Victoria Street

Victoria Street

Design Features:

·         Renewed footpath and increased focus on pedestrian amenity and safety

·         Tree planting at street corners include attractive native trees that provide seasonal interest

·         Planters that bring the natural environment into the town

·         A walkway through to Fitzroy Street for rest and cultural attraction

·         Sculptural markers in garden beds at either end of the CBD part of Victoria Street

Experience

Victoria Street is the shopping hub and the civic heart of Kerang. It has the greatest concentration of shops and items are often on display on the footpath, inviting shoppers to browse in the sheltered area under the awnings. It is easy to park and is a focus of activity all week.

Major features mark the ends of the shopping strip. In Wellington Street the memorial and the gardens around it have an iconic status. At Scoresby Street a unique sculpture creates a visual cue to the town centre and evidences the creative nature of the community. This sculpture is remarkable and images of it is often seen on tourism guides to the town and in personal photographs taken by visitors. These sites and the plantings at the corners create a ‘country in the town’ ambience, unique to Kerang.

Street closure occurs from time to time, as this is now a hub for shopping, browsing, meeting, gathering and celebration.

Victoria Street is the main shopping street and the civic heart of the CBD

Sculptural Markers

The memorial clock tower on Wellington Street, at the Victoria Street intersection, is given new prominence by enhanced planting. A new kinetic sculpture features at the other end of the street. These two markers, together with the new street planting, make a cultural and environmental statement about the town, its past and its future.

Before                                                                    Existing                                                                   New planting

Before  

After

It is critical at the centre of town that access for visitors to the shops is optimised. Street trees along this section of road would reduce parking and are not required for shade. The selection of native grasses to enhance the walking and shopping experience reflects the natural environment and reminds people of where they are in Australia. The swathe of grass provides a welcome green edge to the pavement year round and responds to changes in the weather as it moves with wind and rain.

Proposed Palette and Detail