Ecological restoration turns over new leaf for Fred Hollows Reserve

Landscape architect Tanya Wood has been recognised by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) for her work with University of Technology Sydney students to revitalise Fred Hollows Reserve in Randwick, NSW.

Announced on Thursday at a ceremony in Sydney, Wood’s project received both the AILA NSW Award of Excellence for Community Contribution and the AILA NSW Landscape Architecture Award for Small Projects. Wood and her team have now progressed to the 2026 AILA National Awards, with winners set to be announced later this year.

Earlier this month, the Fred Hollows Reserve project won the national 2026 Greenspace Urban Award from the Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH), which celebrates green projects that incorporate horticulture in their designs to improve human health and well-being.

A measurable transformation

Described by locals as a hidden gem, Fred Hollows Reserve has been transformed into a 921-square-metre community landscape through the installation of more than 900 locally indigenous plants and the creation of accessible paths, gathering and yarning spaces, and improved sightlines. Around 95 per cent of the materials used in the project were donated or reused.

The project has also strengthened biodiversity by restoring the critically endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub, while giving the community a renewed sense of connection to the space.

Rather than simply being a clean-up exercise, Wood said the project addressed the underlying reasons the site had become neglected. By improving visibility and safety and restoring the site’s ecological character, it has significantly changed how the area is used and cared for.

“Once people began using the space and seeing it cared for, the pattern of neglect and illegal dumping changed dramatically,” Wood said.

Since the project, illegal dumping in the reserve has ceased, while visible litter within a measured creek corridor area has reduced by 98.4 per cent. Pedestrian activity has also increased by 367 per cent.

Wood said the project’s community-led approach was central to its success. Residents provided crucial background information about how the site was being used, while Randwick City Council and organisations such as IndigiGrow and Randwick Community Nursery provided local knowledge, resources and practical expertise.

“Working collaboratively meant the students were not designing for a community from a distance; they were designing and building with the people who would use and care for the place,” she said.

“That changed the outcome from simply improving a neglected landscape to creating a place with genuine community ownership.”