Kensington Gardens Reserve Project

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Construction has concluded

** UPDATE 19 JULY 2022 **

New satellite imagery shows the construction of the site - before and after.  

***

** UPDATE January 2022 **

The Kensington Gardens Reserve Project located in Kensington Wama was officially opened by Premier Steven Marshall on 17 January 2022.

Find out more in KGR news below.

The wetland

While the wetland is open, planting will continue throughout January 2022 and in autumn and winter season. It will take 2-3 years for the plants in and around the wetland to fully establish. For that reason, there will be temporary fencing in place to protect the

** UPDATE 19 JULY 2022 **

New satellite imagery shows the construction of the site - before and after.  

***

** UPDATE January 2022 **

The Kensington Gardens Reserve Project located in Kensington Wama was officially opened by Premier Steven Marshall on 17 January 2022.

Find out more in KGR news below.

The wetland

While the wetland is open, planting will continue throughout January 2022 and in autumn and winter season. It will take 2-3 years for the plants in and around the wetland to fully establish. For that reason, there will be temporary fencing in place to protect the plantings as they mature.

The seating on the round deck that is located over the wetland, will be completed in early 2022.

Kensington Wama Mukangka / nature play space

This space has been designed for children aged 3 to 7 years. It complements the existing Adventure Playground in the north western corner of the Reserve, which is suited to children aged 5 to 12 years.

Natural play spaces encourage creative and imaginative play, allowing children to engage and explore all senses and increasing their ability to think critically. Nature play is intended to be challenging unstructured outdoor play and is not designed to be risk free. This play space has been designed to provide children with an opportunity to take measured and age‐appropriate risks, while gaining an appreciation for the environment and cultural heritage through sculpture and play items inspired by Kaurna Traditional Owners.

The stepping stones through the creek and wetland are intended to provide children and their carers with an ‘immersion experience’.

The slide in the nature play space will open in early 2022 after a soft-fall mound is installed.

The rope play elements will be completed in early 2022.

Children should be supervised at all times while using the nature play space and stepping stones.

Paths

In early 2022 final work on some of the paths and the installation of rubber soft-fall material at the fitness stations will be completed.

Tennis courts and clubrooms

The upgrade of the tennis clubrooms will also continue throughout January/February 2022. This is part of a separate project that will provide new public amenities in the south east corner of the reserve - men’s, women’s and disabled access bathroom with parents room facilities.

A new acrylic surface will be installed on the community/club tennis courts in mid January 2022.

The construction compound that is located in the south east corner will remain in place until the early 2022 works are completed.

Art installation

'Figures in the Bush' is a new art installation that will be completed in mid-January.


OTHER INFORMATION

New co-name

The community and Council have supported the suggested name for the reserve, Kensington Wama/ Kensington Gardens Reserve . The proposed name for the nature play space that will be created as part of the Kensington Gardens Reserve Project, Kensington Wama Mukangka, was also supported.

Kaurna place of reflection

Kaurna Traditional Owners have developed concept designs for a place of reflection that will feature carvings of fauna that are associated with this location. The carvings are created from trees that were removed to allow for the construction of the new wetland.

Path lighting

New fitness stations will be installed in the northern and southern parts of the reserve. They will be linked by a shared use path that can be used as a walking or running circuit.

To extend the hours that during which the shared use path and fitness stations can be used, the path will be lit with solar path lights. The lights will be mounted on 6 m high poles and installed at approximately 35-40 m spacings alongside the path.

The lighting will operate on a ‘lights out’ curfew. On days with low light conditions, such as cloudy days in winter, the lights may turn off earlier due to the reduced charge of the solar batteries.

The solar lights that will be installed are similar to those currently in use at the Conyngham Street Dog Park, Glenunga.

***

BACKGROUND

The Kensington Gardens Reserve Project will deliver significant environmental and recreational benefits to the reserve and the surrounding creek ecosystem.

