If you’ve noticed something new amongst the kayaks, paddlers, and swimmers on the Gorge, you’re not alone.
Recently, there has been a new addition to the Waterway—a floating swim dock with a Japanese Katsura tree on it.
The urban art and recreation project was created on July 16th by local development group, Aryze.
In a statement uploaded to their website, the group says they were inspired by urban cities, with working harbours and swimming access.
The site claims their team was struck with inspiration while visiting thee Danish cities of Copenhagen and Aarhus.
They noticed that “tied to these ocean swimming spots were amazing coffee shops, cafes, parks, all connected by diverse multi-modal connections… It struck us that we have all the bones for this lifestyle but as a harbour city, the local citizenry is disconnected from its harbour recreation.”
And so, over lunch at Fol Epi, the idea was born. They would create a small, floating dock at the Point Hope Shipyard and place it in the Gorge Waterway to encourage recreational harbour use.
uhhh super excitement to share with you our undercover project…Project Albero, an urban art + recreation project by Aryze. The concept is simple, we connected with DAU Studio and Biophilia to design and build a floating swim dock with a Japanese Katsura tree. pic.twitter.com/jC9OYPKvnv
— Luke at Aryze (@TalktoARYZE) July 16, 2020
The group towed the dock out during the early morning hours of July 16th and left a small reward for whomever was first to find the instalment—a Phillips Brewery beer. There were also smaller prizes for those who swam out and took photos with the dock.
The floating dock is located just off of Craigflower Road, near Banfield Park.
Aryze urges Victorians to stay tuned for further urban water instalments and projects to increase recreational harbour use.
Visit their website here.
