Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00408:front:0:p259
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00408
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 802663–805458

design was to restore the prospect or line of sight along the Land Axis and to deal with the undulating topography.  Generally excavation was carried out on the Campbell side and fill placed on the Reid side.  The Australian War Memorial forecourt was also remodelled to create two angled fill landforms and planted with eucalypts.  An amphitheatre space was created by cutting the natural landform with symmetrical treatment of concrete seating, and central stairs leading to a central gravel paved gathering space.  The sloped landforms were grassed.  The proportions of the forecourt generated the overall proportions and layout of Anzac Parade.

The landform was regraded to create a continuous central space and the concept of others locating the roads in the centre was abandoned in favour of locating the roads to each side.  The scale and proportion of the elongated central space was addressed by allowing the cross roads to break down the overall length into shorter sections.

The central area of the Parade between the roads was paved with red gravel which was actually crushed brick and tile, sourced by Rod Dalgliesh from the Yarralumla Brickworks.  The red gravel was carried over to the central area of the Australian War Memorial forecourt, as well as placed in the centre of the roundabout.

Concrete paths were added to the side of the roads and a concrete edging, either freestanding or as a retaining wall which varied in height, negotiated the varying change of level in each section of the Parade sides.  Three rows of Eucalyptus bicostata (Eurrabie or Blue Gum) trees with an underplanting of Poa grasses were placed each side, beyond the line of the concrete retaining wall to further help define the central space whilst raised planter beds were placed either side of the central red gravel paved area.  The rectangular planter beds contained three sections of higher growing Hebe species and were surrounded by a lower growing species.

In addition, inter-plantings apparently of a cover species were used, possibly wattles.  The intention of inter-row plantings was to provide a quick-growing aesthetic plantation and nurse crop while the long-term species established, and being short-lived, the wattles would all be gone or removed by the time the long-term plantings were well established.

Lindsay Pryor and Ray Margules sourced all the plants for the original planting of Anzac Parade.  Margules selected all of the seeds for the eucalypts from one tree which were then propagated in a nursery.  Many of the eucalypts were root bound by the time of planting and this may have contributed to subsequent losses within the plantations.

Spaces were made available for future memorials, and the first memorial was the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial.

National Capital