Our visit to Booran Reserve in Glen Huntly was the opportunity to learn some amazing facts about the conversion of this site from old reservoir to award-winning public park.
Built in 1883, then decommissioned in the 1970s, the reservoir had lain dormant until the early 2000s when the site was taken over by Glen Eira City Council to transform it into public open space.
Bill McLaughlin and Chris Newman from John Patrick Landscape Architects described the design process which enlisted skills from several different firms to bring the project to fruition in 2017.
Matthew Barbetta and Jess van der Werff gave perspectives from the Council and maintenance aspect.
To the Council’s credit, Bill and his team were given free reign and a very generous budget to create something very special – an opportunity which is very rare in local government. A drought-resistant plant palette and the use of sustainable methods such as reuse of materials and water-harnessing (500,000 litre tank) were the result.
Jess, Coordinator Open Space Maintenance, described some of the challenges that have been encountered: initial over-use of the park leading to trampled garden beds and soil compaction.
With 16 years’ experience at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne under her belt, Jess now manages the maintenance of all of Glen Eira’s parks. Female representation in this sector is quite low so she would encourage any woman with a passion for horticulture to apply. Prior qualifications are not essential as training is provided on the job.
We would like to thank Bill, Chris, Matthew and Jess for giving their time and expertise to our group and congratulate them on their contribution to such a wonderful park.
