A new $14.8 million park precinct, dubbed Karlup Journey Place, is now under construction in the heart of Armadale, promising to bring a slice of New York City's Central Park to Perth. Local government officials and Federal MPs gathered last Friday for a turning of the sod ceremony to officially name the project, which will transform 6,500 square metres of public open space beneath the newly elevated Armadale train line.
Park Features and Design
The multi-million-dollar development will feature interconnected public spaces, including Banksia Summit Park and Cockatoo Creek Park. Highlights include nature and water play areas, exercise equipment, event lawns, skate and youth activity zones, cafes, picnic spots, and walking pathways. The design was shaped by Noongar cultural guidance and one of the city's largest community engagement programs, involving over 8,600 engagement visits and 560 detailed surveys.
Community Vision
Armadale Mayor Ruth Butterfield emphasised the importance of activating the newly freed land. "As soon as the plans for the elevated rail were developed, we saw a great opportunity because the land along here was freed up, it wasn't part of the railway corridor anymore. It was, essentially, new public open space," she said. "You can’t just let public open space be boring, flat and non-activated."
Butterfield highlighted how the park connects to Minnawarra Park via walking and riding trails, creating a city built around parks. "It’s rare that you find a city centre with quite so much parkland. We’ve been protective of our parklands, and it sets us apart from a lot of city centres where they’ve lost parklands," she added.
Funding and Partnerships
The project is funded through a $5 million commitment from the Federal Government, a $4.5 million Lotterywest grant, $4 million from the City of Armadale, and $1 million from the State Government's METRONET project. Federal MP for Burt Matt Keogh noted the significant investment in Armadale, including a $39 million TAFE campus opened in 2024 and a new university study hub. "Working with the city as the local MP... the city had a real vision about what they wanted to do with the space, but obviously it was going to cost more than the amount of money that was allocated through the METRONET project," Keogh said.
Keogh stressed the importance of creating an active precinct around the train station to avoid "dead space." The name Karlup Journey Place was chosen to reflect the locality, adjacent to the train and bus stations, moving beyond the initial "Central Park" concept. Karlup Journey Place is expected to open to the public by 2027.
