The Valley Lake Estate in Niddrie provided a challenging engineering project to rehabilitate disused quarry site into a prime residential development. Works included relocation, processing placement and compaction of 2,500,000 cubic meters of stockpiled overburden and the profiling of the fill to provide a suitable surface for construction of a lake, wetlands roads and other services for a 400 lot residential estate.

With Niddrie Lake as a centerpiece and clifftop walkways offering dramatic views of Melbourne’s CBD skyline, Valley Lake will provide homebuyers with a unique opportunity. At approximately 47 hectares, the completed project aims to provide a wide range of lifestyle options in order to accommodate a population of approximately 2000 people. As well as the individual house lots proposed, a number of medium density sites and superlots for apartments will be made available to builders and developers.

Attention was given to the importance of retaining the natural elements of the site including the cliff face, lake, and native vegetation. As a result, the estate will include 14ha of natively landscaped open space, which will include the lake and its surrounds and the Steel Creek corridor.

Projected start date is mid to late 2005, with completion aimed at 2007.