A master plan for the transformation of Victoria Park golf course into public parkland has been unveiled. The parkland, which will begin transitioning in 2021, will become a natural retreat, an urban park for adventure, discovery and reconnection.
The upgraded park will feature pockets of native bushland and waterholes where visitors can enjoy kayaking and swimming lagoons. Architecture will mimic the landscape, with suspended canopy walks and a tree house so visitors can connect with nature during the day and night. A new Cultural Hub will be the park’s standout attraction with three constructed ecosystems to transport visitors to South East Queensland’s subtropical rainforest, coastal communities or other distinct landscapes to explore our cultural connections to place.
Boardwalks and trails will meander through wetlands while small, intimate spaces and more generous multipurpose areas for gathering, events and art installations will line the water’s edge. Lake Barrambin will also become a venue for kayaking. Revegitated forests, bushland pockets and waterholes will speak of the site’s original landscapes. Sculptural buildings will offer a modern interpretation of traditional architecture, mimicking the form of the landscape and the patterning of Indigenous gunyahs (shelters). This grid-like structural element will repeat in the twisting form of the Tree House and its skirt that floats across the landscape. Lit at night, the Tree House will stand out as a beacon in the landscape, while the building forms grow from the earth.
Finally, a gentle slope on the park’s southern side offers an ideal spot for community gardens or a small urban farm. A farm gate selling produce from the local producers as well as potential beekeeping or composting facilities will give residents and visitors more to see and do. The Victoria Park concept plan is now open to the public until 28 April on the Brisbane City Council’s website.
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