The Grampians Peaks Trail in Gariwerd is an exemplar of design constraint that carefully contributes to, rather than dominates, its context. How designers navigate sensitive landscape ecologies and our desire to access the Australian bush is answered by the considered work and leadership of McGregor Coxall (with Noxon Giffen and OPS Engineers). With a deft hand, the team has created a world-class hiking experience along an iconic trail across a vast landscape. A rich contextual palette of timber and metal enhances the work’s various settings – a series of subtle platforms, pause points, seating elements and shelters that carefully groom the landscape for the needs of people, while preserving all that is truly valued. The design moves are nuanced, accessible and beautifully detailed, making use of repetition, recognizing the site’s cultural value and amplifying key views. The jury unanimously agreed that the work demonstrated exceptional design quality alongside a humility worthy of the highest praise.
The Grampians Peak Trail (Gariwerd) is located in Grampians National Park, Victoria on the land of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia, Jupagulk, Eastern Maar and Gunditjmara peoples.
Project credits
Land consultant and landscape architect McGregor Coxall Architect Noxon Griffin Structural engineer OPS Engineers Photography Shannon McGrath Photography
To view all the winners of the 2022 National Landscape Architecture Awards, go here.
