Campbelltown Billabong Parklands project, Bradbury: Initial landscaping works completed

A $31 million aquatic playground inspired by a national park in Sydney’s southwest is on course to completion. Find out where the project is up to and when it’s expected to open.

The Campbelltown Billabong Parklands at Bradbury, which is set to transform the region and become a landmark drawcard, has reached another milestone.

Initial landscaping works on the playground have been completed, with the focus now on preparations to install the water features.

The $31 million project, announced in January 2019, is being funded by Campbelltown Council and the state and federal governments under the Western Sydney City Deal Liveability Program.

Additional funding of $4 million has also been provided by the NSW Government Public Spaces Legacy Fund.

Campbelltown Council’s director of city lifestyles Scott Grant said the project had broad significance.

Workers at the billabong construction site at Bradbury. Picture: Campbelltown City Council

“It’s a fairly big undertaking by council,” he told the Macarthur Chronicle.

“We believe it’s a project of regional significance that will really improve and enhance the brand of Campbelltown and bring people from neighbouring areas into the city as well as servicing the needs of local residents.

“We would say, there is nothing like it across the city. We think it will be an iconic parkland.”

Excavation began on site in June 2020 and in August last year, swimming pool specialists, Crystal Pools, was appointed to complete the final design and construction details of the water bodies and construct them this year.

Buildings are being architecturally designed and include amenities, kiosk and entry buildings.

Mr Grant said part of the works so far had included building “the largest retaining wall you can image” on one side, at 7m tall.

An artist impression of the Campbelltown Billabong Parklands project.

Now the site has been prepared, the focus will shift on beginning the construction of the “main attractive element of the property” — the water features.

“We haven’t gotten a final timeline, but it will be months of preparation on site towards the end of year to make sure it is ready for opening,” Mr Grant said.

“We are still aiming towards the end of the year to open, but it will depend on a few other elements.”

Mr Grant said another crucial aspect of the project was the broader landscaping that will take place to create the billabong.

“It’s a really important part of creating that point of difference for it,” he said.

“The tree planting will also begin soon so we can have established trees in place for the opening.”

What will the facility look like?

The Billabong Parklands is being built at Apex Park beside Bradbury Oval, on the corner of The Parkway and Moore-Oxley Bypass.

It will comprise water bodies that represent a natural billabong as well as shallow water play facilities for younger children.

They will incorporate a lagoon that will be up to 2m deep, a children’s pool, a series of rock pools with streams and a “zero-depth” water play area with interactive aquatic elements.

There recreation hub will include lagoons and rock pools.

The design has been inspired by the natural Campbelltown environment including the rock pools, waterfalls and streams of the Dharawal National Park at Appin.

“[Council] has a great relationship with the local indigenous community,” Mr Grant said.

“We have been working to engage Aboriginal artists and to consider again through the design elements the natural identity of the region in the way that we have approached artwork, and the landscaping generally.

“We think it will really create an exciting and unique destination but with an important indigenous acknowledgment to it, which is really important.”

Covid hurdles

It is expected the project will be completed for the public to enjoy the aquatic facility by December 2022, but not without some difficulty.

Mr Grant said the pandemic had affected the development and construction industry, but the council had worked hard to overcome the setbacks.

“Everyone has faced challenges including the availability of staff and supply issues,” he said.

“But there are a number of countermeasures that we have been pursuing to try and complete the project as quickly as possible.”