Custom architectural concrete elements contribute to a newly designed, integrated public plaza that reconnects Ballarat’s historic Bridge Mall with its landscape and local community.
The Bridge Mall Redevelopment formed a major part of the City of Ballarat’s plan to transform the Bakery Hill urban precinct into a more vibrant, flexible and people-focused civic destination. Championed by Hassell Studio in collaboration with the City of Ballarat, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners and the broader community, the landscape design responds to the history and culture of Bakery Hill in its quest to re-establish Bridge Mall as the city’s meeting place.
Anston contributed two significant custom concrete elements to the transformation project: a bespoke viewing portal base over the Yarrowee River, and several custom concrete bollards that protect the pedestrian connections throughout the upgraded mall.
A window to the Yarrowee
One of the redevelopment’s most distinctive features is a viewing portal that reconnects visitors with the Yarrowee River below. Once a defining landmark of the precinct, the river now flows largely unseen beneath the city, leaving most visitors unaware of its existence.
Anston manufactured a 2900dia circular concrete base to form an elevated portal base, inscribed with the lettering ‘YARAMLOK – MANY GUMS STANDING IN WATER’ around its circumference. Timber battens installed on the top of the portal form a comfortable seating surface.
Rising out of the Bridge Mall walkway, the large viewing portal creates an instant point of interest within the landscape, inviting mall visitors to rest, gather and peer through the portal skylight to catch a glimpse of the river beneath.
Fortified spaces for a flexible public realm
The renewed Bridge Mall has been designed as a flexible shared space. During everyday use, it accommodates low-speed vehicle access while prioritising pedestrians. It also has the ability to transition into a pedestrian-only space when required, enabling community activations such as outdoor markets and public performances.
Anston supplied 107 custom concrete bollards that were installed throughout the precinct, all produced in a beautiful, intricate exposed aggregate finish. The bollards provide a subtle, robust solution for creating boundaries and demarcating pedestrian zones within the streetscape, without obstructing the wider landscape palette and design vision.
An enduring civic space
The $23.3 million Bridge Mall Redevelopment officially opened to the public in March 2025, introducing new landscaping, paving, street furniture, planting and public spaces across the wider Bakery Hill precinct that encompasses Bridge Mall, Grenville Street and Coliseum Walk.
The project has since received the 2025 AILA Victoria Award of Excellence for Civic Landscape and the 2025 AILA Victoria Regional Achievement Award for Ballarat.
For Anston, Bridge Mall demonstrates the potential of custom concrete within contemporary public realm design. Architectural concrete elements are purpose-built for the outdoor environment, and address practical requirements for durability and maintenance. The versatility of design available with custom-made concrete products also helps architects and designers achieve their design vision, inserting unique, meaningful pieces that integrate seamlessly within an overarching theme.
Anston is glad to have been involved in this hallmark project for the City of Ballarat. The successful redevelopment of Bridge Mall has resulted in an award-winning civic space that is distinctive, durable and designed for the people who will use it most.
