Olympics: Showpiece of Sydney turns to ghost town

By BILLY ADAMS

SYDNEY - They were declared the best Olympics ever and a resounding success for the host city.

But now Sydney has been hit by a sharp sting in the tail.

Ththe Games' focal point, Olympic Park, is in danger of becoming a white elephant which will drain taxpayers' cash for years to come.

"At the moment the site could not support a chemist or a newsagent," said the outgoing Olympics Minister, Michael Knight, of the area where crowds flocked just a few months ago, yet now resembles a ghost town.

Standing today on a deserted Olympic Boulevard, it is difficult to imagine that this was where Cathy Freeman and the Thorpedo whipped up local hysteria, and enthralled the watching television billions.

Small groups are quietly touring the vast concrete hulk of Stadium Australia. Of the other venues, which include the tennis centre and SuperDome, only the aquatic centre is being used.

But it is not nearly enough activity to match the 30,000 daily visitors that experts say are needed to stop the Homebush Bay site from becoming an embarrassment.

The Olympics and Paralympics cost New South Wales taxpayers almost $A2 billion ($2.48 billion) and resulted in an array of world-class stadiums at Homebush served by a new railway station.

But unlike the nearby Olympic Village, no plans were drawn up on what to do about Olympic Park following the heady heights of 2000.

The Olympic Coordination Authority is developing a "master plan" for the future of the area, and it will call for expressions of interest from private sector developers.

The New South Wales Premier, Bob Carr, who is in charge of resurrecting the site, admits it could take years for Homebush to get on its feet.

But the shadow Olympics minister, Chris Hartcher, claims not enough is being done.

"It's going to require a great deal more effort from the Government than it has previously shown," he says. "It simply can't just draw up maps and invite commercial involvement. The Government is going to have to be a lot more proactive and be prepared to offer appropriate incentives."

Various proposals have been aired for Homebush - from the creation of a new town centre, housing cafes, bars, markets, cinemas and residential units, to the area becoming a Silicon Valley-style hub for new technology companies.

Carr likened the project to the redevelopment of Darling Harbour, in the centre of the city, which is now a thriving commercial district.

"It would be easy for any of you to go out to the park and take a picture and say, 'There is nobody around, this is a white elephant'," he said. "So do it now, do it every week if you want.

"It took some years with Darling Harbour, and some people said that Darling Harbour was a white elephant. It is going to be measurably harder with this one because it is away from the central business district, but we are going to develop a plan."

Hartcher, whose Opposition coalition put party politics aside and participated in the bipartisan spirit of the Games, is confident the site will eventually prove a lasting success.

"The people of Sydney can be justifiably proud of Olympic Park," he says. "It will not be a white elephant if the Government is prepared to advance the money and effort to develop a commercial precinct."

Organisers insist that there will be no permanent hangover, but for now, Sydneysiders must foot the bill.