Breakout Creek Redevelopment Stage 3

In 2020 Tonkin was engaged by lead contactor T.C.L to provide civil and structural engineering services to support Green Adelaide in the redevelopment of Breakout Creek, in Adelaide’s western suburbs. 

The entire Breakout Creek redevelopment stretches from Tapleys Hill Road in Lockleys to the Torrens Outlet in West Beach, a total of 2.7 km of river. The Stage 3 redevelopment has created wetlands to capture and clean stormwater, remove weeds, plant native vegetation to slow and treat water coming down the river and open the currently fenced-off space for people to enjoy with trails, picnic areas, signage and art. It also involved working with the traditional owners of the land, the Kaurna people, to acknowledge the significance of the area, as well as create healthy habitat for fish and bird species, and improve the water quality of the Torrens.

Tonkin provided:

The redeveloped site was opened to the public in September 2023. From an artificial channel to a stunning, natural-looking waterway, this 1.5 km redevelopment now boasts improved visitor amenities, a dedicated place for Kaurna reflection, habitat pools to aid biodiversity – and a brand-new river crossing.

All new asphalt pathways are wheelchair accessible, and so is the new pedestrian bridge that takes you across the river between Seaview and Tapleys Hill roads. Two habitat pools have been created along the river, which will provide new habit for native fish and animals. The new wetlands, one on each side of the river, will provide habitat for water plants and many native creatures. They also capture stormwater and naturally filter it before it enters the river, which improves the quality of the water that flows out to sea.

Horses have long-been a fixture along this stretch of the Torrens. As part of the redevelopment, a dedicated horse area has been created that stretches nearly 800m along the southern riverbank. Horses will return to return once the area is established.

While landscaping and water plants continue to mature, the improvements to Breakout Creek are already clear. The area is being well used, both by people and native animals who are making the area their new home.

The innovative approach taken on Breakout Creek Redevelopment is one that other Governments can look to when considering how existing stormwater engineering infrastructure can be improved to provide better public amenity, biodiversity and water quality outcomes.

Often, stormwater solutions implemented in the early 1900s were effective in diverting stormwater to where it needed to go, but otherwise lacking in environmental and community benefits. At Breakout Creek, while there was an existing path through the site it did not meet current standards. The redevelopment needed to delicately balance retaining and reusing existing infrastructure, protecting existing site features while also renewing the site to meet project design principles and current design standards. 

The complexity of the project and surrounding constraints demanded innovation in order to carefully balance constraints with the project risks and objectives. An intensive design iteration and review process was undertaken to balance retention of existing trees, new light poles, minimising cut/fill within tree protection zone, achieving accessibility gradients, reducing extent of retaining walls, achieving maintenance access, balancing cut/fill and meeting the construction budget. 

These constraints then needed to be balanced with the retention of the existing infrastructure such as the levee banks and channel and the desire to retain the natural amenity of the area.

The Breakout Creek Redevelopment is a shining example of how different levels of government can work together with engineering and environmental experts, and the community, to enhance an artificial watercourse from a biodiversity perspective, while also delivering community and water quality benefits. 

The project is a $18.7 million partnership between Green Adelaide, the City of Charles Sturt, the City of West Torrens, the South Australian Department for Trade and Investment through the Planning and Development Fund, the Australian Government through the Environment Restoration Fund, and SA Water. The project is committed to working with the Traditional Owners of the Adelaide plains, the Kaurna people.