Client
Geelong Ports Pty Ltd/APP
Overview
The Spirit of Tasmania’s new home at Corio Quay in Geelong has seen a $135 million upgrade of the new 12-hectare site. Tract was engaged by APP/Geelong Ports to undertake landscape design of the facility, to engage with the local Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Corporation and oversee a significant public art commission on the site.
The site features a purpose-built passenger terminal, a marshalling area for 600 cars, streamlined passenger vehicle check in, enhanced security facilities, a cafe, children’s play area and a pet exercise zone.
The integrated landscape design and public art draw inspiration from local aquatic birdlife including the White Egret and emu, and pay homage to traditional fishing methods known as Bunya Baieerâ and the shell middens discovered around Corio Bay.
They also reflect the area’s historical maritime significance at Corio Quay. The confluence of freshwater and saltwater at the site is a significant feature that threads the narrative together, crafting a cohesive and interconnected story.
Local artists Mark Trinham and Glenn Romanis were commissioned to design and construct the art, which features a series of six-metre vertical beacons, carved from reclaimed timber wharf piles. These beacons showcase custom steel elements depicting intertwined feathers, seagrasses and shell-encrusted wharf timbers.
This is accompanied by a series of large hand-carved basalt boulders depicting mussel shells, which were an important food source for the Wadawurrung people and are still seen along the Corio Bay foreshore today.
The public art elements are illuminated with brilliant dalle de verre slab glass, incorporating integrated LED lighting that serves as discreet wayfinding elements both during the day and at night area and a pet exercise zone.
Tract is proud to be involved in this landmark tourism project in Geelong.
