MICHAEL SMITH AND ASSOCIATES
Forrest Common Masterplan
Client | Colac Otway Shire
Year | 2017-2018
Colac Otway Shire Council engaged our practice and subconsultant Cathy Fyffe of CMF Consulting, to work closely on the Masterplan for the Forrest Common located to the immediate east of Grant Street, the main road link between Colac and Apollo Bay. The common is highly valued by the community who demonstrated their passion for the 0.7Ha space to be improved in its presentation and function.
Key elements to come out of a full day’s consultation with community groups and individuals was the development of a timeline story of the township of Forrest and the immediate Otway region which has become a popular mountain bike destination. The common is adjacent to the Forrest camping and caravan path and at peak holiday times the common provides a role in the entertainment of visitors through the existing playspace skate strips.
A bushfoods garden is to link in with the Koori stories, then images and sculptural elements depicting agricultural production and timber milling followed the railway branch lines extending into the Otways and the more recent development of bike trails. We worked on the upgrade of the playspace, provision of a basketball key and a performance amphitheatre space. The timelines story will be depicted as pavement images and motifs and story boards around the proposed circuit path.