Queanbeyan Civic & Cultural Precinct
Queanbeyan civic & cultural precinct
The new Queanbeyan Civic and Cultural Precinct has been delivered to the people of the town, following considerable consultation to understand the needs of the community. Located at the confluence of the Molonglo and Queanbeyan Rivers, on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country, the name Queanbeyan, translates to ‘clear waters’. Surrounded by mountains plains and gorges, the new community space tells the journey of water through different country types to find its way to the river. Designed for 18-hour activation, the space draws people together for everyday amenity, pedestrian connections, community events and cultural performances.
Queanbeyan Civic and Cultural Precinct (QCCP) is a key component of Council’s CBD Transformation Strategy, with the space created as a focal point for the community as the new Council building consolidates all staff into one location.
The landmark $74 million precinct project provides linkages to The Q and the Bicentennial Hall and draws together a new library, public domain for civic events, community meeting spaces and facilities, as well as new basement car parking, and a new head office for council staff.
The QCCP includes spaces named after prominent Indigenous women, including the Aunty Louise Brown Park, which connects the Q Performing Arts Centre to the Council Buildings, named after Ngunnawal activist and artist, Aunty Louise Brown and the Nellie Hamilton Centre, named after Ngambri-Kamberri “Queen of Queanbeyan” who lived in area from 1838 to 1897 and was connected to both the local colonial ad Indigenous community.
The city of Queanbeyan lies at the confluence of the Molonglo and Queanbeyan Rivers, cradled by mountains, plains and gorges. Freshwater people, the role of water was pivotal to the livelihood of the Ngunnawal/Ngambri clans, a sentiment reflected in the city’s name, Queanbeyan, which translates to ‘clear waters’. The climate and environment is harsh, meaning that the Indigenous people of the area would have required great skill and ecological knowledge. The alluvial nature of this landscape supported the Traditional Custodians for eons, then supported Queanbeyan’s agricultural industry and now urban development.
The landscape architecture interprets the journey of the Queanbeyan River, travelling from high to low as it moves from mountain to ocean. The weaving path connects different habitats in the way that the visitors to the space follow the paving through a series of spaces with the clever use of paving and mass planting evoking the visceral feeling of water.
With the Queanbeyan-Palerang Council planning for the future growth of the town, particularly for young families, there was recognition of the high quality of green space and parkland in the town, but a lack of civic space for the community. The landscape for the QCCP has been designed to provide a flexible, 18-hour activation. Locals can use the lawn for morning yoga, pedestrian connection in the morning commute, community theatre on the lawn during long summer evenings and attractive nighttime lighting through the park for safe pedestrian use at night after a show at The Q.
A rooftop terrace space, designed for use by the council and the community for events, has exceptional views of the surrounding mountains and a planting palette that balances native species with exotics to help increase biodiversity.
The landscape is a celebration of the diverse ecological communities and geographical landscapes as it was and as it is becoming. Drawing inspiration from the habitats needed by the endemic species of Queanbeyan and ACT, the planting palette is a balance of native species supplemented with exotics will help increase biodiversity.
The water-themed paving strategy is a common element through all spaces. Granite and Wee Jasper stones pull from local geology, creating a pathway that takes users on a journey from Crawford Street through to Aunty Louise Brown Park and beyond, where future developments will increase usage of Queanbeyan’s CBD, with improved connections and thoroughfares helping this regional centre continue to thrive and grow.
