The Resilience of Hanlon Park Bur’uda
After being entirely submerged by Cyclone Alfred and recent storm events, Hanlon Park Bur’uda shows its resilience through its swift recovery within days after the flooding subsided.
Bligh Tanner’s Director of Civil and Water, Alan Hoban, was interviewed by ABC Radio Brisbane’s Ellen Fanning during the segment “Deep Dive” to discuss the rejuvenation of Hanlon Park Bur’uda and its adaptability to the changing climate. During the interview, Alan explained that as the creek is an urbanised catchment, it is prone to flash flooding. Despite the recent weather events, the park has handled the inundation effectively, as it was designed to do.
The conversation continued with Alan elaborating on why Hanlon Park Bur’uda has been able to withstand heavy rainfall and recover quickly compared to other local parks in Brisbane. He emphasised the design methodology behind the project, noting the importance of detailed flood modelling when transitioning an existing concrete drain back to a natural creek. Alan highlighted features introduced to the creek, such as bends, meanders, and vegetation, that help slow down the water flow and add resilience to the creek.
Towards the end of the interview, Ellen Fanning remarked, “Nobody likes to visit the local park and see a big concrete ditch, which is such a feature of Brisbane parks.” In response, Alan pointed out that many in the community assume concrete drains are necessary, and in some cases, they are. However, he also explained that projects like Hanlon Park Bur’uda challenge this assumption: “Projects like Hanlon Park Bur’uda help show the community that other options are possible, and that creates a greater demand and helps the Council justify similar projects.”
To learn more, click here to listen to the full interview (starts at 18:30).
