Cormorant Road Gateway Proposal
Our commitment to Newcastle goes beyond a business imperative. We wish to shape, change and improve the public realm through our craft.
Location
In this electronic age we see Newcastle as a world centre for design. A platform to communicate our skills, expertise and innovation to the world.
Cormorant Road shares a long boundary with Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) and also forms part of the current gateway to Newcastle from Port Stephens and from the Port to the
rest of the world. SHAC proposed NCIG to embrace good public realm urban design principles to improve and enhance this space. The public partnership NCIG shares with the local community is an opportunity to inform, educate and celebrate Newcastle's Coal Infrastructure Group's position as a leading Industry and employer for the region.
The Cormorant Road journey along Kooragang Island is an opportunity to celebrate our city, our river, our region and our ingenuity. The expansion of our coal port has increased trade and transportation links to the world. The active, visible road and rail networks, conveyor and coal-loading mega structures along Cormorant Road are only part of the journey of coal and energy sourced from our valley, to port then on to international destinations. The general public thread silently pass this activity every day, twice a day from the gateway to the Hunter, Newcastle Airport, along the 18 kilometer round trip to Newcastle’s CBD, beaches and suburbs.
Thousands of Williamtown RAAF staff report for duty each day having marched across Kooragang Island on their journey to the base. A pair of Black Swans unheeded by wildlife photographers raise their signets in the ponds alongside this industrial road, in the shadow of a singular wind turbine heralding hope for a sustainable future.
By introducing a range of simple, effective, efficient ideas and strategies along Cormorant Road, Kooragang Island we believe the entrance to Newcastle from the North can be made to be a positive and informative experience.
Using strong, repetitive visual aids and one point perspective 'tunnel effect', the 1.4km drive along Kooragang Island can be made to be interesting, dynamic and celebratory.
