MULGRAVE RESERVE EASTERN OVAL
City of Monash
November 2017 - June 2018

Mulgrave Reserve is a multi-purpose recreational facility located in Wheelers Hill and managed by City of Monash.  The reserve is enjoyed by a significant cross section of the community, boasting a playground, bike track, wetlands, an off-lead dog area and two large sporting ovals which are home to Mulgrave Football Club, Glen Waverley Rovers Junior Football Club, Eastern Devils Football Club and Mulgrave Cricket Club.

Endeavour Turf Professionals (ETP Turf) was engaged by the City of Monash to undertake a complete reconstruction design of the eastern sports oval.  The original oval which was constructed from natural soil and had poor irrigation and drainage. Very heavy usage over winter months led to severe stress and surface deterioration rendering it in continually poor condition.  In addition to this, some of the infrastructure at the site was ageing and in substandard condition.
The expert team of designers and consultants at ETP Turf supported Council with the full scope of this project from initial site investigations, design, technical specification, tender proposals, project management and supervision and specialised agronomic consultancy to ensure a successful outcome.

The eastern oval at Mulgrave Reserve was stripped and re-shaped to improve its surface levels and shape.  A subsurface drainage network was installed along with an updated automatic irrigation system. A new rootzone sand profile was installed - notably, the first full rootzone sand profile for a City of Monash sportsfield. Additionally, the turf wicket was reconstructed and new infrastructure including coaches boxes, and goals were added to update the facility. Finally, the oval was turfed with durable, drought tolerant Santa Ana couch turf.
ETP Turf worked closely and collaboratively with the City of Monash, contractors and key stakeholders to ensure an exceptional end result was delivered within the set time frames whilst carefully managing the project challenges which included a steep site, limited footprint and a sub-optimal season for laying and establishing the turf.
The project outcome saw ETP Turf deliver the first full root-zone sand profile sportsfield in the City of Monash which now features an optimised, all-weather playing surface, superior drainage and irrigation plus new infrastructure inclusions to improve and modernise the facility for its AFL and cricket tenants and the broader municipality.