The idea began as a grassroots vision. Local people asking, “What if Lurline could be beautiful again?” That simple question gave rise to Treeline Lurline, a bold re-imagining of Katoomba’s historic street.

Formed by local residents, artists, landscapers, and business owners, the Treeline Lurline group is the driving force behind the project, advocating for the revitalization of Lurline Street and helping shape its design and identity. The group is auspiced by the Katoomba Chamber of Commerce & Community. Their efforts led to the partnership with Blue Mountains City Council, which brought the vision to life through technical design and construction.

The name itself, Treeline Lurline, emerged from community brainstorming in the early stages of the project. It captured both the physical ambition to restore a continuous avenue of trees along the street, and the poetic aspiration: to bring life, shade, and storytelling back to Lurline Street.

Ron Powell, a former NSW Government Landscape Architect and member of the Treeline Lurline Committee prepared the initial concept sketches on which the project is based, noting, “A visually strong avenue of majestic trees was essential to achieve the vision.”

Stage One was funded with $4 million from the Australian Government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Program, following the devastating 2019-20 fires. Construction began in 2024 and by March 2025, the first section stretching from Waratah Street to Merriwa Street was complete.

From the outset, the project aimed to do more than beautify a tired street. It aimed to restore a sense of identity, enhance public life, and tackle the growing challenges of climate resilience in an urban context. The return of a tree canopy was central - a homage to the avenue of trees first planted in 1905 and removed by the Council in the late 1950s.

The vision: 1.4 km avenue of advanced street trees to eventually form a spectacular arched canopy from Waratah Street junction at the bottom of Katoomba town centre to the Forster Road junction overlooking Echo Point.

Stormwater management was a critical concern. Frequent pooling and runoff threatened both the street’s condition and its long-term functionality. At the same time, the street had to tell the story of Katoomba, its heritage, creativity, and deep ties to the landscape and traditional owners. All of this had to be done in a way that supported the local economy and could serve as a replicable model for towns across the country facing similar infrastructure and climate challenges.

The design team responded with a solution that was both technical and poetic.

Instead of conventional tree pits, the Citygreen Design Studio engineered a continuous root zone beneath the street using Stratavault soil cells. These modular units replaced compacted road base with a strong yet porous matrix, allowing trees to access large volumes of healthy soil and oxygen while still supporting pavements and parked vehicles above.

On each side of the street, nearly 190 metres of trench was excavated and filled with over 390 cubic metres of amended native soil, all held within the Stratavault matrix. These trenches provided a shared root zone for 20 advanced Liquidambar styraciflua trees, each planted at five to six metres tall. Importantly, the system allowed the roots to grow laterally and interact, creating a healthier underground ecosystem than isolated pits could ever offer.

Water was treated as a design ally, not an enemy. Each trench was fitted with 100 mm slotted subsoil drains laid at a 0.5% fall. The trench walls, cast in permeable no-fines concrete, allowed lateral water movement. Above, porous paving zones captured rainfall and filtered it through to the root zone. In this way, the entire street became a passive irrigation system soaking, storing, and slowly releasing water where it was needed most.

The power was underground to allow the trees full access to the sky and healthy growth unhindered by lopping around power lines.

Treeline Lurline Committee group spokesperson, Ron Powell praised the outcomes to date, “The current success of liquidambar trees planted in Stratavaults is a fitting reward for this collaboration between the community and Blue Mountains City Council.”

As the trees mature, they are expected to form a continuous shaded canopy along the boulevard, reduce stormwater runoff by up to 80%, and lower local surface temperatures by several degrees on hot summer days, advancing the project’s livability and climate resilience goals.

Stormwater resilience has visibly improved. Residents have reported that rain now filters into the porous paving rather than flowing unchecked down gutters, reducing pooling and erosion. The soil cell system and drainage network work together to store water for slow release to the trees, ensuring better survival during dry spells.

Locals linger longer. Visitors pause more often. The street no longer feels like a forgotten route to somewhere else. It is becoming a place in its own right.

Treeline Lurline isn’t just about trees. It’s about resilience. About heritage. About joy. It’s proof that small towns can lead in sustainability, that local voices matter, and that infrastructure can be a canvas for community expression.