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Walkabout Creek shows how national parks can make commercial gains
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INTRODUCING commercial opportunities to national park design – while still keeping sustainable outcomes – has drawn innovative changes to the Walkabout Creek Visitor Centre at Brisbane suburb The Gap. The centre is located within the popular D’Aguilar National Park.
The moves are part of the Queensland Government’s Gateway Visitor Centre Master Plan that aims to encourage ecotourism through a $3.6 million investment in the three parks — David Fleay’s Wildlife Park on the Gold Coast, Walkabout Creek Visitor Centre near Brisbane, and Mon Repos Turtle Centre near Bundaberg. 
Lat27, the master planners for the redevelopment of two of these Gateway Visitor Centres — the Walkabout Creek Visitor Centre and the Mon Repos Turtle Centre – have been working with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to deliver what State Member of the area, Kate Jones has called “exciting new concepts that will make the parks more attractive to tourists, encourage active lifestyles and ensure the long-term environmental and commercial sustainability of the centres”.
The Lat27 master planning team was tasked with exploring viable commercial opportunities at Walkabout Creek to increase visitation and greater exploration of the D’Aguilar National Park. The resulting vision was founded on sound business modelling and extensive research into compatible activity providers, according to Lat27 urban design director and project leader, John Ilett.
Mr Ilett said the new approach carefully balances environmental requirements with sustainable user engagement and, where feasible, potential commercial partnerships into the future.
“Our role was to work with the Long View Group Consortium team, QPWS (Queenland Parks and Wildlife Service) and other key stakeholders to create new facilities and activities that will provide a more engaging and accessible space for visitors, whilst ensuring our unique natural environments are maintained and protected.
“Our pilot project, the swimming beach and canoe launch at the Enoggera Reservoir, has been very positively received by the community and these facilities have been used every day since they opened in mid-December 2014,” he said.
“This is just the response we were looking for — we wanted to attract and engage both locals and tourists alike and provide spaces where visitors of all ages can get active and enjoy our natural environment in a fun and interactive way — a taste for further exploration of D’Aguillar National Park.
“Lat27 is currently working on designs for an Activity Centre which will include an events lawn, activity trails and nature play nodes throughout the park. Future initiatives will include a Junior Mountain Bike Skills Park and potentially a Zip Line course.
“All of the initiatives, when implemented, will transform Walkabout Creek Visitor Centre and capitalise on one of our key local natural assets. It will be a much-loved activity space and one of Brisbane’s ‘must do’ destinations for generations to come,” Mr Ilett said.
State Member for Ashgrove, Kate Jones, said, “The new canoe launch site and swimming area at Enoggera Reservoir are proving very popular with the local community and are helping to boost visitation to the Frog Tree Café and wildlife displays at the Walkabout Creek Wildlife Centre.”
Mr Ilett said Lat27’s work on the Mon Repos Turtle Centre near Bundaberg would also encourage greater visitation and enhance community involvement within this critical research and educational facility at the edge of the renowned World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.
“There are some very interesting challenges in designing outdoor activity spaces in areas of such environmental significance, but it is extremely rewarding work, particularly when you see such a positive public response,” he said.
For copies of the master plans go to http://nprsr.qld.gov.au/managing/plans-strategies/gateway-visitor-centre-master-plans.html
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