Brisbane City Council has unveiled a masterplan for the Mount Coot-tha bushland west of the city centre that seeks to transform the precinct into an ecotourism destination ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.
According to a release from Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, the plan to revitalise Mount Coot-tha includes “a 170-kilometre wilderness walking trail with overnight huts, glamping, a botanic gardens night-time lights show and a reimagined tropical dome.” In addition to their communique, the council has released concept imagery developed by Grimshaw Architects and Archipelago.
“Brisbane is riding a wave of international popularity as a tourism destination and with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games coming, now is the time to start planning more to see and do in our city,” Schrinner said.
“We have South Bank, the city, Howard Smith Wharves, and Fortitude Valley for locals to enjoy and visitors to explore. I believe Mount Coot-tha presents an incredible opportunity for nature-based destinations and attractions, which is exactly what international visitors are looking for.”
According to the council’s communique, Mount Coot-tha already draws more than one million visitors a year. The masterplan is aimed at developing a long-term strategy to protect the precinct’s native bushland while exploring opportunities for establishing new attractions and enhancing existing sites across the precinct.
In addition to the proposed renovation of the fifty-year-old Brisbane Botanic Gardens Tropical Dome, potential upgrades include the revitalisation of the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, an accessible tree-top walk at The Summit, reconfiguration of Sir Samuel Griffith Drive into a one-way loop road with a dedicated lane for cyclists, new and improved picnic areas with pop-up cafes, a mountain bike skills development track, and revegetation across the precinct to support wildlife and provide shade.
The masterplan will also envision the transformation of the 130-year-old Mount Coot-tha Quarry, which supplies 96 percent of asphalt aggregate for Brisbane’s roads, once it ceases operation during the next decade.
As part of the masterplan, the council’s proposal for the wilderness walk is intended to echo the “state government’s recent ecotourism push [which] shows a clear appetite for nature-based experiences,” the council’s release noted. The concept is modelled on a similar trail in Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, and the West Coast Wilderness Trail in New Zealand.
The Brisbane City Council has appointed the Brisbane Sustainability Agency to lead the project, leveraging their past experience. The agency, along with multidisciplinary design studio Lat 27, previously transformed the polluted Oxley Creek into a lifestyle and leisure destination.
The council has noted that the masterplan will draw inspiration from other award-winning nature and park precincts, including Kings Park in Western Australia, Butchart Gardens in British Columbia and Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
Brisbane Sustainability Agency chair Nigel Chamier commented, “This initiative will go beyond rehabilitation as it is about establishing a lasting legacy that enhances the Mt Coot-tha experience for residents and visitors.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
