Ideas wanted for reimagining Canberra's City Hill

The ACT government has initiated a six-week consultation period to collate input on how to transform Canberra's City Hill park - dubbed the "roundabout rabbit warren" - into a more inviting public space.

The five-hectare landscaped hill, known as City Hill, was a key component of Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin's design for Canberra and forms one point of the Parliamentary Triangle. Despite being located centrally in the heart of Canberra, the park is underused and often not interacted with in the way that was intended. One of the primary reasons for the lack of visitation was attributed to the excessive presence of rabbits. However, even now that the rabbits have been ousted, there is still a shortage of visitors.

In August 2023, the ACT government announced it would be launching an ideas competition, with particular interest in propositions that seek to improve access to and through the park, create an attractive communal space that can be used for public activities, establish City Hill as a cultural destination, explore cultural connections with First Nations people and that incorporate socially and environmentally beneficial aspects.

The ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, said the callout is an exciting opportunity for community members of any age to reimagine the underutilized site. "The consultation will help inform the future of City Hill and the Canberra Civic and Cultural District and our next steps, this includes better understanding the park's role as a centrepiece between the evolving Acton Waterfront, the Canberra Theatre Centre redevelopment and connecting light rail," Barr said.

A 'Discover City Hill Day' will also take place on 11 March. It will include a First Nations Walk on Country alongside tours with experts in landscape architecture, active travel and local heritage.

Feedback will be accepted until 25 March. Ideas presented by the community will be exhibited at Civic Library from 9 to 25 March. To have your say, visit here.