Riverbend Park, Launceston TAS

The Challenge

Launceston, Tasmania’s second largest city and one of Australia’s oldest, is home to more than 110,000 residents. Known for its strong culture, food, wine and natural beauty, the City of Launceston is focused on creating vibrant, inclusive spaces that support community wellbeing and future growth. Riverbend Park represents a major step in delivering on that vision.

With a rapidly growing population, Council identified the opportunity to revitalise a vacant industrial site along the North Esk River and transform it into a sustainable, accessible public space. Guided by the objectives outlined in My Place My Future, Council sought to create a destination that would:

• Support active lifestyles
• Encourage social connection
• Promote inclusivity and belonging
• Deliver long-term value to the community

The result needed to be durable, welcoming and capable of serving a diverse range of users for years to come.

The Solution

Following successful funding from local, state and federal government, the $9 million Riverbend Park project was delivered as a multi-zone, all-abilities greenspace catering to different age groups and interests.

Across the park, GX Outdoors Akora Skillion Shelters were installed to provide shaded, weather-protected gathering areas. Finished with deep blue roofing to reflect the adjacent river, the shelters create strong visual identity while delivering practical comfort in Tasmania’s changing climate.

Positioned beneath the shelters are Contour BBQs from the GX Outdoors Easy-Access range, offering DDA-certified, wheelchair-accessible cooking facilities. Finished in vibrant blue, green and orange powder coat colours, the BBQs contribute to the park’s energetic aesthetic while ensuring inclusive functionality.

As a family-owned, 100% Australian-made manufacturer of street and park furniture, GX Outdoors can colour match any powder coat finish thanks to local manufacturing in Bundaberg, Queensland. Be inspired by our Colour Guide below.

The bright colour palette extends throughout the precinct and is echoed in a community mural developed with Aboriginal artists Judith-Rose Thomas and Nannette Shaw. Collaborating with the artists helped ensure the precinct’s visual identity wasn’t just decorative — it became a meaningful expression of place, community and cultural storytelling, shaped through local voices. For councils and design teams, considering First Nations perspectives early — not as a final layer — is becoming a key part of creating public spaces that genuinely belong to place.

Nathan Brandrick, a Gureng Gureng man and First Nations Lead at Kerstin Thompson Architects, shares his perspective on what it looks like to design with Country by listening, learning and collaborating throughout the process. Read the article below.