Long Beach Promenade
Located in Lower Sandy Bay, Long Beach has long been regarded as a significant recreational destination by the local community. At low tide, Long Beach and Nutgrove Beach form a continuous sandy beach which extends a length of 1.2 kilometres.
Although connected, these two beaches remain distinct. The seawall and promenade have led Long Beach to develop a range of facilities to support the leisure lifestyle associated with the area. Landscaping including expansive lawn areas and upgraded bbq and picnic facilities and new carparks provide a range of recreational opportunities.
The new foreshore development was completed by Hobart City Council in 2009 and has restored Long Beach as one of Hobart’s iconic foreshore destinations.
The driving philosophy behind the design was to ensure that all of the design elements were conceived to reflect the unique characteristics of the site.
The shape of the new seawall, in plan view, closely mimics the natural shape of the embayment.
The sand blasted concrete motif was inspired by the sand tracks of sea creatures found along the beach. This motif is carried through into the concrete bollards and the base plates of the furniture.
The shelters and balustrade uprights have a tapered shape which was informed by the distinct branches of the endemic Tasmanian Blue Gums found in the area.
The promenade is broken up with different concrete finishes. The aggregates were carefully selected to reflect the underlying geology. Sea shells are exposed in the concrete in many places.
Bleachers make up about half the length of the new seawall and this type of wall provides added amenity for access and use of the Beach. DDA compliant ramps down to the beach are also a feature.
The design of the promenade elements were carefully chosen to ensure maximum lifespan. The vertical shape of the seawall includes a wave return crest at the top of the wall to reflect wave run-up and to help reduce the frequency of wave overtopping along the wall.
The new promenade is founded on approximately one hundred and eighty nine continuous flight augur (CFA) concrete piles. The concrete being used in all areas of the job has a minimum compressive strength of 50 MPa and either applied water resistant sealant or admixtures to aid in reducing the permeability. The reinforcement steel is either hot dip galvanised bar or marine grade 316 stainless steel with a minimum concrete cover of sixty five millimetres. These materials will be long lasting and require minimal maintenance thereby providing a robust open space for the residents of Hobart.
Landscape Architects: Architectural Projects Unit, Hobart City Council
Furniture design/ fabrication: Greg Healey, Gregg Mitchell – Groundplay
Lighting: Southern Lighting
Coastal Engineers: Worley Parsons (formerly Patterson Britton).
Environmental Management: Millin Services
Project Management: Hobart City Council
more on this project (PDF)
