New South Wales Sites
introduction / drive / signage / ponds / stewardship
The Centennial Park,
Sydney, New South Wales
includes ponds interpretation trail & centennial drive
Centennial Park lies within the densely populated eastern suburbs of Sydney and is surrounded by five suburbs. The park was sited on the Lachlan Swamps water supply reserve and became the major catchment water supply area for Sydney during the 1800s after the Tank Stream water supply became polluted.
In 1888 it was developed as a public park to celebrate 100 years of white settlement. The original park is thought to have been designed in 1886 by the engineer Frederick Franklin and implemented by Charles Moore under the supervision of James Jones. Dams developed as part of the water supply system were turned into ornamental lakes in keeping with the English picturesque style. Disagreements developed over the planting character for the park as well as the route the Grand Drive would take. Jones and Franklin were in favour of retaining the wild character of the indigenous vegetation whilst Moore advocated culling the native plant material in favour of cultivated exotic plants with an emphasis on large grassed areas. Today both exist.
The firm Context designed an interpretation trail on the western edge of the ponds of the Lachlan Swamp. They created a journey which combines native plant material, a path system and artworks to interpret the historic and ecological function of the wetland. In 1988 this project received an AILA National Project Award.
The Park Improvement Program
The Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust, a NSW State Government organisation,
manages Centennial Parklands, one of Sydney’s most desirable open
space areas. Drawing over five million visits per annum, the Parklands
has a wide variety of users including tourists, community service participants,
schools, individuals and families undertaking passive and active recreation
activities.
In recognition of the intensity of use and to upgrade the
aging asset, Centennial Parklands has commenced a Park Improvement Plan.
The Park Improvement Plan is a NSW Treasury approved capital program
of $50M over a period of seven years and will result in significant improvements
across the Parklands.
The improvements will ensure a park system that
is sustainable, attractive, cost effective, safe and of an appropriately
high quality. To date
over $25M has been spent on over 60 projects ranging from minor services
upgrades and heritage stone restoration through to new toilet blocks
and major civil projects.
The Trust is custodian of the “people’s
park” and the
approach taken to evolve the parklands through the Park Improvement Plan
reflects this sense of stewardship. While numerous consultants
(many of them landscape architects) have been approached for specialist
advice, the Trust has developed the Park Improvement Plan with incredible
rigour and consultation.
For benchmark projects such as the upgrade
of Grand Drive, testing of the design, consultation with the community
and a thorough examination of the design through these processes has
occurred to deliver exceptional projects.
The Ponds Restoration is perhaps
the most extensive project undertaken by the Trust. It has taken
many stages, employed many consultants, been subjecting to much testing
and enjoyed great improvement.
The environmental benefits such
as improved water quality and increased habitat for fauna has been complimented
with social benefits such as improved access to the water and increased
awareness of the ponds.
introduction / drive / signage / ponds / stewardship
