Newly released documents show Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, pressed Queensland’s deputy premier to back holding the Brisbane 2032 Olympic rowing regatta on Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River.

Crocs, Currents and Credibility: The Fitzroy’s Olympic Problem Just Went Global

The intervention came before the state government chose the central Queensland venue, around 600km north of Brisbane, despite an independent review recommending the established Sydney International Regatta Centre at Penrith.

Rinehart’s undated letter does not establish what influence her advocacy had on the decision. It does add a powerful voice to the political campaign behind a venue opposed by parts of the rowing community and still awaiting technical approval from World Rowing.

The Fitzroy sits within the natural habitat of saltwater crocodiles, which are occasionally found around Rockhampton. Yet the dispute extends beyond wildlife: questions about currents, weeds and water quality remain unanswered, while critics fear a new course could become an expensive facility with little long-term use.

Rinehart backed the regional case

Rinehart, patron of Rowing Australia and a financial supporter of Australian athletes, wrote directly to Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie on Hancock Prospecting letterhead. The letter was obtained under Right to Information laws and published by Brisbane Times.

Although the document is undated, it is understood to have been sent before Queensland announced its venue plan in March 2025. It says the Rockhampton proposal had come to Rinehart’s attention and points to previous Australian team training camps on the Fitzroy, and the city’s hosting of the Queensland state school championships.

“This rowing facility is world class and is already close to major infrastructure, so it offers the potential to save taxpayer money,” Rinehart wrote.

She also argued that taking Olympic competition to Australia’s “Beef Capital” would promote regional Queensland and its pastoral history. Rockhampton’s mining heritage formed another part of her pitch, including a claimed link between the nearby Mount Morgan mine and the metals intended for the Olympic medals.

“To marry showing where the Olympic medals come from and having Olympic events nearby, sounds to me like a beautiful extra!” she wrote in the released letter.

Rinehart asked the government to consider the proposal and said spreading events beyond Brisbane could ease pressure on the host city. Her correspondence followed the emergence of a Rockhampton campaign involving Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan.

Queensland rejected its venue review

The Queensland government published its Games venue plan on 25 March 2025 alongside the findings of a 100-day review by the Games Independent Infrastructure Coordination Authority (GIICA).

On Rockhampton the review stated: “This option was not progressed on the basis of insufficient space for field of play and warm-up, inadequate onshore space and access road upgrade requirements, as well as limited accommodation options for athletes and officials. GIICA was unable to be satisfied that there existed an option for Olympic and Paralympic flatwater competition in Queensland that met the requirements of the Terms of Reference while offering value for money investment.”

The review recommended moving Olympic rowing to Penrith, where the Sydney 2000 regatta was held.

“This recommendation has not been arrived at lightly and GIICA recognises the significance of this decision to Queensland stakeholders. GIICA sought to retain Games competition in Queensland as a priority, and this recommendation is made on the basis that all reasonable efforts have been exhausted within the time available.”

The Queensland government led by David Crisafulli instead selected the Fitzroy (Rockhampton) for rowing and canoe sprint as part of its commitment to distribute Olympic investment across Queensland.

Bleijie has declined to disclose when he received Rinehart’s letter or when the government settled on Rockhampton. He also did not directly answer questions about its influence on the decision.

“We listened to the chorus of regional communities who felt they were being denied the investment and generational infrastructure of the Games by Labor,” Bleijie said, arguing that the venue plan would deliver a legacy across regional Queensland.

A Hancock Prospecting spokesperson rejected suggestions that Rinehart sought any personal benefit. The spokesperson said her letter outlined the benefits an Olympic event could bring to Rockhampton and reflected her involvement in rowing and support for regional Australia.

Technical approval remains outstanding

The crocodile question has attracted international attention, but the central sporting issue is whether the Fitzroy can provide a fair 2,000m Olympic course.

A feasibility study found that substantial work, including dredging and widening, would be required. World Rowing has said any venue must satisfy its racing rules and technical standards, with fairness and safety central to its assessment. Initial feasibility work has not amounted to final approval.

The Fitzroy is affected by variable currents and sediment, while weeds and water quality also require assessment. Course depth, wind exposure and equal conditions across the lanes will determine whether the river can support Olympic racing.

Queensland has treated Rockhampton as settled. Earlier in 2026, Bleijie said: “Rowing is gonna be in Rocky. If they don’t want it in Rocky, it ain’t happening.” He later denied that the government intended to remove rowing from the Games.

Alternative proposals remain available. Penrith already has an international course, while Moreton Bay has promoted a purpose-built precinct at Lawnton, closer to Brisbane and the main concentration of Queensland rowers. Bleijie has rejected the Lawnton bid. Rockhampton retains the state government’s backing.

Crocs, Currents and Credibility: The Fitzroy’s Olympic Problem Just Went Global