A pocket park designed to bring a burst of greenery to Berwick that includes a unique native garden has opened as part of the Clyde Road level crossing removal project.
The new park at 60 Clyde Road is 500 square metres and includes a garden with a diverse range of native Australian shrubs, trees, park benches, a footpath and lawn.
Clyde Road Project Manager Andrew Hume said the park had been designed to provide the community with a place to meet and to increase tree canopy in the area.
“Berwick village itself, which is a kilometre down the road, is very leafy, so it was about extending the feel of the village down to the level crossing,” Andrew said.
“The landscape architects saw it as an opportunity to provide some additional green space as well as compliment the nearby heritage-listed tree.”
A 110-year-old smooth-barked apple myrtle, of state significance, is located on Reserve Street, and according to the National Trust it is an ‘outstanding example’ standing 27 metres high.
The new park includes a native floral garden known as a Woody Meadow; and while the initiative has been included at several level crossing sites across Melbourne, the species are tailored to suit the local area.
“I believe it’s the only trial site in the south east of Melbourne, and it’s fairly unique in terms of the planting that we’ve used,” Andrew said.
“At each trial site the plant species is adjusted to reflect the area, so each location is a little bit different.”
Woody Meadow is a collaborative project led by the University of Melbourne which aims to create low maintenance, resilient plantings that promote flowering with year-round visual interest.
The Berwick community expressed a need for more green space as part of community consultation efforts in 2020, and over the coming months the park is expected to flourish.
“It will take about three months for the plants to establish, they won’t look like pot plants anymore and settle in, and after that the community will start to see the meadows take shape.”
The level crossing at Clyde Road was removed in February 2022 by building a road underpass beneath the rail line.
As part of the project more than 37,000 trees, plants and shrubs will be planted throughout the Clyde Road area.
The Clyde Road Level Crossing Removal Project is also delivering an upgraded bus interchange at Berwick Station this month, as well as a multi-deck car park and new walking and bike riding connections.
