Landscaping underway at Parkdale Station and new open space

With the boom gates gone for good at Warrigal and Parkers roads, the new Parkdale Station open and outdoor community facilities ready for you to enjoy, landscaping is now underway.

We’ll plant more than 100,000 trees, shrubs and grasses in the new open space and along the rail corridor.

Your new open space includes trees and landscaping, recreational areas and walking and cycling paths, with a focus on maximising green spaces and natural light.

The station precinct and open space reflects the coastal character of Parkdale with natural materials and native plantings.

The village green, extending from the station forecourt opposite the Parkdale Village shops, connects east and west as a new community heart.

The walking and cycling paths will encourage active transport and make it easier for locals to enjoy the new green spaces and access the beach, shops, schools and local surrounds.

Once planting is complete, this vibrant new open space at Parkdale will be leafy, landscaped and interspersed with new gathering places for the community to enjoy.

We’ve waited for the summer heat to pass before planting, to give plants the best chance to thrive.

Quick facts

• We’re planting more than 100,000 trees, shrubs and grasses in the open space and along the rail corridor.
• Over 750 will be mature trees, including over 80 transplanted trees and 5 transplanted palms.
• For every tree removed during the project, we’ll replant a new one.
• Planting will include of variety of native, indigenous and exotic species, including flowering gums and mixed coastal planting.

Your feedback has helped shape Parkdale

The landscaping plan for Parkdale reflects community feedback received during consultation and through the Open Space Advisory Committee, which was made up of keen locals interested in the project design.

We also worked closely with a team of experts including landscape architects, qualified arborists and sustainability and environmental specialists.

The plan considers plants that are suitable for the coastal environment, standards for vegetation maintenance and requirements for safety and access in the rail corridor.

We have carefully chosen tree species that match a coastal planting palette, with many of them being native species that respond to the existing Bradshaw Reserve character.

During community consultation, 70% of survey respondents said they wanted the new open space to maximise trees, plants and landscaping.

You can read our consultation reports on our website.

Planting Parkdale

Landscaping architects have chosen a range of species that will thrive in Parkdale’s urban environment, ensuring a resilient and sustainable landscape.

Each species offers unique benefits, whether it’s self-replication, low water requirements or rapid growth, contributing to the overall strength and longevity of the design.

Our team at Parkdale are working with Navaroo, a social enterprise, to carry out landscaping works around the area.

The project will continue to monitor the area for 2 years, ensuring plants are regularly watered and maintained. Any plants that don’t survive will be replaced.

We want the community to enjoy green open space for years to come after project completion.

Once the warranty period is over, care of the maturing green space will be transferred to the appropriate authorities, including local council and Metro Trains Melbourne.

Trees

More than 30 species of trees will be planted in and around the Parkdale Station precinct and in the new open space.

Our urban designers have selected species including Banksias, Drooping Sheoaks, White Sally Wattle, Grampians Sheoak and Golden Spray.

More than 750 of the trees planted will be mature, to maximise the green space. This number includes over 80 mature trees that the team transplanted back to Parkdale earlier this year. We also transplanted 5 of the iconic palms back to the area, placing them in prominent areas such as the new station forecourt and village green.

Species listed subject to availability.

Shrubs, low-cover plants, groundcovers, tufting plants and grasses

We’ll also plant around 200 species of shrubs, low-cover plants, groundcovers, tufting plants and grasses as part of this project.

You’ll see a range of shrubs around Parkdale Station and within the open space, including Kangaroo Thorn, Callistemons and Melaleucas.

Additionally, low-cover plants and groundcovers will be planted including Bidgee Widgee, Yellow Buttons, Goodenia, Correa and small tea-tree species.

And tufting plants and grasses including Kangaroo Grass, Wallaby Grass, Mat Rush and Coastal Spear Grass.

You'll also see climbers such as Kangaroo Vine and Wonga Wonga Vine, ferns such as Soft Brackern Fern and Slender Brake and wet zone plants such as Common Spike-Rush and Bare Twig-Sedge around the station precinct and open space.

Species listed subject to availability.

Groundcover refers to low-growing plants, shrubs and grasses that spread horizontally, creating a carpet-like effect. These types of plants help to prevent soil erosion and weeds, and also enhance local biodiversity.

Transplanted trees

During community consultation, you told us about the significance of the Parkdale palms and the importance of retaining them.

That’s why during construction they were transplanted and carefully cared for at a specialist nursery while awaiting their return. In September and October 2024, all five palms returned to Parkdale, taking pride of place in the new green corridor between Como Parade East and West.

As part of our transplanting efforts in Parkdale, we also replanted over 80 young trees.

Giving trees a second purpose

As part of the project’s commitment to sustainability, we looked for ways to repurpose trees that could not be retained.

In Parkdale’s new open space, logs salvaged from acacias, banksias and eucalyptus trees have been repurposed as seats, stepping stones and feature pieces.

Our teams collaborated with CERES, a not-for-profit social enterprise that focuses on minimising timber waste, to prepare and preserve the logs while we got on with works in Parkdale.

For every tree removed during the project, we’ll replant a new one.

Parkdale Information Trail

In Parkdale’s open space, you'll find an information trail sharing biodiversity and cultural information about the area.

Plaques along the trail provide information on topics including Bunurong Country, native insects and indigenous flora and wildlife.

This initiative was endorsed throughout the community design consultation period and by the Parkdale Open Space Advisory Committee. The information displayed was prepared by the project’s environmental team and in consultation with the Registered Aboriginal Party, the Bunurong Land Council.