New parkland opens in Melbourne

A historic day in April 2017 was marked along the historic Main Outfall Sewer (MOS) in Williams Landing, Melbourne, with a 100 m section opening as parkland after undergoing a radical transformation.

The MOS was originally constructed in the 1890s and was the largest civil engineering project ever undertaken in Victoria at the time, providing a vital link in the sewerage system of Melbourne. However, the open channel divides many communities.

With a vision to transform 27 km of the heritage-listed channel into a parkland, and create a vibrant space that will connect communities and provide an area to meet, play and relax, the Greening the Pipeline project was launched in 2013. Initial funding was provided to Melbourne Water from the Victorian Government to create a parkland in Williams Landing along a 100 m section with an integrated water management element, next to the Federation Bicycle Trail. Consulting company GHD was engaged for the architecture and engineering (A+E) design for the project.

Pictured here is the open channel before the commencement of the project.

The concept design for the Williams Landing parkland was initially developed following stakeholder and community group consultation in 2013. This progressed to detailed landscape design by GHDWoodhead. The GHD Structural group carried out the structural engineering design for the parkland garden structures, such as the timber cantilevered pergolas, corten steel balustrade and the new rock-clad structural retaining walls. Smart water engineering elements by the GHD Water group include a storage tank under the park, to be utilised for watering the landscape, and a raingarden in the middle of the park to filter out pollutants from the stormwater prior to storage.

“This parkland has been a fantastic first, exemplar project for Greening the Pipeline to work on, and I look forward to hearing the stories about the connection and improvement the project brings to the previously divided communities,” GHD Project Manager David Howard said. “On the opening day, we could already see the community coming together in play.”

Now that the Williams Landing pilot is complete, project partners will look to source continued funding for the next stage, which will see master planning of 5 km of the pipeline reserve in Wyndham, between Lawrie Emmins Reserve and Skeleton Creek.

“This parkland project has been a great collaboration between GHDWoodhead, GHD’s Water and Structural groups, the community, and the client comprised of Melbourne Water, Wyndham City Council, City West Water and VicRoads,” GHD Manager Victoria Operations Dean McIntyre said. “It showcases our extensive range of services, and the value of the integrated architecture and engineering (A+E) offering we can provide to our clients.”

Top image: The park during the opening event in April 2017.