Hercules Street Park

Public parks are an important form of civic / cultural expression They speak of us as a society, as a community, as a country. Parks are no longer set pieces of bygone eras, they are our ‘community common’ - places where the elderly, children, parents, teenagers from all walks of life can come together; socialise, play, exercise, walk the dog - in the great Aussie outdoors. Today's parks are a vital piece of social infrastructure but they are also more - they are the green lungs for our cities, providing shade, shelter and food for all the little critters. So why feature Hercules Park?

Hercules Park is emblematic of what a contemporary park should be. It is the major open space for Northshore Hamilton a new bustling mixed use, high rise community - once the fuel yard of the old Port Brisbane. Hercules is a sign post, it’s about repurposing, reshaping our cities, in an expression of optimism, about community and what we need in the years ahead. Parks are vital for these emerging communities: as Australian cities urbanise, parks are our ‘new backyard’.

Parks are vital for these emerging communities: as Australian cities urbanise, parks are our ‘new backyard’. And like a good backyard, Hercules is a park packed full of amenity & great things to do: • the central lawn is a ‘mini Gabba’ – locals can set up stumps ‘out in the middle’ for an innings or two of grassroots cricket. The Containers and Talk Tubes playfully borrow from and engage with the sites industrial history. • The brooding Big Berm invites one to explore its terrain – its slopes, steps, tunnels and slides. (continued in next section....)

(....Continued from last section) • We couldn’t have a backyard pool, but we can still have fun with water! The Water Chase releases in randomised preset sequences, supported by mist and night lighting - a nod and a wink to ‘Brisvegas’. The kids love it! • A half court, hitting wall, table tennis and outdoor gym at the southern entry cater for the teenage and above audience while BBQs and long tables provide family and friends a place to gather for lunch or perhaps host an evening party. • And we have a dog park - over 30% of inhabitants of these new high density living have pets, mostly dogs. Like their owners they also need a place to play and socialise. And people often meet people through their pets. • Last but not least Hercules has great trees – classic Queensland shade plantings of Flame, Figs, Hoop Pines and Jacaranda trees All this is anchored by a great piece of architecture – yes, granted, Paul Owen’s park pavilion is small - but is also refined, restrained and serves the park - as a spacial pivot while providing shade, shelter and public amenities.