NSW Golf Course Coastal Walk

NSW Golf Course Coastal Walk.


Client	Antoun Civil
Design Partners	Thompson Berrill Landscape Design
State	New South Wales

Delivering a ‘hole in one’ for the La Perouse community.

The spectacular Eastern Beaches Coastal Walkway in Sydney’s eastern suburbs is enjoyed by millions of people every year. However with several gaps between Clovelly and La Perouse, it was still incomplete.

Fleetwood was chosen to work with Antoun Civil and Thompson Berrill Landscape Design to deliver a critical missing link in the walkway for Randwick City Council – an iconic sixth hole buggy boardwalk at the prestigious NSW Golf Course.

The new structure also doubled as a pedestrian bridge to help walkers safely traverse through the golf course on the La Perouse headland.

Our involvement.

Fleetwood’s initial involvement was assisting Antoun Civil with creative ideas for its tender. After Antoun was formally appointed to the project, we worked closely with them, Randwick City Council and Thompson Berrill Landscape Design to deliver the very best outcome.

We began by developing the detail of the chosen design to ensure it met all of the project objectives, from the budget and timeline to the aesthetic vision and environmental considerations.

Material selection was critical and saw us specify a combination of sturdy natural materials and fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) to ensure the walkway could withstand the harsh coastal conditions for many years to come. Natural timbers and finishes were also chosen to help the boardwalk blend into the rugged environment.

To minimise disruptions to the local habitat – and local golfers – the steel plate substructures were fabricated in our Sydney workshop, before being carefully hand-installed onsite.

How does this project inspire people to love the outdoors?

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the coastline at La Perouse is one of Sydney’s most beautiful natural wonders. The new boardwalk provides an incentive for more locals and visitors to explore the local area with greater ease and certainty than ever before.

Design Challenge

The main challenge for Thompson Berrill Landscape Design was for the boardwalk to blend seamlessly into the natural rugged setting, while still being durable enough to withstand the unforgiving coastal conditions and year-round use by walkers and golfers (and their buggies).

Consideration also needed to be given to ensuring the final design was actually achievable within the environmental and geographical constraints of the site.
Construction Challenge

The sensitive and windy coastal location, coupled with the boardwalk’s immediate proximity to the sixth fairway of the NSW Golf Course, made the project environmentally challenging from start to finish. The timeline and budget was tight, and we had a very narrow corridor to work in.

Our approach was further influenced by Randwick City Council’s desire for the boardwalk to have an enduring quality that would look fantastic for many years to come.

A geotech soil report revealed water infiltration on the site was quite high with holes filling rapidly. For structural integrity reasons fixings were also required below ground level, which made it challenging to avoid damaging tools.
Innovations

Due to the sensitive and swampy location, bespoke footings were designed to ensure we avoided installing directly into the damp and unstable soil.

To reduce the fall risks for our on-site crews, we also introduced an innovative scaffolding-free approach to the installation process.
Features
- 1x buggy boardwalk with timber deck and timber kick rail
- 1x pedestrian boardwalk with FRP deck and recycled plastic rail
Safety & Risk Considerations

There were a number of risks to be managed. Firstly, the golf course was open throughout the project so we needed to remain ever-vigilant for stray golf balls! With parts of the site located to an exposed cliff, it was also important that crews stayed within the safe parameters of the designated work corridor.

Another concern was fall heights on-site, given the plan was to originally introduce scaffolding within the installation area. After carefully examining the risks, we instead recommended a different approach that required no scaffolding – this reduced the fall height to less than one metre with any fall landing on a soft marsh.
Sustainability Considerations

Sustainability was a critical consideration at every stage. The environmental impacts of the materials, processes and equipment used was a key concern, as was minimising the amount of time and disruption required on site.