The Lower Werribee Waterway Amenity Action Plan has won the Award of Excellence in the Land Management category of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Awards (AILA, Vic Chapter) which recognise landscape planning, design and management projects across a variety of scale and sectors.
The Lower Werribee Waterway Amenity Action Plan (LWWAAP) articulates a 10-year vision for improved amenity, cultural values, community access and visitor experience along the Wirribi Yaluk (Werribee River) corridor, and prioritised actions to achieve this.
Prepared as a transformative approach to shared leadership, this co-designed plan envisions a sustainable future for a treasured living natural entity: the waterway and lands of Wirribi Yaluk (Werribee River) in Melbourne’s West.
Partners in the development and delivery of the plan include:
- Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
- Melbourne Water
- Parks Victoria
- Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation
- Werribee Open Range Zoo
- Werribee River Association
- Western Melbourne Tourism Inc.
- Wyndham City Council
The Jury Citation read:
Lower Werribee Waterway Amenity Action Plan is an exemplar strategy for the restoration, conservation, and management of the significant river landscape of Wirribi Yaluk. The Jury highly commends the project team and partners on their leadership and transformative approach to co-designing this plan, which drew on the leadership and teachings of our First Nations custodians.
The holistic and robust strategy demonstrates a strong focus on enhancing cultural and environmental values, addressing community needs, and attracting visitation and supporting eco-tourism by providing diverse recreational opportunities and nature-based experiences.
The project also demonstrates innovative use of digital technology to communicate the plan in a transparent and accessible way. This transformational blueprint for the future shared leadership and advocacy to protect and enhance the unique values of Wirribi Yaluk is a fantastic achievement.
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The Werribee River Association team are actively involved in a number of projects within this plan, and thrilled to be a parter for this award.