A reconstruction project delivered for Hobsons Bay City Council.
WLJ Crofts Reserve was a design and construction tender that was awarded to Turfcare by Hobsons Bay City Council.
The original design involved renovating the existing AFL/Cricket ovals, but after consultation council made the decision to adjust the design to make the most of the approx. 3ha space.
The final design incorporated two AFL/Cricket grounds with natural wickets while underlaying a third cricket oval with synthetic wicket, making this reconstruction one of the largest the Turfcare team had undertaken.
The first stage of the reconstruction involved preparation of the surface and removal of the existing 8 bay practice wicket, boundary fencing and a number of trees, once the site was cleared the team moved onto changing the oval orientation from East/West to North/South.
The new footprint was ready and it was time to install the automatic irrigation system and drainage to the entire 3ha precinct. The use of Megaflo™ drainage eliminated the need for trenching, meaning minimal disruption was caused to the surface and surrounding area.
With the drainage complete, the usual methodology would be to start carting the gravel & sand in, but the restricted access to the site meant the team needed a different approach. The installation of the coaches boxes, ball protection nets and AFL goals was brought forward, and working down from the top oval down, the placement and levelling of 7000t gravel could begin. With the new methodology in action the team could ensure the gravel would not be disturbed and began the cartage and placement of 14,500 tonne specified sand, which was then laser levelled.
Construction works were now complete and the site was ready for the final stage – the installation of 29,800m2 of Santa Ana Turf.
The finished product is one the Turfcare team is very proud of, three AFL/Cricket ovals that can be used concurrently. The two main AFL/Cricket ovals both have natural turf wickets, allowing 2 games of cricket or footy to be played at the same time, while the third middle Cricket oval has a synthetic wicket can be used independently.
