Case Studies
Clarence Foreshore Trail
Design Feature
Type of project
Infrastructure
State
Tasmania
Location
Urban
Clarence Foreshore Trail is a continuous active travel movement network for walking and cycling in the City of Clarence Municipality on Hobart’s eastern shore, running alongside the River Derwent that sweeps through Hobart.
Connecting community
The trail highlights best practice in delivery of several design features of Healthy Active by Design, notably Movement Networks, Destinations and Community Facilities. It has several ‘destination’ playgrounds along its route such as Clarence Regional Playgrounds
Individually, the trail and playgrounds are valuable pieces of community infrastructure. Collectively, their strength is magnified, with the entire trail providing a continuous movement network for active travel, walking and cycling between multiple community destinations including public opens spaces, parks, playgrounds, community facilities, local centres and schools.
Individually, the trail and playgrounds are valuable pieces of community infrastructure. Collectively, their strength is magnified, with the entire trail providing a continuous movement network for active travel, walking and cycling between multiple community destinations including public opens spaces, parks, playgrounds, community facilities, local centres and schools.
The Clarence Foreshore Trail is a 14.5 kilometre multi-user pathway that follows the picturesque shoreline of the Derwent River between Geilston Bay and Howrah on Hobart’s eastern shore. It winds through residential areas as well as popular visitor destinations, so access points are numerous and enable a diverse cross-section of the population to get outdoors. The trail has a unique mix of exercise equipment, playgrounds, bushland, public open space and beaches along its length. Secondary path connections provide links from the trail to neighbouring bushland reserves, creating a vast network of opportunities for outdoor recreation.
With its beaches, bushland and wide-open spaces, the beautiful Clarence foreshore has always been a drawcard for locals and visitors alike. But while the shoreline stretches many kilometres along the Derwent River, finding a way to enjoy its entirety was difficult because in places the natural terrain was difficult to negotiate and in others there was a need to cross major roadways.
With its beaches, bushland and wide-open spaces, the beautiful Clarence foreshore has always been a drawcard for locals and visitors alike. But while the shoreline stretches many kilometres along the Derwent River, finding a way to enjoy its entirety was difficult because in places the natural terrain was difficult to negotiate and in others there was a need to cross major roadways.
The concept of creating a continuous multi-user pathway was first identified in a 2007 cycling plan. Isolated existing sections of pathway were renamed the ‘Clarence Foreshore Trail’ to reinforce the notion that this was indeed a single, uninterrupted pathway, albeit one with some obstacles along the way. The new name turned focus on the gaps between existing paths and provided impetus for completing the missing sections.
All-weather concrete surfaces were used in the newer sections, which is ideal for scooters, skateboards and other wheeled devices. In places the trail has been widened with the aim to have a continuous 2.5-metre-wide pathway that can accommodate high volumes and the broadest range of users.
All-weather concrete surfaces were used in the newer sections, which is ideal for scooters, skateboards and other wheeled devices. In places the trail has been widened with the aim to have a continuous 2.5-metre-wide pathway that can accommodate high volumes and the broadest range of users.
The trail is bookended by the suburbs of Geilston Bay and Howrah, and is used for commuting as well as for exercise and play. It uniquely provides public access to the beaches, cliffs and foreshore areas, which is not possible on most sections of the western shore. The trail is a destination for walking groups, seniors and disability groups. It is used for organised rides during Bike Week and has been the location for the annual Ride to Work Day eastern shore breakfast.
The trail’s popularity has led to the need for widening some of the pathways to cope with the increased patronage, particularly where they pass through a park. Separate internal pathways in the parks help users to avoid the trail itself when moving around within the park area. Community feedback has been very positive. There is staunch support for the trail, as well as for further extensions to the wider trail network.
Recent infrastructure improvements have further extended the route beyond the foreshore path, with segregated paths from the eastern end of the trail at Howrah onward to neighbouring suburbs of Rokeby and Glebe Hill. It illustrates how the Foreshore Trail is part of a wider integrated network of active travel routes, connecting people and places through large areas of Clarence.
The trail’s popularity has led to the need for widening some of the pathways to cope with the increased patronage, particularly where they pass through a park. Separate internal pathways in the parks help users to avoid the trail itself when moving around within the park area. Community feedback has been very positive. There is staunch support for the trail, as well as for further extensions to the wider trail network.
Recent infrastructure improvements have further extended the route beyond the foreshore path, with segregated paths from the eastern end of the trail at Howrah onward to neighbouring suburbs of Rokeby and Glebe Hill. It illustrates how the Foreshore Trail is part of a wider integrated network of active travel routes, connecting people and places through large areas of Clarence.
Project team
- Clarence City Council
Project cost
Funding from the Trails and Bikeways Program was matched 50:50 with Council funding. Costs of pathway upgrades include:
- Victoria Esplanade in Bellerive - $200,000
- Geilston Bay foreshore - $460,000 (including a bridge)
- Bellerive Bluff, Alexandra Esplanade, Second Bluff, Talune Street and Lindisfarne Esplanade - average of $200 - $300,000 per annum.
Health value
- The trail has made it easier for residents to incorporate physical activity into their lives, by providing an attractive, safe and accessible pathway with very easy and appealing access options.
Economic value
- The Clarence foreshore is enjoying a boom as a destination for people from all over the Hobart area, as well as for interstate visitors (Bellerive Oval, sitting right on the trail, is a mecca for many).
- A Tracks and Trails survey carried out in 2012 received feedback from a number of people who don’t live in Clarence but travel to the municipality to use the trail network.
- Cafes and restaurants at nodes in the area are thriving as families seek to incorporate a meal and a drink with their outdoor activity.
- The trail has been included on the Greater Hobart Trails website, further promoting it to people from outside the municipality.
Environmental value
- The trail works with the environmental conditions, following the undulating waterside edge of the Clarence foreshore as it abuts the River Derwent.
- In addition, in creating safe routes for walking and bike riding, the trail has environmental value by securing public access to the water’s edge via a coastal reserve, which preserves a corridor of indigenous vegetation, significant trees and natural features such as cliffs.
- Encouraging active travel including walking and cycling can help support modal-shift from motor-vehicle transport.
Social value
- At the outset, one of the aims of the project was to foster a sense of community and to reconnect the people of Clarence to their unique outdoor environment. A quick inspection of the many points of interest along the length of the track reveals that that’s been a success, as people are flocking to the beaches, playgrounds and barbecue areas in numbers not seen before.
- People of all ages and mobility levels are enjoying the trail and its various installations.
- The coastal area the trail traverses was home to the Moomairemner Aboriginal people, and there is much evidence of Aboriginal occupation along the coast. A Reconciliation Bench on the trail at Rosny Point recognises an important gathering and resting place.
Use value
- Week-long counts using an automated counter carried out at various sites are recording impressive numbers of people using the trail, particularly the higher-quality sections. In summer, the busiest sections saw an average of 570 people per day passing the count point.
References
Clarence Foreshore Trail: webpages with information and maps about the trail, provided by Clarence City Council, https://www.ccc.tas.gov.au/places/6721/
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