Murarrie will be the starting point for one of Brisbane’s biggest community events, with the sold-out Bridge to Brisbane drawing more than 40,000 entries across its 5km and 10km races for the event’s 30th anniversary.
The 10km event will begin in Murarrie on Sunday, 13 September, at 6:00 a.m., sending runners, walkers and wheelers onto the Gateway Bridge before they continue towards the finish at Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills. For Murarrie, race morning will bring an unusually large early-morning crowd, major traffic changes and a temporary transformation of roads normally dominated by vehicles.
The anniversary field has surpassed the more than 38,000 people who took part in 2025. Last year’s participants also raised $1.1 million for hundreds of charities, adding a fundraising dimension to an event that has grown well beyond its original scale.
Gateway Bridge keeps Murarrie tied to the race’s origins
Murarrie’s connection with Bridge to Brisbane reaches back to the event’s earliest years, when the inaugural race was staged in 1997 under the name Bridge to Bay.
About 5,000 people took part in the first edition, with the course beginning around the Gateway Bridge and heading towards Manly. Routes and finishing points changed over the following decades, but the bridge remained one of the event’s defining landmarks.
The 10km route still begins at the southern end of the Gateway Bridge, giving Murarrie a direct link to the race’s original identity. Organisers say the event has now attracted more than 700,000 participants since 1997 and raised more than $14 million for charity.
The crossing also remains one of the most distinctive parts of the 10km event. Competitors face the climb over the Gateway almost immediately after the start, turning a major piece of transport infrastructure into the opening stage of a community race for several hours each year.
Race morning will change how Murarrie moves
Murarrie is better known for freight routes, industrial land and major road links than for mass public gatherings, but Bridge to Brisbane gives the suburb a very different role on race morning.
Brisbane City Council says the 10km course starts from Queensport Road at 6:00 a.m., with temporary road closures, lane restrictions and parking changes affecting Murarrie and surrounding areas. Restrictions will also apply along sections of Lytton Road, Southern Cross Way and the Gateway Motorway Bridge.
Traffic measures across the wider course are scheduled from Saturday afternoon into Sunday, with some closures beginning in the early hours of race morning. Council has advised motorists to allow extra travel time, plan alternative routes and expect delays around affected roads.
Residents living near the start area may also notice increased pedestrian activity as participants arrive before dawn. Organisers are encouraging entrants to use public transport where possible, while private vehicle and rideshare drop-offs can be made at Paringa Road. No parking will be available at the 10km start line.
Thirty years on, Murarrie still launches the long course
The 2026 race is the first Bridge to Brisbane being delivered by Events Management Queensland, which has expanded entertainment and on-course activities for the anniversary edition. Organisers have planned more live entertainment along the route and at the finish precinct, adding to the atmosphere around a race that has grown over decades.
Published 9-Sept-2026
