A River Runs Through Them

Parks in Melbourne, Australia

by Jo Easingwood (roaming Sensory Trust)

Below is a small sensory profile of the newest parkland in the city, Birrarung Marr, and the well-established Edwardian gardens of the King's Domain.

Birrarung Marr

The history: In the 1990’s the government decided to knock down a whole host of service buildings which had become somewhat of an eyesore, located in downtown Melbourne. The old railyards and riverside buildings were removed and the space created by the latter was turned into a new parkland called Birrarung Marr, opened in January 2002.

The ethos:It was designed to be a home to a plethora of design ideas, to encompass social space for events, to be accessible to all, to utilise Australian products and convey the city’s aboriginal heritage, as a circulation aid, as a creative tool towards a sense of place tied to the river, and man’s links with water.

What works well

The park has a uniquely Australian sense of place. Whereas the older heritage parklands evoke a strong European feeling, this park is made out of Australian products. It has minimal grass areas or deciduous trees, contains aboriginal features, uses sustainable materials, and is designed to be contemporary. In short it's classic 'Mod Oz'.

Use of sustainable planting. With the Australian water shortages in mind it was planted with native numbers which don’t need lots of water and runoffs recycle the water.

Visually impressive design installations. The long wooden bridge linking the upper park with the river is a great vantage point to see across the city, and the gradient is moderate.

Sound qualities. A musical installation called the Federation Bells is set on high poles across a field, so you can hear it from within the installation or across the park. The bells are struck by computer controlled hammers programmed to play MIDI compositions. Unfortunately they were closed to the public on the day I was there as the park is still being developed in the area they stand in. However the creators of the Federation Bells will be coming up a bit later in this article, so bear with me.

What would be good

1. Highlighting the drops at the sides of the path paralleling the river, with people with visual impairments in mind.

2. Wayfinding signage provided in alternate formats such as Braille, widgits, audio, or tactile elements for people with visual impairments and/or learning difficulties.

As the plants grow and people make the space their own the park could be a central place for Melbournians. For my money I’d just like to see a bit more thought going into the potential mixed use of the park, taking into consideration the 100,000 visually impaired people living in Victoria (Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind figures).

King’s Domain

About the park: King’s Domain is part of the Domain parklands (site of the Government house) which covers 67 hectares of land. It sits alongside the Royal Botanic Gardens, and the Yarra River. On the opposite side of the river is Birrarung Marr park.

King’s Domain is marked for its statues, its Edwardian walkways and vistas, and exotic and large Australian trees (the Fern gully has some rather large specimens).There are great views across to central Melbourne from this park. It has a sense of place on a grand yet intimate scale.

What works well

The Domain is a place with some wee sensory treasures.

The Tilly Aston Bell. It is a commemorative piece for Tilly Aston, a blind disability activist who founded the Victorian Association of Braille Writers, and the Association for the Advancement of the Blind. It is the work of Anton Hasell, co-creator of the Federation Bells in Birrarung Marr. If you run your hands all the way round the Braille inscription then the bell rings for you. There are no instructions to tell you this (unless it does so in the Braille) and the experience is just very special.

From the bell you can also hear the fountain in the Pioneer Womens' Garden. This small walled garden is the perfect place to take your picnic/partner/novel/accounts/insert as appropriate, sit on the grass, and enjoy a sense of place.

The King's Domain is also home to the Sydney Myer Music Bowl, an accessible outdoor concert venue.

King’s Domain is a mixture of gradients, but all with good surfaces.

What would be good

1. Some tactile maps for orientation and places to stop.

2. It has the potential for strategically placed audio points, perhaps like the audio benches developed a couple of years ago by product designer Mil Stricevic.

More information: