Mackay Regional
Botanic Gardens

The Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens master plan project was an exciting opportunity to build upon the previous work by Fulton Trotter Architects on the site and involved updating and further developing the original master plan.

A fully integrated approach between architecture, landscape, water engineers and interpretative experts was applied to the design, development and delivery.

The design process involved complex stakeholder engagement, as well as public consultation and surveys. The response considered site fauna, including platypus and migrating birds, and aimed to elevate the user experience and interpretation of these unique features. The intent was to make the natural and horticultural elements the primary focus of the precinct.

Major elements of the development included the Meadowlands Centre, a new Gardens Arrival Experience, a Botanic Collection expansion, a Children’s’ Botanic Centre, Café upgrade and new site experiences such as bridges, lookout towers and platypus interpretation kiosks. All of these features worked towards enabling richer opportunities to promote tourist visitation in the region and improve interpretation and educational opportunities. The design response included a variety of immersive experiences that would cater for visitors that were time poor as well as those who could spend extended periods.

A staging strategy was determined to align with available funding. The design response for each stage was mindful of energy use, recurrent maintenance and staffing costs, whilst also implementing sustainable technologies.