Barcaldine Master Plan

The success of the Barcaldine master plan is based on retail theory. Whether it’s the corner shop or an entire shopping centre, staples like milk and bread are located at the end of a path of discretionary spend. For Barcaldine, its much visited nationally listed heritage assets can now only be visited if you stop and walk through the town’s commercial street first.

We were encouraged to look at what might be possible after the Tree of Knowledge was poisoned. Our first step was to convince the Barcaldine Regional Council to rethink the project as primarily about urban design, public intervention and placemaking.

Info

Client:

Barcaldine Regional Council

Location:

Land of Iningai people
Barcadline

Collaborators:

Brian Hooper Architect

Status:

completed

Typology:

Urban

Quotes

Barcaldine demonstrates excellence in a broad range of criteria associated with this award, including successful activation of public space, sustainable urban governance, increased connectivity and cultural expression.

Urban Design Awards, National Winner Built Projects – Local and Neighbourhood Scale (2018). Jury citation.

Main Street Barcaldine is an excellent exemplar for regional towns across Queensland, looking to re-imagine their main streets through adaptive re-use of their historic buildings and high-quality urban design outcomes to create unique and enduring legacies for their communities and visitors.

2019 (Queensland) Ministers Award for Urban Design. Jury Citation

Through the application of meaningful community engagement and the use of integrated decision-making, the result is a beautifully executed main street that the community can treasure now and in the future.

Urban Design Awards, National Winner Built Projects - Local and Neighbourhood Scale (2018). Jury citation.

Cited

Publications:

2018 The Barcaldine masterplan (including; The Globe and The Tree of Knowledge) in, “Repair.” Venice Architecture Exhibition book, Australian Pavilion 2018 (The Australian Institute of Architects)

The resultant projects included the removal of cars and increased pedestrianisation in the delivery of The Tree of Knowledge, The Globe Information Centre, History Room and Gallery, and the Globe Lookout projects. More stages are set to be delivered.

Data now supports the assertion that the Barcaldine Tourism Precinct Master Plan, and the resultant projects, have revitalised the town’s commerce. Within two years there were greater visitor numbers, more overnight stays, and a greater spend per visitor.