Doug Jennings Park Revitalisation

Public Realm

Client
Gold Coast Waterways Authority

Collaborators
Engeny
Mottech Parkland
ASTC

Disciplines
Landscape Architecture

Location
Main Beach, QLD

Date
2025

Imagery
Gold Coast Waterways Authority

Located at the ‘Top of the Spit’ on the Gold Coast, Doug Jennings Park is a crucial element of The Spit Master Plan and is extensively used by the community for a variety of recreational waterfront activities including diving, fishing, picnics, as well as hosting large festivals and events.
Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)

The Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) engaged Tract to lead a multidisciplinary team for the Doug Jennings Park Revitalisation Project.

As the lead consultant, Tract developed a design response focused on enhancing ‘The Spit Experience’. The project included extensive community consultation to ensure design interventions balanced preserving the parks’ cherished natural values with creating an enhanced public realm that provided much needed amenity and shade.

Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)
Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)
Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)

Key improvements included upgraded public spaces along the waterfront, strengthened pedestrian and cyclist pathways to improve connectivity, and increased tree planting to provide shade and shelter. These features created more inviting spaces for relaxation and recreation, improved active movements throughout the park, and enhanced views and site legibility and accessibility.

Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)
Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)
Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)
Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)

The project also included optimising the park for events, with upgraded vehicle access, improved parking facilities, and turf resilience to support events of varying scales and capacity.

The planting design strategy was to enhance existing vegetation, strengthen ecosystem functions whilst addressing the complexity of the sites micro-climate and extreme weather conditions. The existing stands of aging trees was complemented by additional native and endemic plantings to enrich the sites’ ecology, protect the site from erosion and wind exposure and to boost the existing iconic coastal character of the site

Doug jennings park revitalisation - gold coast waterways authority (gcwa)