Community to get first look at Harkness Memorial Park design
City of Melton residents will soon get their first look at one of the most significant community assets planned for their area, Harkness Memorial Park.
Following extensive community consultation, the final detailed designs for the new memorial park’s first stage have now been completed, giving The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT) the opportunity to share their plans for the site.
Residents keen to see how the park will take shape are invited to visit the pop-up event where they can view the detailed plans, share their thoughts and feedback, and talk directly to the team helping to bring the project to life.
Harkness Memorial Park pop-up event details:
Date: Saturday, 12 April 2025
Time: 9am – 11am
Where: Arnolds Creek Community Centre car park, Claret Ash Boulevard, Harkness
GMCT’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Eriksen, says he’s looking forward to seeing how the local community responds to the design.
“Community engagement continues to sit at the heart of this development, whether that’s with the local community, Traditional Owners, or industry experts. We’re incredibly excited to show them how their input so far has helped shape our plans for the site.
“The beauty of Harkness Memorial Park is that it will reflect a deeper understanding of our social impact far more than the parks that were developed 100 years ago. We now have a greater awareness of inclusivity, sustainability and climate change — themes that were also reflected in the community’s feedback— and this has informed the final design in incredibly positive ways.”
GMCT’s Chief Built Environment Officer, James Reid, says the final design carefully balances cultural diversity, the local environment, and a need to build a legacy for future generations.
“The local community will see that balance in the inclusive ceremonial spaces we are creating, in the trees we are planting, and in the way we will carefully manage precious resources across the site to support local habitat and biodiversity.
“Harkness Memorial Park is quite unlike anything we have ever delivered, providing not only a final resting place, but a versatile space where communities can gather, reflect, and connect. It will develop right alongside the growing community of Melbourne’s west – making sure it meets their needs now, and well into the future.”
The 128-hectare site for Harkness Memorial Park is the largest of its kind to be developed in Victoria in the last century. Stage one is expected to be completed in early-2027.
Learn more about Harkness Memorial Park or subscribe for updates.
About GMCT
Established in 2010, The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT) is a self-funding Class A cemetery trust regulated under the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003 (Vic). We report to the Department of Health and are governed by a Trust appointed by the Minister for Health.
Our operations cover the north, west and east regions of metropolitan Melbourne, and we manage 19 cemeteries plus two greenfield sites.
We are a trusted partner supporting Victorian families through their experiences of life, death and grieving. We provide burial, cremation and memorialisation services to meet the needs of our diverse communities, and we encourage families to plan ahead.