This research project explores the recreational potential of abandoned mining pits in the context of the global movement toward renewable energies. The testing site is located in the Latrobe Valley region where the transformation of mining landscapes has been discussed for years.
The Morwell Open Cut Mine was decommissioned after a catastrophic bushfire in 2014 with all surrounding industrial facilities now demolished. In recent years, the community has become concerned about the town of Morwell’s future due to the loss of the mining industry and declining economy. Many residents have expressed their willingness to transform the open cut mine into tourism infrastructure in the hope of bringing new opportunities to the town.
An alternative approach to engaging with post-mining sites is to promote collaborative management and co-creation by different sectors of the local community. This process adopts a schematic design strategy that unfolds over 60 years and involves various investors, stakeholders and authorities. From the perspective of the landscape, the project acknowledges the uniqueness of open-cut terrain and the processes of natural succession. The project shifts from the approach of requiring energy companies to undertake rehabilitation work to an approach that explores how a model involving multiple stakeholder collaboration can attract investments and funding. The project’s meaning and complexity derive from the intersection between the layers of natural succession and human intervention that represent a development cycle: each phase opens up different ecological aesthetics and programmatic possibilities. From a “gateway” park marketing the vision of the future mining parkland to a “challenger’s” park that offers many play and extreme sport programs, the design uncovers the opportunities of mining landforms and ever-changing ecological progress to create a strategy that can adapt to tourism demands over time. By 2065, the project is envisaged to be self-funded with the site becoming a focal point for many different kinds of tourism.
