (EDQ), having already invested a total of $77 million in infrastructure to date.

The private sector, meanwhile, has invested approximately $1 billion across 3,000 residences, 20,000sqm of retail, and 22,000sqm of commercial space.

“Over the last ten years development in the $5 billion mix-use precinct has seen the delivery of high-quality housing at Portside Wharf and Hamilton Reach; two CityCat terminals and the Eat Street Markets that attract over 1 million visitors per annum.

“Disused industrial places and spaces have been replaced with The Deck, Factories Precinct, Incubation Zones, EV charging stations and Tennis Australia courts.

“Some of the best international and national institutional developers have played a significant role in Northshore’s transformation, including Frasers Property, Brookfield, Shayher Group, Alceon and Devine.

“Locals, visitors, residents, workers and families can continue to enjoy the fruits of their efforts at Brisbane’s newest park in this revitalised precinct,” Mr Dick concluded.

Over 16,000 Plants to Be Planted at Hercules Street Park at Northshore, Hamilton

With the upgrade at Hercules Street Park officially commencing in January 2019, over 16,000 plants will soon be planted throughout the park, also known as Hamilton Recreation Reserve. The project is part of the $10-million revitalisation of the park at Northshore, Hamilton.

The Hercules Street Park upgrade project will increase the park’s size as well as deliver improvements: fig garden, picnic areas, fitness and recreation areas, village garden, kiosk and bike hub, junior playground, water play area, and a dog park.

*Photo Credit: The Queensland Government / haveyoursay.dsdmip.qld.gov.au*

“The 16,000 plants will give life to the park’s many facilities such as the barbecue and picnic areas, children’s playground, dog off-leash area and walking paths – which will be fully lit at night,” Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said.

“The design of the park also includes a system where the water used as part of the children’s playground water play facility will be captured and held in a holding tank, then used for irrigation purposes.

“The water play facility will be a hugely popular feature of this park, especially during a hot Queensland summer.

“This is a smart and responsible use of our resources, reusing water to keep the plants and grass healthy, and the park will be greener and greater because of this,” Mr Dick said.

In December 2018, Economic Development Queensland appointed JMac Constructions, landscaping arm of BMD Group, as the official contractor of the Hercules Street Park upgrade project.

“The mass planting is going to add so much greenery to this area and change the face of the entry roads to Northshore,” JMac Constructions General Manager Jason Lindsay said.

The Hercules Street Park revitalisation project is set to be completed before Christmas 2019.