Client
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Overview
EnvironmentalTourismResearch and Analysis
Collaborators
La Perouse Land Council
Extent Heritage
JBS&G Hazardous Materials Monitoring
Consult Marine Engineering
SESL Australia
Coordinated Landscapes
Lighting Art & Science
Bitzios Traffic Engineering
SDA Structural Engineering
Woolacotts Consulting Engineers
Disciplines
Landscape Architecture
Location
Royal National Park, NSW
Date
2019-2022
Imagery
Tract
Bonnie Vale is a much loved picnic area and campground on the southern foreshore of Port Hacking within the Royal National Park, south of Sydney.
The site holds significant cultural, coastal and wetland values, offering beach and water access and is a very popular recreational destination amongst locals and visitors.
The rich history of occupation and land use is evident at Bonnie Vale, having been an ideal location for the Dharawal people to fish and camp for thousands of years prior to European settlement.
The campground closed 3 years ago in response to exposure to soil contaminates, along with additional threats requiring consideration – archaeological midden layers were exposed and coastal erosion continues to impact the beach front.
With the closure of the campsite, National Parks and Wildlife Service embraced a valuable opportunity to commission Tract to prepare a Landscape Management Plan, to protect and restore this special place.
The Plan presents an understanding of landscape character, ecological values and aligns the sites physical requirements, including:
- Mapping and implementing detailed arborist recommendations for care of high-risk trees
- Soil design for restoration works to protect the site and;
- Understanding of the impact of any new treatments or structures on the archaeology layer, existing vegetation or root zone.
Initial restoration works allowed the campground to open in January 2022. The outcome is deceptively simple. To return the campground and to former glory and refresh the precinct. The establishment of this plan and the restoration works has strengthened local relationships and will continue to re-establish Bonnie Vale as an educational resource and a cultural base for community.
