The Cairns Pop-Up Arena was a sports arena in Cairns,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. The arena was the temporary host of the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The ...

and the

South East Melbourne Phoenix The South East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Phoenix entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The team play the majority of their home games at Jo ...

, whilst the Cairns Convention Centre underwent a redevelopment.

Description

The arena had a floor space of on a site just outside the Cairns CBD. As a former

Bunnings Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian household hardware chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand. Bunnings was founded in Perth, Wester ...

building it only contained one hall, which was fitted with grandstand seating, air conditioning, broadcast lighting, video scoreboards, a public address system, change room facilities, public amenities and catering facilities.

History

Following months of debate about the future of the

in Cairns due to the delay of upgrades to the Cairns Convention Centre and no other suitable venue ready, on 10 July 2020

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

Sports Minister Mick de Brenni unveiled plans to upgrade the former Bunnings building on the corner of Spence and Fearnley Streets which had been vacant since 2015.

Events

On 10 July 2020, when de Brenni unveiled the plans to upgrade the former Bunnings building he announced that the Cairns Taipans were going to use the stadium until the Cairns Convention Centre upgrades are completed. The stadium is used by the club for training and pre-season games, as an alternative to Cairns Basketball Stadium. On 15 September 2020,

Suncorp Super Netball Suncorp Super Netball is the top level netball league featuring teams from Australia. In 2017 it replaced the ANZ Championship, which also included teams from New Zealand, as the top level netball league in Australia. Since 2019, the league has ...

announced that they would be hosting three games at the venue for the league's Indigenous round. On 9 October 2020, the Women's National Basketball League announced that they would start their 2020–21 season in a North Queensland hub, with the Cairns Pop-Up Arena to host 20 games. On 10 February 2021, it was announced that the New Zealand Tall Blacks would be hosting a 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifier against the

Australian Boomers The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition. Since the late 1980s, Australia has been placed among the world elite t ...

on 20 February 2021. The Boomers won the game 81–52. NBL schedule changes due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

induced border closures forced the

to host games against the Cairns Taipans and the

Brisbane Bullets The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL f ...

at the arena.

Closure and transition

In October 2021, following the completion of upgrades to the Convention Centre, the Queensland Government announced that the Cairns Pop-Up Arena would be converted into a film studio for

Screen Queensland Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which m ...

. The transition of the arena into a film studio costs $6.8 million and will be completed by mid-2022.

References

{{NBL Arenas, state=collapsed 2020 establishments in Australia Sports venues completed in 2020 Defunct National Basketball League (Australia) venues Defunct basketball venues in Australia Defunct indoor arenas in Australia Indoor arenas in Australia Cairns Taipans Buildings and structures in Cairns Sport in Cairns Sports venues in Queensland