Adelaide Road gateway project

Design Feature

Type of project
Local Government Initiative
State
South Australia
Location
Rural
In Murray Bridge, South Australia, a re-imagined road reserve is increasing residents’ access to public open space and creating a sense of arrival for visitors. The Adelaide Road gateway project has transformed an unused roadside into a vibrant linear park that invites people to gather, play and exercise.
Green space that builds community
The newly established Adelaide Road Linear Park spans two kilometres of green space, reflecting the interplay between the natural and built environment. Characterised by a three-metre-wide shared path that runs the length of the parkland, it encourages physical activity. It’s also a hub for community gathering and interaction, with picnic tables and shade structures, barbecues, seating, grassy play areas, public toilets, lighting, and irrigated greenery fed by recycled stormwater reserves.

A reflection of environmental and urban identity


The park was designed in partnership with the Murray Bridge community and has been created to reflect the identity of this rural city. Community-based public art pieces capture its history as an important river crossing, as well as its connection to the local Ngarrindjeri people, the riverland ecology and the city’s cultural and economic ties to the broader region.

Urban design for all


The Adelaide Road Linear Park is accessible to people of all ages and physical abilities. This urban design achievement sits at the intersection of placemaking, socialisation and activation while improving accessibility and safe opportunities for physical activity.
Project team
Rural City of Murray Bridge
WAX Design, Balance Design
Construction, local school students.
Project cost
$2.68 million
Health value
  • Shared paths invite residents to walk, run, cycle and wheel through the transformed parkland, encouraging physical activity that can enhance physical health (including by reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancersi) and improve mental wellbeing.ii
  • The new park is accessible for all ages and abilities, broadening the park’s health benefits across the Murray Bridge community.
  • Extensive landscaping and the retention of existing large trees has created a welcoming green space that encourages community use. Tree canopies are associated with a range of health benefits, including improvements to respiratory, cardiovascular and psychological health.iii

Environmental value
  • The linear park incorporates 3,560m2 of open grassy play space and 3,800 new plants. Established using the principles of water-sensitive urban design, the park’s greenery is irrigated via the local council’s stormwater harvesting and re-use scheme.
  • Green spaces are key to creating liveable cities. They deliver a wealth of environmental benefits, including reducing urban heat; slowing stormwater runoff; improving air quality; and providing habitat for plants and animals,iv which can encourage biodiversity.

Social value
  • The park was designed in consultation with the local community, ensuring the result reflects residents’ needs and priorities.
  • Students from the local school were involved in planting the park’s new greenery, resulting in new educational opportunities and youth engagement in an important public initiative.
  • Community-based public art pieces reflect the city's Indigenous, ecological and economic heritage.
  • Through the provision of seating, barbecues, shelters and other amenities, the linear park encourages community gathering and interaction. Off-street parking on both sides of the reserve increases accessibility to the park.
  • The White Hill Truck Drivers Memorial, which commemorates the lives of truck drivers who died while working, is located within the new parklands, making it a quiet and pleasant place for remembrance and reflection.

Use value
  • The Adelaide Road linear park creates new opportunities for Murray Bridge residents and visitors to be active and connect with community. As an attractive, accessible and multi-use space, it encourages:
    • physical activity, including walking, running, cycling and wheeling
    • social interaction, including gathering, celebrating and sharing meals
    • community connection, including remembrance and reflection at the White Hill Truck Drivers Memorial

Reference

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