Fairfax Walk Viewing Platforms

The Fairfax Track Viewing Platforms footprint spans the cliff edge along the Fairfax Walk, which is nestled within the North Head Sanctuary – a place of significance for the Traditional Owners, the Gayamagal People.

The proposed lookouts designed by CHROFI Architects offers a new visitor experience to the area of North Head, traditionally known as Car-rang gel.

“Connecting with Country has been central to the design from the outset, ensuring that the lookouts acknowledge and connect with the history, stories and place that is called Car-rang gel. Driven by this approach, the lookouts are designed to merge comfortably with the landscape by expressing the durable and earthy materiality of the surrounding sandstone and vegetation. Stone pavers are used to line the pathways, knitting into the existing rock so the boundaries between built and natural forms are blurred. At each of the platforms, seats are carved out of solid stone and arranged to form a gathering place where ceremony, teaching and meetings may occur.”, featured by CHROFI architects.

To mitigate the risks of potential cliff falls and the damage caused by recent bushfires, the new viewing platforms have been relocated to better respond to the unique characteristics of the headland and provide a safer, more enjoyable viewing experience all year-round. Two new lookouts, the Yiningma Lookout to the North provides a vantage point to look back at the cliff face and breathtaking views to the horizon that are perfect for whale watching; the Burragula Lookout to the South allows for panoramic views of Sydney harbour, creating the ideal spot for events like the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, or simply, to watch the sun go down.

Glascott Landscape and Civil Sydney worked carefully and respectfully to configure the large sandstone blocks, pavers and concrete delivery into the desired vision at this well-visited destination. Due to the nature of the location, with elevated headland fully exposed to the elements and limited access for moving materials in and out of site, the team is working diligently through the constraints to deliver on a highly technical specification. Each element was carefully crafted to a high quality and shaped into the design intent for this significant landmark and tourist destination.

Penetron Admix was chosen to provide the ultimate durable mix for this extremely exposed position. With the location of the viewing platform susceptible to the extreme and rugged weather, including waterborne chemicals and salts from the ocean, Penetron Admix is proven to optimize concrete for long-term durability.

Penetron Admix is globally well known for its impact on permeability of concrete. In other words, Penetron technology creates crystalline growth inside the capillary pores and hairline cracks of concrete, and consequently, the passage of moisture through concrete is blocked. Now the concrete is impermeable and watertight. This technique is widely used in waterproofing concrete elements in basements, water tanks, underground structures and so on. 

This impermeability quality of concrete will enhance the service life of concrete too. In some studies, Penetron Admix has proved to extend the life of concrete by 50 to 200 years. Hence Penetron Admix can be successfully used in concrete structures such as Faifax Track, where standard concrete can easily deteriorate in the short term.

Penetron Australia worked closely with the onsite team Glascott Landscape and Civil, concrete suppliers Holcim and structural consultants SDA Structures to deliver the main structure and decorative specialty Hocim Geostone topping slabs.

Client: National Parks & Wildlife Service / NSW Government Department of Planning & Environment

Structural Engineer: SDA Structures

Architect: CHROFI

Contractor: Glascott Landscape and Civil

Concrete Supplier: Holcim

Area treated: All concrete in viewing platforms.