The trail upgrade was challenging due to the high design standards required and considerable site constraints. It was particularly important for the design of the new structures to take into account the environmental sensitivity of remnant vegetation.

The most challenging individual feature was the design of the 52m Longreach truss bridge – especially when it became clear the designs in the original tender were structurally unachievable. 

The already-complex single span crossing was further complicated as the brief also required no structural members to be overhead, particularly challenging as conventional construction methods couldn’t be used for environmental reasons.

Working in such a sensitive ecological area demanded extra care, especially with the construction of the bridges. Fleetwood made use of adjacent land at the nearby golf course and Sports Academy to undertake the construction, so disturbance to the area around the lagoon and creeks was kept to an absolute minimum.

The timing of the construction window was also heavily restricted due to the breeding cycle of native bird species that nest in the local area.

Due to the constraints of the site, the bridges had to be lifted into place fully assembled. This required the very careful use of large machinery to carry out the task safely.

Using conventional pontoons to install the new bridges risked damage to the fragile riparian zone through potential oil spills and impact damage. 

Further investigations showed the groundwork required to set up cranes to lift the bridges into place was largely the same as for the pontoons, so we eliminated the pontoons and used the cranes to carefully lift the bridges directly into place – an elegant, though more difficult solution, given one of the bridges was 52 metres long.

• 34 metre bridge over South Creek
• 52 metre bridge over Middle Creek
• Concrete paths
• Elevated boardwalks

As was the case with Stage 1, working in and around the lagoon required careful safety planning to minimise risks for all crews, contractors and the local community.

Preserving the natural environment was a significant consideration from start to finish. Amongst many influences on the project, it saw construction staged to ensure the native endangered Australasian Bittern (Botaurus Poiciloptilus) population was able to nest in peace. 

The choice to use land-based cranes, rather than pontoons, meant the local riparian zone was protected from oil spills and the creeks were able to remain open. No sediment controls were required which also reduced the risk of flooding and protected the local wildlife.