Building public access infrastructure in National and State Parks poses unique challenges. Many parks are naturally isolated or have difficult-to-access terrain. Simply getting materials to these sites can be a big issue. Traditional wood and chicken-wire walkways are time-consuming to build onsite, require ongoing maintenance and are notoriously slippery underfoot when damp.

Add in fire risks and other harsh environmental factors and building a safe and durable public walkway or viewing platform turns into a monumental task.

Helicopters can be an excellent choice to lift materials into steep or isolated locations, but they are expensive and technically challenging. Loads and materials must be carefully planned, balanced and packed to limit the cost, reduce weight, ensure stability while in flight and minimise the number of loads.

Traditional wooden structures require extensive onsite construction with staff often having long walks into and out of the work area over multiple days. All of this adds up to a time-consuming and unsatisfactory solution.

These were some of the major challenges faced during the Mount Sturgeon walkway upgrade and this was where Terra Firma Industries TerraWay® FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymer) walkway came into its own.

Lighter than equivalent strength steel, more walkway could be included in each helicopter load, reducing the number of loads and minimising costs. TerraWay® walkway and structural profiles could be cut to size in advance but, unlike steel, they are easily modified using simple battery-operated hand tools once on site. This allowed for those minor tweaks that always come up during construction – some extra rock here, an unexpected creek there.

Throw in corrosion resistance and fire resistance as standard, to reduce ongoing maintenance, and TerraWay® FRP walkway and structural profiles become the perfect access solution.

Mt Sturgeon Walkway - Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park from Terra Firma Industries on Vimeo.

Watch the video to learn how Terra Firma Industries worked with the fantastic team at Envirotechniques for Parks Victoria during the Grampians National Park, Mount Sturgeon walkway upgrade project.

From design to construction Terra Firma Industries offer composites solutions for every problem. Find out more information from Terra Firma Industries at terragate.com.au

Contact the expert team via the links below.