The overall project will include an extensive revegetation program with more than 40 trees, 1,450 shrubs and 4,300 groundcovers to be planted in the area surrounding a new wetland.

The Kensington Gardens Reserve Project, Project Steering Committee recently awarded the construction contract for the project to Camco SA.

Camco is a South Australian civil construction company with proven track record in delivering significant projects.

Camco will be partnering with Consolidated Landscape Services for this project and construction works began onsite on Monday 4 January 2021.

What is happening?

ABOUT TREE REMOVALS

Tree removals are commencing

An independent arborist and fauna expert will work alongside Camco in the removal of trees and vegetation as part of this project.

All trees removed will be reused, where possible, for habitat features, biozone edging, Kaurna sculptures and mulch.

Along with some exotic pest species and shrubs growing in the location of the future wetland, tree removals will include seven regulated mature trees and ten non-regulated mature trees – some that have been assessed by an independent arborist as having poor health, or are dead, and requiring replacement. A plan of the trees to be removed as part of this project can be seen in the diagram below.

Three of the regulated mature trees are to be removed to accommodate the new wetland. The size and location of the wetland is necessary to adequately treat the polluted water entering the reserve from the Wattle Park catchment before it is discharged into the downstream Stonyfell Creek system.

The site will be revegetated with more than 40 trees, 1,450 shrubs and 4,300 groundcovers to be planted in the area surrounding a new wetland.

***

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Kensington Gardens Reserve project will deliver significant environmental and recreational benefits to the reserve and the surrounding creek ecosystem.

The overall project will include an extensive revegetation program with more than 40 trees, 1,450 shrubs and 4,300 groundcovers to be planted in the area surrounding a new wetland.

A dedicated ‘biozone’ area will feature 2,400m2 of plantings across three distinct areas that will complement the remnant SA Blue Gum ecosystem at the reserve.

Native species will be used exclusively for all new plantings, 4,800 new ‘biozone’ plantings will be locally sourced and indigenous to the reserve.

The wetland will benefit existing trees by removing the existing lake walls and feature over 10,000 new plants that will improve the quality of stormwater that enters Stonyfell Creek.

Revitalisation work includes:

• replacing the unsafe artificial lake with a functional wetland to treat urban water pollution entering Stonyfell Creek.
• visual, recreational and environmental improvements to Stonyfell Creek and the surrounding environment.
• eight reconfigured tournament standard tennis courts with lighting available for club and public use.
• nature play features and biodiversity education elements.
• northern and southern fitness stations and a running circuit around the reserve via a shared-use path.
• new bridges over the creek, viewing decks and a boardwalk over the wetland.

 Above: Artists' impression of the new nature play space.

Find out more about the project in the Project Brochure in the document library above. You can also find the concept design in the document library as well.

Construction has concluded

  • A yultu called Anura in Kensington Wama

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    The winner of the 'Name the Yultu*' competition was announced today at the official opening of the Kensington Gardens Project by Mayor Monceaux today.

    A judging panel that included artist Alan Sumner, Mayor Anne Monceaux and Council Member Grant Piggott chose 'Anura' from 15 entries.

    The competition encouraged children under 12 years old that live or attend school in Burnside to suggest a name for the yultu that features in the Kensington Wama nature play space.

    The winning name was submitted by Narayan, 9, of Kensington Park, and a student at Pembroke School.

    Narayan was inspired by the naming competition held for Tili - the lizard that features in Constable Hyde Memorial Gardens. Tili is short for Tiliqua, the genus name for sleepy lizard. Narayan researched the scientific name for frog, which is Anura.

    Narayan is fascinated by nature and has started the invertebrate rescue agency in his school.

    A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (literally ‘without tail' in Ancient Greek).

    Artist Alan Sumner created the yultu to feature in the new Kensington Wama nature play space. The sculpture uses wood from trees that were removed as part of the creation of the new wetland.

    *yultu is the Kaurna name for frog.

