Brisbane City Council has released a new draft masterplan for a 64-hectare former golf course that will be tranformed into an inner-city green space in Brisbane’s Barrambin/Victoria Park.
The masterplan is designed by a consortium of landscape architects, architects, urban planners, transport planners, environmental consultants and engineers, led by Urbis. Landscape architects and architects in the consortium included Wild Studio, Form Landscape Architecture, Cox Architecture, and Vokes and Peters.
The draft masterplan builds on community feedback from a previous masterplan to create what the council is calling a “uniquely Brisbane” destination, featuring a new visitors centre, and a pathway loop, boardwalks connecting to restored wetlands and waterholes and a viewing tower to provide a lookout over the city skyline and nearby mountain ranges.
Re-established waterways, wetlands and waterholes will restore natural cooling, cleansing and drainage, as well as habitat for wildlife.
Image: Courtesy of Brisbane City Council
Design principles and strategies have been based on the tenets of recognition, restoration and reconnection. “Recognition” applies to creating a place that celebrates connections between Country, culture and history across generations, wile “restoration” refers to reweaving the park into Brisbane’s city fabric, and “reconnection” to healing the landscape through the reinstatement of natural ecosystems.
Rewilding will increase canopy cover from 10 to 60 percent, and create new habitat for local wildlife, while new bridges and transport connections will be established to help make the parkland an activated public space.
Plans are also in the pipeline for a temporary equestrian cross-country course and BMX freestyle course ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Community consultation for the draft masterplan is open until 30 October, after which a final master plan will be released in 2023.
