LIVE AT THE ESPLANADE

Underscoring the importance of local public infrastructure, this upgraded esplanade has become a community favourite once again.

Park Infrastructure specialist GX Outdoors has helped revitalise the outdated riverside public Esplanade of regional Tasmanian town New Norfolk. Situated 35 kilometres upstream from Hobart in the Derwent Valley, New Norfolk is home to around 6000 Australians and acts as an integral service hub for residents, surrounding smaller towns and rural areas.

The Esplanade is a major asset to the community as it functions as a safe space for play, social gatherings, exercise, rest, festivals and other events. It connects many valuable community assets such as walking tracks, a campground, the town pool and facilities for youth and community groups.

Derwent Valley Council recognised the park had lost its appeal to the public due to facilities becoming aged and redundant, and were no longer meeting the expectations for community growth. They were able to secure funding for an upgrade and worked with GX Outdoors to select quality park infrastructure that would help upgrade their facilities, visually enrich the area and encourage more foot traffic.

Derwent Valley Council installed the GX Outdoors Frontier and Contour barbecues, powdercoated in Deep Ocean Blue — both a part of GX Outdoors' Easy-Access range. The addition of these units means the New Norfolk community and surrounding residents have access to all-inclusive, DDA-certified and wheelchair-accessible barbecues. The barbecues are also fitted with GX Outdoors' industry-leading hotplate, which features a four-prong heating element to provide an edge-to-edge, even cooking surface — the first of its kind in the Australian market!

The project also included the installation of a GX Outdoors Akora Skillion shelter to provide a weatherproof cooking area and shade to families as their children interact with park equipment and their natural surroundings. The shelters were powdercoated in Surfmist to brighten the park and make them stand out, with a Timberimage screen added as an aesthetic visual element.

Streetstyle table settings with wheelchair accessibility were placed underneath the shelters to help form an inclusive environment for park users. Streetstyle park seats and benches have also been used as resting places along the Esplanade, providing continuity across the public scheme. Like the barbecues, all of their frames were powdercoated in Deep Ocean Blue, with slats in Western Red Cedar Timberimage to acknowledge the river and blend in with the natural surroundings.

To ensure no one goes thirsty (least of all the furry community), an Eco-Drinking Fountain with a dog bowl attachment was also supplied by GX Outdoors. Powdercoated in a vibrant French Blue, the fountain can be easily located by the community, and additionally encourages reusable water bottles.

Matt Richardson from GX Outdoors, who worked closely with the Derwent Valley Council spoke about his experience on this project: “I was privileged to have the opportunity to work with the team at Derwent Valley Council on this project. Together we were able to select products that will serve the community well into the future, and provide a positive experience for all park users. These new assets will increase the use of the Esplanade, reaffirming it as the prime social destination
for the New Norfolk community and surrounding area.”

PROJECT PARTICULARS
Client Derwent Valley Council
Location New Norfolk, Tasmania
Manufacture and Supply GX Outdoors