Brisbane City Council is undertaking a major project to transform 64 hectares of inner-city greenspace over the coming years into a natural retreat and urban park for adventure, discovery and reconnection.
Council is set to deliver a total overhaul of Victoria Park/ Barrambin, turning it into an iconic parkland right in the middle of the city.
The park is being designed to have something for everyone and will become a new setting for Brisbane’s relaxed, outdoor lifestyle with a range of formal and informal spaces and activities.
Outdoor adventures, community sporting facilities and amenities will cater to people of all ages and abilities, inspiring active lifestyles. The park will offer a natural experience in the city – somewhere people can reconnect with nature as part of maintaining their mental and physical health and wellbeing.
“Brisbane is renowned for its incredible outdoor lifestyle and the creation of Victoria Park/Barrambin will make it even better,” said Brisbane City Council’s Chair of Environment, Parks and Sustainability, Councillor Tracy Davis.
“Council is transforming this 64-hectare park into a space with something for everyone including an adventure playground, a nature water play gully, wetlands and watering holes, picnic spaces, boardwalks and a tree house lookout.
“The plan will increase tree canopy across the parkland from 10 to 60 per cent, providing a shady and relaxing atmosphere for residents and visitors, while incorporating more habitat for local wildlife.
“Works are already underway on the Urban Pump Track and Spring Hill Common, which are due to be completed this year, providing places for BMX, outdoor events, markets, cultural activities and exercise classes.
“This long-term vision will create an incredible place to visit and relax for future generations.”
A phased process
Starting with the ideas that helped to create the draft vision in 2019 and continuing through to the release of the Draft Master Plan in 2022, the different phases of community engagement have shaped the Master Plan.
Phase 1
Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, announced on 9 June 2019 a proposal to transform the Victoria Park Golf Course into a new inner-city parkland to make it more accessible to the Brisbane community.
The golf course closed when the greenspace opened as public parkland. The driving range, putt-putt mini-golf, function centre and bistro remain open, and are planned to be permanent parts of the park.
The park is a popular location for organised sport and informal recreation containing many sporting facilities such as cross country, cricket nets, tennis courts, bikeways and a swimming pool.
In 2019 and 2020 Council undertook two ‘Have your say’ programs to gather community feedback on the parkland.
The first of the programs was used to gain ideas regarding what the community wanted from the park. More than 5,400 ideas were submitted and over 16,000 people were involved with the program either through events or online.
These results were used to inform the second program, which sought feedback on a draft vision for the park, to develop the project’s guiding principles and strategies.
More than 35,000 people viewed the draft vision online with more than 2,000 submissions, surveys and pieces of feedback. Overall, there was 86 per cent community support for the vision for the park.
The final Victoria Park Vision was released in December 2020.
Phase 2
The community-led Victoria Park Vision was the starting point for the transformation of the park, providing an aspirational framework for its future design.
This Master Plan builds on the vision, with the results of technical investigations, and includes artist impressions of what the park may look like and spatial maps that show key features, spaces and connections that will be delivered throughout the park.
In 2022, Council held another round of community consultation to inform the development of the Master Plan. 30,000 people engaged with the Draft Master Plan online, showing 78 per cent support for the plan.
The Victoria Park/Barrambin Master Plan was released on 14 June 2023.
Community feedback influenced key changes reflected in the Master Plan. While some elements have been removed or designs refined, many of the key elements that received strong community support in the Victoria Park Vision have been retained in the final Master Plan.
Phase 3
The project is currently in its third phase, which began in 2023 with the commencement of land management and planning approvals processes.
Phase 3 also encompasses the beginning of implementation of the Master Plan. A number of early projects are underway, some of which have already been completed.
New pathways have been established to allow direct access to the park from platform 1 of the QUT Kelvin Grove busway station, providing a convenient entry to the park and venues such as the function centre, driving range, bistro and putt putt.
Direct access is also available from the Herston busway station platform, making it easier to get to the park along the Inner Northern Busway.
Additionally, more than 50 new pieces of furniture have been installed across the park. These include park benches, picnic tables, barbeques, drinking fountains, bike racks and shelters. Furniture and shelters have been positioned in shady spots for respite or locations that take advantage of spectacular city or park views.
Construction is underway on two additional early projects, including the Spring Hill Common which is set to provide the local community with a relaxed parkland setting and lifestyle destination. The area will feature tiered stepped seating and a flat outdoor space for active and healthy activities, community gatherings and picnicking.
Spring Hill Common will be located on the Spring Hill side of the park in the south-western corner and is expected to be complete in mid-2024.
Delivery of an urban pump track is also underway. The track will include some skateable elements and will create a new destination for Brisbane families. It offers a space for younger children to practise and expand on their riding skills, along with a picnic shelter and seating.
The track will be located in the north- west corner of the park off Herston Road and is expected to be complete in late 2024.
Guiding principles and strategies
Feedback received through the various draft and ‘Have your say’ programs has been collated to develop three guiding principles and nine strategies that Council will use to guide the delivery of the Master Plan.
The guiding principles are:
- Recognition – Creating a place that honours and celebrates the connections between Country, culture and history across past, present and future generations.
- Restoration – Healing the landscape by reinstating and reintroducing the interconnected ecosystems unique to the region.
- Reconnection – Creating transformational connections that weave the park into Brisbane’s city fabric.
Each of the nine Master Plan strategies reflects a core theme identified by the community through the Vision process and reinforced during consultation on the Draft Master Plan. In each strategy, Council has set out the specific actions it is proposing to achieve a shared vision for the park.
The Master Plan strategies are:
- Cultural landscape – The park will be delivered as a natural space that celebrates Country, and Brisbane’s shared Aboriginal and European heritage.
- Room for water – Re-established waterways, wetlands and water holes will restore natural cooling, cleansing and drainage, as well as habitat for wildlife.
- Connected habitats – Revitalised ecosystems and restored habitats will increase canopy cover to 60 per cent and draw wildlife back to the city to enrich the local connection with nature.
- Health and recreation – A retreat in the heart of the city with something for everyone that promotes healing, wellness and connection to nature.
- Connections – Making the park easier to get to by supporting public and active transport choices and improving pathways and connections within.
- Unique places and experiences – Creating drawcard destinations and experiences and expressing Brisbane’s distinctive outdoor lifestyle.
- Creative expression – Community events and unique public spaces will create opportunities for memories and for people to share their own stories.
- Partnerships and relationships – Well-located links to neighbours and future partnerships will invite people into the park, adopting its spaces and places as their own.
The Victoria Park/Barrambin transformation is an enormous project that is set to deliver a major cultural and natural gathering place right at the heart of Brisbane.
Complete with waterways, boardwalks, cultural gathering places, barbeque and picnic areas, nature-based playgrounds, sports spaces, and several active transport connections, this parkland is sure to have something for everyone.
Featured image: A render of a natural play space in the completed parkland. Image credit: Brisbane City Council.
