At Wentworth Falls Lake in the Blue Mountains, a new walkway and viewing platform has transformed the way the community can experience this unique landscape. Designed by Oculus for Blue Mountains City Council, the project brings improved accessibility and safety to a much-loved public space.
Tensile was engaged to design and install the barrier system for the walkway, using Jakob Webnet mesh. While barriers are often considered a purely functional element, this project shows how they can do much more: they can protect people while preserving the openness and beauty of the site.
Permeable by Design
Architects and landscape architects often face a challenge when working in sensitive natural environments: how to ensure safety and durability without creating heavy, visually intrusive structures.
This is where the concept of permeability becomes essential. The Webnet mesh barriers at Wentworth Falls are light, transparent, and visually recessive. They allow uninterrupted views of the lake, the surrounding bushland, and the escarpment beyond. Rather than creating a boundary, the mesh acts as a permeable layer — one that keeps people safe while allowing the environment to remain the true focus.
In practical terms, this permeability also means better sightlines and passive surveillance. Families, children, and older visitors can feel secure while still connected to the landscape around them. The barrier does not divide, it enables.
Safety Without Obstruction
Public projects demand robust safety compliance, particularly where there are changes in level or water edges. Yet too often, safety features in landscapes are heavy-handed, blocking views or closing down experiences.
At Wentworth Falls, safety has been designed without obstruction. The Webnet mesh meets fall protection standards while remaining almost invisible. The 40mm aperture mesh provides security against climbing or falling risks but allows air, light, and views to pass through freely.
For architects and councils, the project highlights an important design principle: safety doesn’t have to come at the expense of user experience. By carefully selecting materials and detailing, it is possible to achieve both.
A Model for Public Infrastructure
The Wentworth Falls walkway demonstrates how barriers can shift from being seen as a regulatory afterthought to a design opportunity. The project integrates safety seamlessly, maintaining the atmosphere of openness that is central to the site.
This approach can be applied widely — in parks, schools, bridges, and urban landscapes. Whenever fall protection is required, permeable barrier systems like Webnet can protect people while keeping spaces light, inclusive, and connected.
The new walkway and viewing platform at Wentworth Falls Lake is more than a piece of infrastructure. It is an example of how permeable design can allow communities to enjoy landscapes safely, fully, and without compromise.
By rethinking the role of barriers, projects like this can deliver both safety and connection — values that should underpin the design of all public places.
