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 vegetation.

The project time frame was very tight. The construction envelope was also highly constricted, with limited access opportunities and an intentionally narrow construction corridor to limit damage to the fragile surrounding vegetation which had ecological significance.

Site access was severely restricted and required an innovative approach to both construction and material handling.

We needed to minimise environmental impact and – remembering that the trail is linear – ensure we didn’t ‘paint ourselves into a corner’.

The solution was to carry out the piling first, starting at the Deep Creek end and working back to the limited access points. We then craned in some of the steel sub-frame off the nearby Wakehurst Parkway before bringing in the remaining materials using small crawler tracked ‘dumpers’, quad bike-towed trailers and, occasionally, a boat.

• Wheelchair-friendly elevated boardwalk
• Public seating and look-out points
• 400-square ‘perch seats’
• Sandstone paths
• Soft landscape elements

Working in and around the lagoon called for careful safety planning. Limited access opportunities to the site also required unconventional methodologies, which in turn presented unconventional risks.

The piling process, in particular, was especially difficult, but was executed without problem or incident.

From the designs and material selection to the construction methodology itself, preserving the lagoon’s natural habitat was critical at every stage. To ensure this happened, Fleetwood liaised constantly with the landscape architects and Council’s own environmental officers.