GREEN & GROWING

Greening the community of Woodlea, Speciality Trees helps a new community flourish.

As any developer knows, settling a new community into the surrounding landscape takes time. However, with the installation of advanced or semi-mature trees, a new estate can look at home in half the time — such is the case at Woodlea.

Located in Rockbank, approximately 30 kilometres west of Melbourne, Woodlea is a fully-integrated masterplanned residential development that includes commercial shopping hubs, schools and sporting facilities, all designed to link the community to the environment. Every home within Woodlea is promoted as being within walking distance of a park!

Almost 30 percent of Woodlea is dedicated to open space, including protected woodlands and wetlands, making the successful delivery and installation of quality landscaping material vital for long term success.

As a grower of premium-quality advanced and semi-advanced trees, Speciality Trees was approached by Woodlea to assist with the supply of greenlife for each residential and commercial stage of the project. Brought into the planning process as early as possible to ensure success, Speciality Trees collaborated with the developer on selection, sourcing and supply timings to guarantee what was grown and delivered remained authentic to the Woodlea design concept. Keen to link hardscapes with the natural environment in an urban sensitive and sustainable way, plant selection and placement was paramount to the success of the development.

Potentially a 15-year project, the first allocation of trees was provided to Woodlea in 2016. Working closely with project managers 12–18 months in advance of each stage, the company was responsible for supplying tree material that met quality, size and timing expectations. This communication was backed by periodic inspections, to anticipate changes in project timeframes without compromising the landscape design or project budget.

Currently working across Precincts 1 and 2, the site is comprised of approximately 50 stages. To date, Speciality Trees has supplied over 70 different species across the development. Predominant species used include Angophora costata, Lemon-scented gums (Corymbia citriodora), Spotted gums (Corymbia maculata), Eucalyptus mannifera, E. scoparia and E. sideroxylon ‘Rosea’, Ash trees (Fraxinus oxycarpa ‘Raywoodii’), Gleditsia, Ornamental Pear (Pyrus) and Chinese Elm (Ulmus).

Numbering 4700 trees and 110,000 plants provided so far, the streetscapes, parks, roads and major play and recreation spaces of Woodlea are blossoming under the knowledgeable hands of Speciality Trees, including significant greenspace elements Frontier Park and the Aintree Walk of Honour.

Frontier Park is a large-scale adventure playspace serving the Woodlea community. Helping it to blend with the surrounding landscape, the park was consciously planted with a mix of Kanooka gum (Tristianiopsis), Brachychiton rupestris, Eucalyptus macranda, Corymbia eximia nana and a number of other Australian natives.

Respectful of our Nation’s ANZAC history, the Aintree Walk of Honour pays tribute to the brave locals who served, or stayed behind. Planted with lemon-scented gums — a truly Australian plant — along a 500-metre length, the Walk serves as a symbol of the Australian spirit. Grown from 40cm containers into large specimens, the gums are positioned beautifully to oversee the site for the next 50 years and beyond.

As an ongoing project, the company continues to offer its expertise to Woodlea, believing sourcing stock in the most cost effective sizes minimises project costs and allows plants the nurturing time needed in the production nursery to grow into the required installation size. Ongoing maintenance will be undertaken by Council upon completion of the entire development, encouraging Speciality Trees to foster a close working relationship throughout the project to ensure longevity of the landscape.

Under the expert eye of Speciality Trees, Woodlea is flourishing with a native landscape that ties in seamlessly with the surrounding environment. Providing the community with established greenlife ensures that lived-in feel that speaks of “home”, and will ensure it continues to thrive well into the future.

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PROJECT PARTICULARS
Client Woodlea/Mirvac
Location Rockbank, Victoria
Plant Supply Speciality Trees