NATURAL IS BEST

NATURAL IS BEST Big, bold and beautiful is how Fleming’s describes its latest achievement at Melbourne’s Riverdale Village

PROJECT PARTICULARS Client Your Land Developments & APD Projects Location Tarneit, Victoria Landscape Architect Fleming’s Landscapes & Realm Architects Plant Source & Supply Fleming’s Nurseries Install & Maintenance Fleming’s Landscapes Construction Fleming’s Landscapes

COMPANY Fleming’s Landscapes P 03 9756 6105 E landscapes@flemings.com.au W flemings.com.au

Planned residential development Riverdale Village in Tarneit, Victoria, off ers more than 800 home sites with a local town centre that will act as a hub for local residents. Part of this burgeoning community is the central recreation facility, Riverdale Park.

Lined by attractive streetscapes, Riverdale Park sits at the heart of the neighbourhood. A testament to the creativity and capability of the qualifi ed team from Fleming’s Landscapes, the park is a sustainably designed off ering that will stand the test of time. Featuring rustic elements of reclaimed timber sculpted by master craftspeople, the one-of-a-kind playspace is a focal point of the development. Boasting a large sporting fi eld, functional entertaining and barbecue spaces, play areas that cater to children of diverse ages, and some very original bespoke elements throughout, the expansive park sets a high standard for Melbourne’s growing west.

Designed and constructed by Fleming’s Landscapes, Riverdale Park incorporates a balance of reimagined materials alongside new features, as well as blending softscaping into constructed works.

In the play area, chunky ex-wharf pylons were recycled and reimagined as walking beams, architectural swings and pole features throughout, as well as a whopping skyscraper fort — all carefully worked for the fun and enjoyment of generations of children to come.

Wanting to create a park that heralded the future while still retaining a link to the past, Fleming’s employed skilled craftspeople to produce genuine quality through hand-worked timber features — which took days of painstaking carpentry — as opposed to installing standard plastic play equipment. Going the extra mile has produced a space that feeds into the company’s mission to provide quality communal spaces for real people.

Of particular note are the three timber tractors and trailer carved by renowned Australian wood carver Brandon Kroon. These striking features are a fun addition to the playspace and reflect the rustic charm that defi nes the development. The earthy approach taken to Riverdale Park is engineered to re-engage children with the beauty and fun of natural materials, while using as few manmade materials as possible. The results speak for themselves!

While many developers specify large, garish plastic features to dominate their parks, Riverdale Village developers Your Land and APD Projects fully embraced the “natural is better” philosophy that Fleming’s abides by — even though it meant days spent by craftspeople plying their expertise in the carving of wood features, hand varnishing and then carefully installing the heavy pieces. The community’s response to these bespoke elements indicates it was worth the eff ort. But it is more than just the play equipment that makes Riverdale Village special. In keeping with the recycled timber theme, a series of ironbark sleepers was erected to form a circular pavilion around a stunning super-advanced tree — a hallmark of the true Fleming’s style if ever there was one.

Greenery was planted around the pavilion and across the park en masse, while the park surrounds, avenues and playspace itself were forested with large advanced trees that present the promise of a mature landscape sooner rather than later. In addition, bark replaced softfall plastics in the play areas and large natural boulders double as landscape features and challenging climbing objects.

To ensure continuity of design, quality standards and the seamless integration of the estate’s overall road network, Fleming’s Landscapes was appointed landscape architect for the project, as well as streetscape installation and maintenance team.

With dedication to an overall aesthetic of established nature, the Riverdale Village venture seems to be on track to set a new standard for residential living on the Melbourne landscape.