Breakout Creek /Purruna Pari Stage 3 successfully demonstrates the ecological, visual and recreational benefits of a well-functioning Blue/Green Infrastructure. The project achieves a climate-positive impact within 11 years of construction, aligning with the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ 2040 target. Greatly increased biodiversity of landscapes, aquatic ecologies, wildlife habitats, and water quality enhancement have strengthened community amenity alongside environmental benefits. Historical levee banks were retained to manage flooding and allow continued horse agistment on part of the site

The project includes over 6.2km of walking trails and shared paths, 11,400m2 of permanently vegetated wetlands, five viewing decks, a new river crossing and a universally accessible boardwalk. Extensive Kaurna cultural interpretation has been carefully sited amongst the existing trees and sensitive ecosystems.

From the client’s perspective, “Breakout Creek Stage 3 is the completion of a near three-decade transformation of a weedy drain into a vibrant river ecosystem, reflecting Kaurna cultural heritage, accessible and attractive to the whole community. The design team, led by TCL, has achieved an outstanding integrated design that speaks to the upstream–downstream river-to-sea context, the north–south community connectivity, and the establishment of ecological communities now rarely seen on the Adelaide plains and coast. All this within a long, narrow live river corridor while retaining the vast majority of the pre-existing mature trees.”

Photography by TCL_Jackie Gu