Purruna Pari (Breakout Creek) Stage 3 transforms a formerly engineered river corridor on Kaurna Country in southern Australia into an ecological waterway and public landscape. The project transforms a narrow, flood-protection channel into a complex system of wetlands, benches, backwaters, and in-stream habitats, creating space for water, plants, animals, and people within a constrained urban setting.
More than 245,000 local, climate-appropriate plants and 111 new trees stabilise riverbanks, build structure and seasonal variation, and support a mosaic of riparian and floodplain habitats. Around 11,400m² of permanently vegetated wetlands and a dual wetland system now treat runoff from surrounding neighbourhoods, capturing roughly 60 million litres of stormwater each year and preventing an estimated 95 kilograms of nitrogen from reaching the coast. Cut soil is reused to form shared paths, picnic terraces and viewing platforms, reducing embodied carbon through a balanced cut-and-fill strategy and significant use of recycled materials.
Guided by Kaurna knowledge and custodianship, the design integrates planting, access, interpretation and naming, while artworks and cultural markers by Kaurna / Ngarrindjeri / Yankunytjatjara artist Allan Sumner express stories and songlines specific to this stretch of river. Existing river red gums are retained and framed within new riverbank habitats and gathering spaces.
Alongside ecological renewal, the project enhances public access and wellbeing. New paths and a critical bridge over the watercourse stitch together reserves, schools and sporting facilities on both sides of the river, without needing to venture onto busy adjacent roads. Elevated paths, open sightlines, and lighting support passive surveillance and personal safety, while small shelters and the path network encourage people to pause near the water. A dedicated horse agistment area, trails and infrastructure are retained and upgraded, allowing long-standing equestrian use to coexist with new forms of public access.
Purruna Pari (Breakout Creek) Stage 3 demonstrates how an urban river can function simultaneously as habitat, stormwater infrastructure, cultural landscape and neighbourhood park, offering a transferable model for the renewal of constrained waterways worldwide.
Data
Landscape: TCL
Photo credits: Jackie Gu, TCL
Cultural Collaborators:
Lynette Crocker – KYAC – Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation
Merle Simpson – KYAC
Corey Turner – KYAC
Allan Sumner – Kaurna /Ngarrindjeri/Yankunytjatjara Artist
Other Collaborators:
Green Adelaide, City of Charles Sturt, and City of West Torrens – Client Group
Design Flow – Wetland / Hydrological Engineering
Tonkin – Civil, Structural & Hydrological engineering
URPS – Planning and Consultation
RLB – Quantity Surveying
Katnich Dodd – Certifier
ProAg Soil Management – Soil management
Allan Sumner – Artist / Kaurna Ngarrindjeri and Yankunytjatjara
Bardavcol – Civil / Landscape Construction Lead
EcoDynamics – Landscape Construction Partners
SA Water – Project Management
Manufacturer of urban or play equipment: Landmark Products Pty Ltd – Shelters
Year completed: 2024
