Victoria Street, Kerang

The design and delivery of Victoria Square, Kerang has been realised over a lengthy period of urban strategic study, community participation and engagement and design investigation. Council recognised that the heritage forms, including the Post Office, Courthouse and Municipal building were significant structures and should be celebrated through a complementary concept design. Hansen Partnership created a Concept Plan with the goal of reimagining the centre of this thriving regional town as a place of civic pride and community gathering. The Plan created a new public space supporting pedestrian priority, whilst displaying key architectural assets which are defining in the township.

Based on an appreciation of the township’s agricultural context, as well as the unique heritage civic buildings within the main street, the design concept was based on a rural farmhouse surrounded by paddocks. The fundamental elements of the design include a raised ‘verandah’ to the forecourt of the heritage buildings, significant paved area comprising an intricate pattern emphasising pedestrian desire lines, four anchoring grassed pods comprising vegetation and seating. The new public space provides a modern, functional design accommodating additional shade, seating and safer pedestrian movement across Victoria Street. The quality construction heralds the urban renewal of this regional town.

Hansen Partnership's subtle urban renewal approach to this streetscape project has been underpinned by awareness and sensitivity to 'localness’, to celebrate the township’s identity whilst creating a public realm and improving pedestrian safety. While this project may be perceived as a conventional metropolitan street management scheme, its demonstration and realisation in the context of north-west Victorian townships is meaningful in shifting attitudes in relation to public space and urban identity in regional Victoria. The successful creation of an attractive new forecourt – has led to a change in the way people (residents and visitors alike) perceive and use the space.

The site plan offers three key integrated parts, including; • An elevated platform influenced by the concept of ‘the veranda’ connects the three stately civic buildings and provides an overview of the space. The threshold serves as the meeting place for various civic and municipal functions. • An open flush pedestrian space framed by grassed seating pods and decks, shade structures and a key established Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) of significance in the street view. These spaces reinforce the parallel movement regime to either side of Victoria Street. • A centrally aligned cobbled ‘shared zone’ defines the union of pedestrian and (slowed) vehicle movement on the Victoria Street alignment, heralding a safe location for crossing carefully guided by lighting and shaping of adjoining pods. The delivery of the project was successfully executed by an in-house Shire construction team, who were notable for the careful use of locally sourced materials, trades and expertise. Where many projects had been outsourced to external contractors, this project has been successfully constructed with craft and care under the watchful eye of the local municipal Public Works Department. This has required the widespread use of locally manufactured fittings, including the bespoke timber furnishings, structures, and plant materials.