Safety and aesthetics tackled in Deakin Avenue median strip upgrade

Published on 23 June 2017

A major upgrade to the central median strip of a section of Mildura’s Deakin Avenue will get under way next week.

Contractors will be working between Ninth and Tenth Streets to improve safety and make the area a more appealing public space. Work will commence on Monday 26 June and is expected to take around four months to complete.

The area will get a complete make over with the most significant change the removal of 25 sugar gum trees which line the median. These trees have been assessed by an independent arborist and are no longer safe to remain in the public realm.

Mildura mayor Glenn Milne said removing established trees was a decision Council did not take lightly.

“No one ever wants to see substantial trees like these go, and our preference would have definitely been to keep them if we could,” Cr Milne said.

“However we must act in the interests of public safety. Sadly these sugar gums were not looked after properly in their early years, when the accepted practise was to lop them off. This means any new branch growth is quite weak and our arborists have advised there’s a risk the branches could fall.”

Along with tree removal, contractors will excavate the area and prepare it for a completely new landscape design, which will complement the existing and future themes of Deakin Avenue.

The new design includes planting 28 established sugar gum trees, which have been grown from the same seed stock as those that originally stood in Deakin Avenue and date back to the Chaffey brothers era. New garden beds, an underground irrigation system, lighting and outdoor furniture will be installed. A central footpath will run down the length of the median strip, providing safe pedestrian access.

“Deakin Avenue is an important part of our city’s heritage. The Chaffey brothers designed Mildura around what is one of the grandest thoroughfares of its kind. We’re proud of Deakin Avenue and excited that this project will enhance and celebrate its history,” Cr Milne said.

Pedestrians and motorists are reminded to be careful in the area whilst works are underway.

For more details about the project you can visit the Mildura Rural City Council website www.mildura.vic.gov.au

Media enquiries 
Ben Piscioneri
p) (03) 5018 8689 
e) ben.piscioneri@mildura.vic.gov.au