Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout is a sheltered parkland on an important, culturally sensitive site fringing Derbarl Yerrigan, the Swan River, in the City of Belmont. The site had been acquired by John Wall Hardy in 1831 for farming but at the turn of the century was acquired by the State Government.

For many years it was a ‘forgotten site’… vacant, disused, weed infested, eroded and a place of anti-social behaviour. Engaged by the City of Belmont, Ecoscape began the process of revitalisation of the site which included analysis, consultation and conceptual design in 2011.  The final design was articulated using the site’s dynamic cultural fabric and complex natural environmental elements to re-value the ‘forgotten’ site.

Working with the Traditional Owners of the land and guided by the principle of ‘designing with respect’, Ecoscape allowed socio-cultural values to drive the design process. This work has resulted in an outstanding landscape design which articulates the site’s rich cultural heritage and reinforces the complex natural environmental elements. The park provides a variety of passive and active recreational spaces with interpretive information, sitting places and structures which tell both Aboriginal and European stories.

Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout is not only an important acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the land and our Aboriginal history, it also provides a beautiful, much needed parkland that will be loved by future communities for many years to come.