The NSW Parks Facilities Manual received the AILA NSW Excellence Award for Land Management in Landscape Architecture (2007) and was also identified as a key strategic statewide document for the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NSW).

The manual provides design consultants and NPWS staff with a suite of standard facilities including tracks and related structures, shelters, toilets, furniture, barriers and lighting.

The key objective of the manual was to develop facilities that promote a recognisable image and identity for NPWS areas, whilst providing scope for the integration of local physical and cultural character.

This has been achieved through a system of consistent designs that can be tailored to reflect the site character and conditions with the addition of ‘local’ materials, as well as a range of standard ancillary items such as walls and screens.

The standards and guidelines in the manual were developed with the aim of providing park facilities with an Australian identity. This has incorporated the following principles:
• a generous scale and spatial ‘feel’
• robust design detailing reflecting a strong ‘grounding’ of elements
• materials references to archetypal Australian built form, such as corrugated iron, timber, steel and natural stone.

Finally the manual aims to ensure that facilities planning and design strategies will be sensitive to heritage context and the environment and through this provide a significant conservation and sustainability message to park visitors.