After seeking your ideas and your feedback on our draft concept designs, we’re now thrilled to present the final concept designs as we start turning them into reality.

Before we start construction, there are a number of steps to finalise:

• Remainder of 2024 to 2025: complete further planning and assessments, including ongoing land management arrangements with our partners at Merri-Bek City Council.
• 2025 to 2026: finalise function and detailed designs, and confirm funding.

‘Follow’ this page to stay up to date with progress on this project.

Final concept plans

The overall design approach aims to improve amenity and naturalise these spaces – providing opportunities to exercise, relax, socialise and connect with nature. We’ve collaborated on the designs with Merri-bek City Council and other stakeholders to put safety first, while preserving the basins’ overall function to slow down floodwaters.

Explore the designs for each site below. You can expand the plans to view the details.
Read more about how we responded to your feedback.

Key features include:

• 300 m of naturalised waterways and new wetland habitats, including a sediment pond that encourages water to slowly move through landscape
• approximately 1.2 km of sealed and gravel walking paths, providing safe access through the site
• main entrance with new landscaping features, a seating area, rubbish bins, bike racks and a drinking fountain
• a nature play space for children
• rest areas, including seating and viewing platforms across park
• educational and safety signage throughout the space
• connections to the surrounding landscape, including the Northern Memorial Park
• emergency exit paths and markings to allow safe evacuation from rising water levels
• new native vegetation, including retaining existing mature trees, aquatic vegetation and native grass cover for biodiversity, shade-enhanced amenity and screening of surrounding properties
• multiple creek crossings, including a boardwalk, culvert bridge and stepping stone crossing.

Key features include:

• protecting and enhancing biodiversity values, with a realigned bird hide path enabling connections to nature
• over 1 km of walking paths, including a long walking loop around the site, overlooking the wetlands
• 3 entrances, including connections to the surrounding landscape, the Northern Memorial Park and future Upfield Shared User Path extension with bicycle racks provided
  • an open seating area at the Sages Road entrance with expansive views
  • shade structure and drinking fountain at the northern entrance
• gathering and rest areas, with seating and shade to enjoy wide views over the wetlands
• a range of signage throughout the space to support wayfinding, safety and education
• retaining wetlands and further native revegetation and tree canopy cover
• emergency paths and markings to allow safe evacuation during floods
• removing fencing, except along the rail corridor, and adding security bollards, security gates and safety fencing around sediment pond.

Key features include:

• additions enabling a mix of recreation and nature connection opportunities, including links to the Western Ring Road Trail and the Northern Memorial Park
• replacing the swinging gate at Morley Steet entrance with bollards, and adding amenities such as bins and bike racks
• a nature play space, outdoor gym, drinking fountain and shade shelter
• a new north-south pedestrian walking path connecting to the water’s edge, with more seating among the mature tree canopy
• a secondary network of walking paths within the basin, providing a range of exploratory opportunities
• further native and indigenous vegetation plantings, selecting a diverse range of multi-story species, including replacing invasive exotic trees along the water and a native grassland covering on the embankment for amenity and biodiversity
• wayfinding and safety signage throughout the space
• stormwater harvesting infrastructure to support irrigating surrounding open spaces, such as Rupert Wallace Reserve (pending further investigations).