Rocks Riverside Park is a park by the

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 on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...

in Seventeen Mile Rocks,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. The park was opened on 7 December 2003, and features industrial artefacts from its previous use by the

Queensland Cement and Lime Company Queensland Cement and Lime Company (QCL) was a company that manufactured cement and lime for use in construction in Queensland, Australia. It supplied many major projects in Queensland. It was also known as Queensland Cement Limited. History ...

. 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 hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

. The park is nestled in amongst other industrial sites at 5 Counihan Road, Seventeen Mile Rocks in Brisbane, Australia. The project architect was Cenk Yuksel. The main builders were Naturform and Stewart Constructions.

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. Features include a water play area, a

flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

, shelters, lawns, bushland, gardens and electric barbecues. There are also adventure playgrounds, a climbing web, bikeways, a

basketball court In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor sur ...

, a liberty swing for children with disabilities, an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

, a pavilion, and open spaces for lawn gatherings. Five areas of the park are available for bookings.

Water mining

The park features an underground, non-drinking

water recycling Water reclamation (also called wastewater reuse, water reuse or water recycling) is the process of converting municipal wastewater (sewage) or industrial wastewater into water that can be reused for a variety of purposes. Types of reuse include: ...

project. Sewer grinding, ultraviolet disinfection and a reed bed treatment process were used. The treatment process has a low environmental impact, is cost-effective and low-maintenance. The system allows the park to be watered during drought when water restrictions would otherwise apply.

Rocks Community Garden

Rocks Community Garden is a

community garden A community garden is a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively. Normally in community gardens, the land is divided into individual plots. Each individual gardener is responsible for their own plo ...

in Rocks Riverside Park, first established in June 2007. It is volunteer-managed and focused on the organic production of food crops. Community garden membership is open to anyone who supports organic gardening principles and accepts the rules and operating guidelines. The community garden has 34 individual allotments and 9 raised garden beds which plot holders rent on a yearly basis. There is also have a small orchard, which members assist in maintaining.

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 Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

Oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human con ...

Barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

and

Corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

were grown on the site until the land was sold in the 1920s. From the late 1940s to the 1960s

Tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es,

Capsicum ''Capsicum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the Solanum, nightshade family Solanaceae, native to Americas, the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their chili pepper or bell pepper fruit. Etymology and names The generic name may come f ...

Beet The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden beet ...

and

Peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

s were grown by Frank Pettinato, a Sicilian immigrant. During this time

(QCL) set up their operations in the area, as the site was a good source of fresh water, gravel and sand. Dead

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

was brought up the

from

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

as this was found to be a good substitute for lime. In 1995, the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

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 Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

decided to redevelop the site 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."

Hassell Hassell is a multidisciplinary architecture, design and urban planning practice with offices in Australia, China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1937/8 in Adelaide, South Australia, the firm's former names include Claridge, Hassel ...

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.

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." The water mining project won a Water Saving Award from the

Department of Infrastructure and Transport The Department of Infrastructure and Transport was an Australian government department. It was formed in September 2010, following the federal election in August 2010. The department absorbing parts of the Department of Infrastructure, Tr ...

in 2006.

References

{{coord, -27.5429, 152.9614, dim:1000_region:AU, display=title

External links

Rocks Community Garden Official site

Photos January 2010

Panoramio photo and map of location

Parks in Brisbane 2003 establishments in Australia Community gardening in Australia