cardinia creek regional parklands

The Cardinia Creek Regional Parklands will encompass over 600ha from Berwick to Clyde and provide important ecological, cultural and community open space outcomes for the region. The updated Future Directions Plan recognises and embeds the rights and values of the traditional owners, the Bunurong People, in the planning and management of the parklands. It responds to the continued urban expansion in the region as well as aspirations for mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and enhancing community health and wellbeing. The Future Directions Plan envisions the parklands as a connected parklands that conserves the ecological and cultural values of the region for future generations, providing distinct experiences in which visitors can recreate and engage with the natural environment.

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Working with the project partners and Mosaic, REALMstudios successfully brought together various opportunities and constraints into a strategic framework which set out the basis for design and implementation planning of the Parklands for the next 10 to 15 years. This included identifying management zones to guide decision making regarding appropriate current and future use; strategies for establishing a continuous walking and cycling trail along the creek and a network of trails that link to surrounding communities and other regional trail connection, and creating a cohesive identity for the Parklands that recognises its significant contribution to biodiversity, history and sense of place for the region.

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The parklands encompass a range of habitats and natural environments that support diverse flora and fauna species including threatened species such as the Growling Grass Frog, Australian Grayling, and Dwarf Galaxias. A key part of the planning the parklands included managing threats to biodiversity that ensure the area is protected and enhanced, while also allowing for meaningful connection with nature for residents and users of the Parklands.