NEWS

Wetlands Discovery Trail opens, granting visitors access to the 150-hectare Archerfield Wetlands Parkland for the first time in over 100 years

Today the Archerfield Wetlands Parkland Discovery Trail officially opens, allowing Brisbane residents and visitors to enjoy over 3-kilometres of tracks and trails within the Archerfield Wetlands Parkland precinct.  

“The opening of the Discovery Trail will give Brisbane residents a front-row seat to the natural spectacle of Archerfield Wetlands. Visitors can now enjoy eucalypt forests, open grassland, freshwater wetlands, creeks and over 100 different bird species, while bushwalking, birdwatching and off-road cycling,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

A series of interpretive signs situated along the Wetlands Discovery Trail guides visitors through the industrial history of the site, its natural environment and the various native birds that can be found within the Parkland.

“The development of an interpretive signage experience is a testament to Council’s collaborative nature, working with Birds Queensland, Birdlife Southern Queensland, local artist Deb Mostert, Oxley Chelmer History Group, Richlands Inala History Group and Professor Hugh Possingham, Queensland Chief Scientist,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Once an industrial precinct, a site for wastewater treatment, waste disposal, and a source of pollution for Oxley Creek, I’m excited that we are giving Archerfield Wetlands back to nature and rehabilitating the area into an environmental asset and a recreational destination,’ he said.

Identified as a priority project in Brisbane City Council’s Oxley Creek Transformation Master Plan, developed in partnership with Brisbane Sustainability Agency, the opening of the Wetland Discovery Trail is the first outcome for the Archerfield Wetlands Parkland precinct. The next outcome programmed for delivery is the Archerfield Wetlands District Park, a $22 million major park development set to provide the community with a unique destination within the Oxley Creek corridor.

“The vision of the Oxley Creek Transformation Master Plan will see 20-kilometres along the Oxley Creek corridor, from the Brisbane River at Tennyson to Larapinta, restored and transformed into a world-class green lifestyle and leisure destination,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Brisbane is renowned for its leafy green coverage and diverse ecosystems right at its residents’ fingertips. Once complete, the Archerfield Wetlands District Park will offer visitors even more of this, with an abundance of new facilities and activities to help residents enjoy nature and find adventure, only 12 kilometres south-west of the CBD. The District Park will include an event lawn and kickabout space, multi-purpose areas for environmental education and school workshops, a youth hub with a games area/basketball court, picnic shelters and barbeque facilities, a district level adventure and water play space, general planting, site rehabilitation, car and bus parking and much more,” he said.

Artist’s impression of Youth Hub within the Archerfield Wetland District Park

Construction of the District Park is scheduled to commence in 2022 with an opening expected in late 2023.

The delivery of the Discovery Trail was made possible by funding from the Australian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program to the value of $4,698,886.

The LRCI program supports local councils to deliver priority local road and community infrastructure projects across Australia, supporting jobs and the resilience of local economies to help communities bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, the Oxley Creek Transformation team were also successful in obtaining $148,320 of joint funding by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund (QRRRF) for the construction of culverts associated with the shared path.

For more information on the Oxley Creek Transform Project, click here.

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