  • Kensington Gardens Reserve Project - Official Opening

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    The Kensington Gardens Reserve Project, located in the Kensington Wama / Kensington Gardens Reserve, was officially opened by Premier Steven Marshall this afternoon.

    The project has completely revitalised the City of Burnside’s most popular recreational reserve and delivered a range of environmental, recreational, cultural, and economic benefits.

    Council has worked very closely with Kaurna Traditional Owners to ensure best-practice cultural heritage management throughout the project and deliver a range of cultural heritage recognition initiatives, including a place of reflection and a cultural walk with interpretive signage and artwork.

    The project represents the exciting start of Council’s journey towards reconciliation and has provided a platform to discuss, learn and experience hands-on Kaurna culture.

    In addition to the obvious recreational and amenity benefits, the project has delivered substantial environmental improvements including:

    • Improved stormwater quality runoff from the polluted urban Wattle Park catchment before it is discharged into the downstream Stonyfell Creek system.
    • An extensive revegetation program with at least 40 new trees, 1,450 shrubs, over 4,300 groundcover species, 4,800 new biozone plantings, and over 10,000 new plants in the wetland.
    • Improved local biodiversity, tree health, habitat, and riparian ecosystem and
    • Opportunities for future harvesting and reuse of stormwater.

    Thank you to our funding partners:

    • $7.4 million total cost.
    • $3 million from the Federal Government.
    • $850,000 from the South Australian Government’s Open Space grant program.
    • $215,904 from Green Adelaide’s 2019-20 Water Sustainability Grants scheme.
    • $81,000 from Tennis SA / Tennis Australia.

    A time capsule, built by members of The Shed on Conyngham Street was buried on site. Inside the capsule are drawings by students of the Kensington Gardens Preschool, items from the Burnside Historical Society, a recent newspaper and photographs of the Kensington Gardens Reserve project. The time capsule will be opened in the year 2072.

    Mayor Anne Monceaux announced the winner of the 'Name the Yultu' competition is Narayan, 9, of Kensington Park, and a student at Pembroke.

    The winning name is Anura.

  • New artwork features in Focus

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    Wooden carvings are being created for the KGR project by artists from Aboriginal Contemporary Arts. Residents got a sneak peek of some of the carvings in the latest edition of Focus newsletter. Find out more at https://www.burnside.sa.gov.au/Community-Recreation/Community-Engagement/Publications/Burnside-Focus-Newsletter/Burnside-Focus-Spring-2021


  • Federal Treasurer visits KGR

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    It was our great pleasure to host Treasurer of Australia Josh Frydenberg MP, alongside Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC and Member for Sturt James Stevens MP this morning at the Kensington Gardens Reserve redevelopment project. We provided key updates on the redevelopment as it progresses on track for completion later this year.

  • Advice on cultural heritage partnering

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    AGL Australia representatives Vicki Brady and Kevin Andersen (at right of the image) spoke with our team to learn more about Council's strong partnership with Kaurna Traditional Owners. This partnership has ensured a best-practice approach to cultural heritage management.


  • KGR News

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    RAWsa is working with Council and our contractor CAMCO SA to actively achieve employment outcomes for Aboriginal People across the councils boundaries.

    The Kensington Gardens Reserve Project has provided over 2000 hours of indigenous workforce participation in the first three months of this project which equates into 4 full time positions working operationally on the ground. The Council's commitment in reconciliation has invested in a RAWsa employed, Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation (KYAC) endorsed, Aboriginal Workforce Participation Officer (AWPO), who’s role is to maximise Aboriginal workforce participation.

    Activation of the AWPO has provided skilled Aboriginal operators opportunities for employment across the principle and subcontractors, as well as provided the project with access to Kaurna community consultants engaged for community interaction workshops with local Kindergartens and other key stakeholders activities.

    #realjobs #realoutcomes cannot be achieved without the hard work and a collaborative commitment from the Burnside Council Steering Committee, Burnside Council Project team, CAMCO SA and the team working within the RAWsa Heritage Environment and Repatriation Strategy.