Granite Hills major community park

  • Project typeMajor community park
  • Project value$5 million
  • Project scheduleExpected completion 2024
Image of Granite Hills Park

New park in South Morang

The City of Whittlesea is building a major community park at Granite Hills.

It will feature:

  • an adventure park and playground
  • open-air pavilion
  • public barbecues
  • picnic settings
  • giant slides
  • lawn maze
  • nature and water play
  • public toilets with a Changing Places facility
  • connected walking trails and more.

About the project's location

Granite Hills Park is located within the Quarry Hills Regional Parkland in South Morang, bordering Mernda.

Quarry Hills Regional Parkland is one of the defining landscape features of the municipality and contributes significantly to the character of the city's growth suburbs.

The hills are a striking visual feature within the landscape and are a common point of reference for the two emerging communities of South Morang and Mernda.

Landscape masterplan and concept design

In 2019, a landscape master plan for the parkland was developed to guide future land planning of the site.

Stage 1 of the master plan is for the development of Granite Hills Park. This is to provide a new major community park and play space.

Granite Hills Park will provide a gateway into the broader Quarry Hills Regional Parkland.

Granite Hills Park will be one of four of the City of Whittlesea's major community parks.

Here is the approved concept design:

Map of the Granite Hills Major Community Park

Timeline

Construction works for Granite Hills Major Community Park commenced in early July 2023.

The first stage of these works is for the upgrade to the existing farm dams. The works include the draining of the current dams, followed by regrading and revegetation.

Subject to favourable weather conditions, this project is anticipated to be completed in early 2024.

The construction of the remainder of the Granite Hills Major Community Park, including park and road works, will commence in the first half of 2024.

Turning the first sod

In September 2023, City of Whittlesea Chair Administrator, Lydia Wilson joined Member for Mill Park, Lily D'Ambrosio to turn the first sod on the development.

Grant Hills major community park breaking the ground

 

Project funding

Project funding

This project is being funded jointly by the City of Whittlesea and the State Government.

Funding
City of Whittlesea $2.5 million

Victorian Government'sGrowing Suburbs Fund

 $2.5 million

 

Related Aboriginal Gathering Place

Related to the Granite Hills Major Community Park project, we are also establishing an Aboriginal Gathering Place at Quarry Hills Parkland. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Granite Hills Park selected as the site of the major community park?

Our Open Space Strategy identifies four major community parks spread across the established areas of the municipality.

The major community park located at Granite Hills will provide community access into the broader Quarry Hills Regional Parkland for the Mernda-Doreen corridor. This area currently not accessible by the public.

The Granite Hills Park site is a flat area, close to Hunters Road. The location has clear sight lines and visibility which improves community safety, while preserving the surrounding ridgelines.

What plans does Council have to protect the environment and the wildlife that live on the site?

We recognises the rich habitat of the Quarry Hills Regional Parkland. The site hosts a large number of kangaroos.

The section of Quarry Hills where we propose to locate Granite Hills Park is currently closed off to the public with little surveillance.

The implementation of the major community park will invite people to access this small eight-hectare section of the site in a safe and controlled way. We anticipate this will limit illegal activity and damage to wildlife habitat.

Other ways the environment and wildlife will be protected are:

  • the park and play space are proposed to be located at the front of the site, meaning vehicles are not required to drive far into the parklands for parking.
  • the water bodies will be upgraded into a high-quality wetland, providing further habitat for flora and fauna.
  • the path and trail network will direct users through the site, away from areas of conservation and rehabilitation.
  • interpretative signage will be located along trails to educate the community on the ecological value of the area.

Currently 430 hectares of Quarry Hills Regional Parklands is public open space and under council management. While Granite Hills Park is constructed, additional public open space will become council-owned.

This land will be rehabilitated and managed as conservation areas, allowing the ongoing and increased habitat for local wildlife.

Eventually Quarry Hills Regional Parkland will include 1100 hectares, which will provide significant space and habitat for local wildlife.

How will trail bike riders be deterred?

We know that trail bike riding is damaging to public open spaces, including regional parks, waterways and other linear corridors like pipe tracks.

Council is continuing to work to manage the illegal use of trail bikes within Quarry Hills Regional Parkland. Over the past decade Council has continued to upgrade fence and access points to minimise vehicle entry into Quarry Hills. This work, along with signage upgrades and growing numbers of walkers, has lessened the illegal presence of 4WD vehicles.

Presence is one of the best deterrents to unlawful park use. When public space is well used we see a decrease in anti-social behaviour. The implementation of Granite Hills Park along with the walking trails throughout the parklands will allow for additional users to provide passive surveillance to the site.

 

How will Council manage off-leash dogs? Will there be an allocated off-leash area?

Quarry Hills Parkland is a conservation reserve and does not support dogs off leash.

As with all public open space, dogs must be on a leash unless within an allocated off-leash area.

As the site is a conservation nature reserve, no fenced off-leash park is proposed.

We are currently undertaking upgrades of other off-leash parks:

  • Creek Park off-leash dog area in Mernda
  • Lyndarum Wetlands off-leash dog area in Epping North
  • the proposed fenced off-leash dog park in Wollert.

Contact details

03 9217 2170
parks@whittlesea.vic.gov.au

Location

Granite Hills Park, Palisades Boulelvard, South Morang 3752  View Map

Google Map

Photo Gallery

granite-hills-major-community-park-map.png

(PNG, 351KB)

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