Cold lunch, flying napkins and a table you cannot get to can take the shine off a day at the park. Weston Park’s picnic shelter starts with the things families actually need.
You have barely put the sausages on when the children disappear towards the playground. Someone is holding down the napkins, someone else is looking for a spare seat, and the person carrying lunch is still negotiating the path from the car.
It is a familiar test for a public park. How much effort does it take to have a relaxing afternoon?
At Weston Park in Yarralumla, the ACT Government’s replacement picnic shelter tackled the details that can make or break that outing. The old timber shelter was ageing, its approaches were eroded, and the park needed somewhere people could comfortably cook, eat and keep the nearby play areas in view.
The setting already offered plenty: established trees, lawns and Lake Burley Griffin, on Ngunnawal Country. Getting the shelter into the right position would determine how much of that setting people could enjoy from their seats.
Where would you put the picnic rug?
Most of us make a quick assessment before settling into a park. Where is the wind coming from? Can we see the playground? How far do we have to carry everything?
The shelter’s location was tested against much the same questions. Several sites were considered before choosing a northerly aspect with views towards the playgrounds and Black Mountain Tower, protection from cold westerly winds and practical connections to the entrance and surrounding facilities.
Only one poor-quality tree needed to be removed for the footprint. The established trees remained part of the picnic setting, while small changes in ground level became terraces leading towards the lawn.
For the ACT Government, replacing the shelter meant deciding where lunch would happen in relation to everything else a family came to do.
You have company, whether you invited them or not
Sharing a public barbecue does not necessarily mean wanting to share a table. A couple arriving with sandwiches and a family organising a birthday lunch need different amounts of room.
Weston Park’s two shelter wings can accommodate up to four smaller groups or one large gathering. Perforated screens give seated visitors a little separation, while the central barbecue area leaves space to prepare the meal. The arrangement lets several picnics happen alongside one another.
Reaching the table deserves equal attention. Clearances around the furniture allow room for wheelchair movement, with access for people with mobility or vision impairments considered in the layout. Being able to get under the roof is only the beginning; people need room to join the meal.
A good reason to leave the afternoon free
The shelter’s low roofline and slender supports keep the trees and wider landscape in view. From the seating areas, the park continues around you, with lawn close by and the playgrounds within sight.
Redbox Design Group led the project and landscape design, coordinating the shelter’s placement and outdoor spaces with its architectural design.
Opened in late 2015, the project received a 2018 AILA ACT Landscape Architecture Award in the Small Projects category. The award recognises a modest public facility built around some very ordinary needs.
Those needs deserve attention. A place to put the food, room for another person at the table, a view towards the children and some protection from the wind all help make staying a little longer an appealing option. For a family weighing up whether to head home or stay for another hour, those are good reasons to unpack the afternoon tea.
