Groundbreaking Marks Milestone for Harkness Memorial Park: Detailed Designs Revealed
Date: May 08, 2025
Category: Project updates
At three times the size of Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens, the design prioritizes creating a memorable place, as the first step in establishing a large scale new memorial park that will regenerate the existing farmland and remnant native ecology. The detailed designs undertaken by ASPECT Studios further guide the park’s development, drawing inspiration from the Western Victorian Volcanic Plains, the very local gilgai formations, and incorporating elements of the site's distinctive ecology, geology, cultural landscapes, and local community.
Our design vision is to create a sanctuary for all communities, cultures and faiths, but also one that is firmly grounded in the local landscape of Melton and the western volcanic plains and guided by the Wurundjeri Elders, - Erwin Taal, Senior Associate, ASPECT Studios
Given its scale of 128 hectares, Harkness Memorial Park will be developed in stages. The first stage, Stage 1A , will cover approximately 11 hectares and includes the ceremonial/sales and operations hub, and approximately 4,200 interment plots (out of an eventual 140,000). These plots will accommodate a mix of interments and cremated remains.
This first stage will lay the foundation for the park, creating initial spaces for ceremony, final resting places, and community use. With a primary footprint along the southern boundary, this stage will focus on establishing key infrastructure, enhancing the landscape, and ensuring a welcoming and functional space for families and visitors. Early Works and Main Works packages are planned, with construction expected to be complete by early 2027.
This first stage will lay the foundation for the park, creating initial spaces for ceremony, final resting places, and community use. With a primary footprint along the southern boundary, this stage will focus on establishing key infrastructure, enhancing the landscape, and ensuring a welcoming and functional space for families and visitors. Early Works and Main Works packages are planned, with construction expected to be complete by early 2027.
