The new park bench at Dodson Reserve.
In April 2024, Melbourne’s Brunt Road level crossing became the 76th consigned to history when a new road bridge opened to allow vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the busy Pakenham Line. Source: Timberbiz
With traffic flowing over the new road bridge, journeys are improved for the 8400 drivers passing through each day and the Pakenham Line is one step closer to being level crossing-free by 2025 – allowing more trains to run when the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025.
As part of the project’s commitment to sustainability, the Level Crossing Removal Project looked for a way to repurpose trees that could not be retained.
It partnered with CERES Fair Wood, a not-for-profit social enterprise that buys and sells farm-forested, agroforestry and salvaged timber, with 100% of profits reinvested back into the community including the CERES environmental education programs.
The project donated seven large Spotted Gum and Southern Mahogony logs to CERES Fair Wood, one of which has been made into a park bench, purchased by the project and donated back to Cardinia Shire Council to be installed in Dodson Reserve – where the tree originally grew.
The other logs donated to CERES Fair Wood will be made into furniture and timber products that will be sold through its social enterprise business, with Brunt Road being the first level crossing removal project to have its donated logs to the social enterprise.
Level Crossing Removal Project Sustainability Coordinator, Ashleigh Smith, said it’s wonderful to see trees that could not be retained being salvaged and repurposed on our projects.
“We’re always looking for ways to make our projects more sustainable, so repurposing these logs into something useable for the community, like park benches, stools and mulch, is a great outcome,” Ms Smith said.
CERES Fair Wood Urban Forestry Services Manager, Kate Sutton, said the social enterprise is running a pilot program that repurposes trees removed from major road and rail projects into high value timber.
“The pilot has succeeded in embedding the best trees into future project planning and tendering processes and has demonstrated the return of sawn timber back to the community for playgrounds, landscaping and public buildings such as new train stations,” Ms Sutton said.
As well as donating logs to CERES, the project also donated logs and mulch to many local businesses around the area, including an early learning centre, retirement village and secondary college for use in gardens, playgrounds and as kids’ stools.
As part of the Brunt Road level crossing project, more than 50,000 plants, shrubs and grasses have been planted in the area.
Across all the level crossing removal projects throughout Melbourne so far, more than 3.2 million trees, plants and shrubs have been planted.
