Proposal for construction of pathway to Ngara – Stirgess Reserve Garden  - John Fisher Park
Curl Curl Lagoon Friends is proposing that access to the Ngara garden at John Fisher Park be improved by the addition of a path to connect the garden to the main walking pathway along Greendale Ck.
Current situation
Ngara has now become a garden of well established native plants and trees, complemented by bench seating, sandstone blocks and edging that together fulfil the community’s original vision of a place reserved for peaceful reflection.
Â
Within John Fisher Park there is one main sealed pathway which crosses Greendale Creek at two points and takes walkers around the most pleasant section of the Park.
Ngara is situated in an isolated and detached position in the centre of Stirgess Reserve.
The garden has three short pathway entrances leading to the central meeting place.
Difficulty accessing Ngara
Presently, there is no visible pathway or signage saying to visitors “Come in to the garden … this is the way . . . “.
Anyone wishing to visit Ngara finds they need to detour from the main walking path and traverse 50m to 80m of thick, uneven, and often damp grass to get there.
The lack of any defined pathway to Ngara is only likely to discourage visits from parents with strollers or those among us who use a walking stick, wheelchair, walk with a companion, are vision impaired, or are less sure footed.
The absence of any obvious, convenient, safe connecting pathway places Ngara beyond the walking ability of a certain proportion of Park visitors, which is a shame.
Â
Design
We are contemplating a simple walking path composed of crushed aggregate identical to that from which the existing walking surface within Ngara is made. The path is considered to be a natural extension of the existing Ngara walking surface. Timber edging would be appropriate as would some discreet signage at the junction with main walking path.
Specifically, we would consider any suggestion for a concrete pathway to be inappropriate in this setting.
The path should have curvature in keeping with existing fixtures elsewhere in Stirgess Reserve (free standing trees, bench seats) and its position needs to suit the patterns of movement of walkers heading both east to west and vice versa along the main pathway.
The Committee sees a single in-out pathway as being functional and adequate.
Â
Our request of Council
Council states on its website that –
We are requesting Council to take the following actions -
·        Consider our case for constructing a pathway to link Ngara to the main walking path around Greendale Ck
·        Consider our design suggestions as outlined above
·        Collaborate with us to produce a final design
·        Commit to constructing the pathway within 12 months.
The garden stands in the centre of Stirgess Reserve as a great example of where Council has worked with the community to achieve something of unique value. The simple pathway we are proposing will mean all Park visitors will be able to get to this destination with ease and enjoy it as intended, regardless of their level of mobility. We look forward to hearing from you.
by Secretary
Curl Curl Lagoon Friends Inc.
Proposed location of pathway
Option 1 - A single loop pathway connecting Ngara garden to existing Greendale Ck hard surface circuit.
provides convenient access to Ngara for pedestrians heading east or west on the existing Greendale Ck circuit path at points 'A' and 'B' respectively
a 'through road' enabling pedestrians to loop past the garden as they walk rather than having to backtrack from a dead end to rejoin the main pathway
pathway itself is visually appealing, and provides better appreciation of Ngara on the approach
passes by the large rock installation featuring CCLF 2010 commemorative brass plaque at 'C'
Other designs may be proposed in this thread. Ultimately, Council will make a final design decision based on all relevan…