Winning design unveiled for Barangaroo Harbour Park

The New South Wales government has unveiled the winning design for a 1.85 hectare park on the foreshore at Central Barangaroo.

First Nations-led consortium Akin, which comprises Yerrabingin, Architectus, Jacob Nash Studio, Studio Chris Fox and Flying Fish Blue, with Arup as engineering consultants, has been named winner of an open design competition launched in December 2022.

The winning design features nature play for all ages and abilities, a 6,000-capacity event lawn for hosting community and cultural events and winding pathways to explore.

The design honours the long and deep history of the Gadigal people and showcases First Nations design methodologies. The Country-led design supports regenerative ecology, natural systems, drawing insects, birds and other fauna.

The landscape will be planted extensively with a variety of endemic grasses. Native trees such as Sydney red gum, casuarina and cabbage tree palm will provide canopy cover, and a series of interactive waterways and ponds will collect and filter water through the landscape before it returns to the harbour.

The design also includes a series of significant public art installations that will become places for exploration, play, education, shade and celebration. The artworks reference natural elements of water, wind and moon (or "vessels") that have special significance in Indigenous knowledge systems.

The water vessel, which will become the connection point to the harbour and a place for gathering and ceremony, will be made from timber, referencing pre-settlement campfires that burned along the harbour. The artwork will frame Me-Mel Island/Goat Island, which is the largest island in the harbour and was recently transferred back to the local Gadigal people. It will be a significant cultural landmark for Traditional Custodians.