TOTE PARK HOLDS ITS OWN

The new front door to the Moonee Valley Racecourse, Tote Park is the first publicly accessible space in the $2B Moonee Valley Park development.

A spectacular 5000 square metre park constructed by PTA Landscapes for the benefit of Moonee Valley Racecourse club members, future Moonee Valley Park residents and the local community, Tote Park is a winner across the board.

Located within the Moonee Valley Park development, the park evokes the charm of a large village green. Spread over half a hectare with a spacious rolling lawn, picturesque views and the Tote Dining & Bar restaurant, the space sets the tone for the botanical-inspired residential development. A joint venture between Host Plus, Moonee Valley Racing Club and Hamton, Tote Park was designed by Tract Consultants and features stunning flower beds, serpentine gardens, a nature-inspired playground and open grassy lawns where locals can relax and unwind or get active.

Taking pride of place at the entrance of the racecourse, a magnificent bronze statue of the legendary Cox Plate winner Winx with jockey Hugh Bowman, titled WINX IV, welcomes all visitors. Acclaimed Melbourne artist Louis Laumen was commissioned to capture the iconic image of Winx and Hugh as they crossed the finishing line in their fourth Cox Plate victory in 2018. The larger-than-life-sized statue weighs 1.5 tonnes and took more than 20 months to complete. Set on a bluestone pedestal, the public art piece stands as the centrepiece of the Moonee Valley Park development. Tote Park also contains the new horseshoe memorial over the remains of champion thoroughbred Manikato, another important piece of racing history.

A nature-based playground gives families and visitors to the area a space to gather and play. Boasting a lavender maze, timber crawl throughs, interactive sculptures, climbing frames, sound tubes, a sand play area and an imaginative-play florist shop, this fun-filled playscape encourages little players to interact with the natural environment.

“[Tote Park] has been three years in the making and a truly collaborative team effort,” claimed Tract Consultant’s principal landscape architect Kylie Jordan. “From the client and consultants through to contractors on site.”

“In what was an already difficult site and throughout a very challenging year, the team at PTA Landscapes have delivered a terrific project in a seamless manner.”

A blank canvas for a calendar of future community activities and events, Tote Park is equipped to house outdoor yoga classes, group fitness training, live music or culinary exhibitions, and that’s not all. Renovations are already underway on the heritage-listed Tote building, originally built in 1931, which is being restored to its former glory to be repurposed into a contemporary food and beverage offering that will add additional amenity to the development.

Meticulously constructed over a period of six-months, PTA Landscapes navigated Covid-19 restrictions to get the job done to their usual high standards. “The project is a credit to our fantastic landscape team,” said PTA Landscapes director Andrew Wilson.

“To be able to deliver this significant project to such a high quality within the timeframe, considering strict working restrictions, reinforces our team’s professionalism and high-performance approach. We look forward to the park establishing further and the community’s positive interactions with the built environment for years to come.”

“PTA Landscapes should be super proud. The park is outstanding and the project team are thrilled with how it all turned out,” stated Hamton marketing and PR manager Danielle Caruso.

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PROJECT PARTICULARS
Client Host Plus, Moonee Valley Racing Club & Hamton
Location Moonee Valley, Victoria
Sculpture Louis Laumen
Landscape Architect Tract Consultants
Landscape Contractor PTA Landscapes

COMPANY
PTA Landscapes