Barramal Baring Reserve
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A multidisciplinary team, led by our Bendigo office, worked to create an inviting park inspired by the natural environment at Emu Rise estate.
Client
Brennan Development Group
Location
Strathfieldsaye, VIC
Spiire was engaged by Brennan Development Group to design, document and administer the construction of the park in the Emu Rise development in Strathfieldsaye, near Bendigo.
Originally intended as a retarding basin, our team sought to achieve our client’s goal to maximise amenity within the site’s small footprint, working closely with the client and local Council to obtain approval to include a play space in the reserve.
Collaboration between our in-house disciplines was valuable from the outset of the design process. Our Surveying and Spatial team provided the initial site survey to inform our Landscape Architecture and Civil Engineering team’s coordinated designs.
Brennan Development Group project director Rod Jackson says the successful collaboration between our Landscape Architecture and Civil Engineering teams was key to realising the vision for transforming the space into an asset for the community.
The reserve includes a wetland with viewing area, surrounded by concrete paths to facilitate pedestrian circulation. Our team liaised with DJANDAK to incorporate the contributions of Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Owners to the works, which included DJANDAK installing all the aquatic and ephemeral planting around the wetland. This connection was celebrated in the park’s name, barramal baring, which means ‘emu track’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language.
Other amenities throughout the reserve were positioned to take advantage of the elevated northern views to the wetland and beyond. Although small, the reserve provides a diversity of recreation opportunities, including a picnic area, basketball and netball halfcourts, neighbourhood scale play space and grassed kickabout area.
The design of the play space, catering for children aged 2-10, was driven by an appreciation of the surrounding bushland. Our landscape architects selected equipment to reflect the experience of playing in a natural environment, including climbing up trees and scrabbling along fallen logs. The plant palette is largely indigenous to the site.
Our landscape architecture team continued working with our client and the main contractor, Green Concepts Group, throughout the construction process, with Spiire performing the role of superintendent. Additionally, our surveyors provided the as-built survey of the finished civil bulk earthworks and construction setout.
