Rocks Riverside Park
Encyclopedia
Rocks Riverside Park is a large, well designed park
by the Brisbane River
in outer south west Brisbane
. The park was opened on 7 December 2003, and features industrial artefacts from its previous use as a cement quarry. Public art which draws upon the park's industrial heritage are also featured throughout, as is a crop patch which reflects the site's farming days.
Rocks Riverside Park is the largest riverfront park in Brisbane. It has 800 metres of riverfrontage and covers an area of 26 hectare
. The park is nestled in amongst other industrial sites at 5 Counihan Road, Seventeen Mile Rocks
in Brisbane, Australia.
Features include a water play area, a flying fox, shelters, lawns, bushland, gardens and electric barbecues. There are also adventure playgrounds, a climbing web, bikeways, a basketball court
, a liberty swing for children with disabilities, an amphitheatre
, a pavilion, and open spaces for lawn gatherings.
Five areas of the park are available for bookings.
, Barley
and Corn
were grown on the site until the land was sold in the 1920s. From the late 1940s to the 1960s Tomatoes, Capsicum
, Beet
and Peanuts
were grown by Frank Pettinato, a Sicilian immigrant.
During this time Queensland Cement and Lime (QCL) set up their operations in the area, as the site was a good source of fresh water, gravel and sand. Dead coral
was brought up the Brisbane River
from Moreton Bay
as this was found to be a good substitute for lime.
In 1995, the Queensland Government decided not to renew QCL's licence to remove coral from Moreton Bay. The last shipment was received in 1997 and most of the coral used in 1998, resulting in the closure of the plant in 1999.
Rocks Riverside Park
Hassell was commissioned to generate the initial master plan which was completed in 2000. However, due to a change in design direction, land acquisition and a refinement in the budget the master plan required major alterations. City Design – landscape Architecture was commissioned for the redesign of park to ensure that the park was innovative and sustainable. City Design- Landscape Architecture and Hassel worked together to create the revised master plan.
Signage by Dot Dash creates an identifiable look to the park, whilst complying with Brisbane City Council logo standards. Colours based on an architectural colour scheme provides cohesion throughout the parks built environment and with printed material. The general layouts of the signs are typically light green plates with cut-outs for major headings and white writing for long blocks of information. This plate is always attached to an abstract piece of galvanised steel which has lines of dots running at right angles punctured through it.
Brisbane City Council also received a Year of the Built Environment Award from the Australian Institute of Project Management in 2003, recognising the park as "an outstanding example of the Council’s achievements in managing the construction and refurbishment of Brisbane’s built spaces and parklands."
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
by the Brisbane River
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
in outer south west Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. The park was opened on 7 December 2003, and features industrial artefacts from its previous use as a cement quarry. Public art which draws upon the park's industrial heritage are also featured throughout, as is a crop patch which reflects the site's farming days.
Rocks Riverside Park is the largest riverfront park in Brisbane. It has 800 metres of riverfrontage and covers an area of 26 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
. The park is nestled in amongst other industrial sites at 5 Counihan Road, Seventeen Mile Rocks
Seventeen Mile Rocks, Queensland
Seventeen Mile Rocks is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia located south-west of the Brisbane CBD on the Brisbane River.Seventeen Mile Rocks is named after a collection of rocks that marked a distance of from the mouth of the Brisbane River...
in Brisbane, Australia.
Features
The park is broken into three major zones. There is the river flat, a formerly rich riparian environment, then market garden and industrial site; the bushland range, which forms the backdrop for the river flat area covered with dry eucalypt forest; and a major green link from the park to the suburbs to the south.Basketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...
, a liberty swing for children with disabilities, an amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
, a pavilion, and open spaces for lawn gatherings.
Five areas of the park are available for bookings.
History
The Rocks Riverside Park area has had many different uses over its lifetime. Irish immigrants, Robert and Frances Henry bought the land and cleared the dense scrub and vine thickets from the site. Sugar Cane, OatsOATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
, Barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
and Corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
were grown on the site until the land was sold in the 1920s. From the late 1940s to the 1960s Tomatoes, Capsicum
Capsicum
Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
, Beet
Beet
The beet is a plant in the Chenopodiaceae family which is now included in Amaranthaceae family. It is best known in its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is the purple root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet...
and Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
were grown by Frank Pettinato, a Sicilian immigrant.
During this time Queensland Cement and Lime (QCL) set up their operations in the area, as the site was a good source of fresh water, gravel and sand. Dead coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
was brought up the Brisbane River
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
from Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
as this was found to be a good substitute for lime.
In 1995, the Queensland Government decided not to renew QCL's licence to remove coral from Moreton Bay. The last shipment was received in 1997 and most of the coral used in 1998, resulting in the closure of the plant in 1999.
Park development
Brisbane City Council decided to redevelop the site into the Rocks Riverside Park in 1999. The council's vision for the site was to "create a significant, contemporary riverside park that showcases the innovative design and sustainable management for the enjoyment of all residents."Rocks Riverside Park
Hassell was commissioned to generate the initial master plan which was completed in 2000. However, due to a change in design direction, land acquisition and a refinement in the budget the master plan required major alterations. City Design – landscape Architecture was commissioned for the redesign of park to ensure that the park was innovative and sustainable. City Design- Landscape Architecture and Hassel worked together to create the revised master plan.
Signage by Dot Dash creates an identifiable look to the park, whilst complying with Brisbane City Council logo standards. Colours based on an architectural colour scheme provides cohesion throughout the parks built environment and with printed material. The general layouts of the signs are typically light green plates with cut-outs for major headings and white writing for long blocks of information. This plate is always attached to an abstract piece of galvanised steel which has lines of dots running at right angles punctured through it.
Awards
Rocks Riverside Park won the Playground and Recreational Association of Victoria's Innovation Award in 2003.Brisbane City Council also received a Year of the Built Environment Award from the Australian Institute of Project Management in 2003, recognising the park as "an outstanding example of the Council’s achievements in managing the construction and refurbishment of Brisbane’s built spaces and parklands."
External links
- Playground and Recreational Association of Victoria Awards
- Australian Institute of Project Management Press Release for the Year of the Built Environment award.
- Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Publications
- Hassell