Building Harkness Memorial Park: The Vision
(L-R) CEO Andrew Eriksen, Deputy Chair Liz Beattie and Trust Chair Michael Doery at the future Harkness Memorial Park site.
When GMCT was entrusted with the Harkness Memorial Park site in the City of Melton, we saw more than a traditional cemetery development. We saw an opportunity to create a special place for reflection, connection and shared legacy.
In the first video of our new series Building Harkness Memorial Park, we hear from Trust Chair Michael Doery, Deputy Chair Liz Beattie, and CEO Andrew Eriksen as they share their vision for Harkness Memorial Park.
Learn how the project began, why it’s being delivered in stages, and what this significant investment means for communities across Melbourne’s west.
The story of how it all began
Although the site was set aside as cemetery land as far back as the 1970s, the Victorian Government formally entrusted it to GMCT in 2011. Until now, it has remained as farmland – with a wheat crop harvested annually – but it is now poised for transformation.
Guided by a masterplan, the site will evolve into a regenerative landscape that responds to the changing needs of a growing region.
“This is a blank canvas, and we’ve got an opportunity to represent contemporary views and build something that we can be really proud of,” explains Trust Chair Michael Doery, capturing the moment when possibility met purpose.
And the scale tells part of the story. “This huge site is 128 hectares, and that’s three times the size of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne,” Doery explains. But scale without vision is just empty space. What sets Harkness Memorial Park apart is a commitment to community-led design.
A community-first philosophy
Trust Deputy Chair and Community Advisory Committee Chair Liz Beattie puts it simply: “A project like Harkness is really all about community.” CEO Andrew Eriksen adds, “We’re here building a park, but as facilitators of community need.” But what does that mean in practice?
For GMCT, it means embedding community consultation and engagement at the outset of major projects. It means listening and designing spaces that respond to the real needs of families. As a result, Harkness Memorial Park represents an evolved understanding of what memorial parks and cemeteries can be.
“I think the beauty of this cemetery is that we understand our social impact far more than we did a hundred years ago, and we have a greater social conscience to inclusivity, sustainability issues and climate change,” says Eriksen.
This philosophy has shaped the park from its earliest planning stages, resulting in Harkness Memorial Park prioritising a shared sense of belonging, cultural responsiveness and long-term community benefit.
An investment in Melbourne’s future
GMCT is proud to be self-funding this visionary project. “We’ll be investing about $600 million over the next 30 years,” says Doery. “And at its peak [from around the year 2035], we’ll be creating 173 jobs.”
Harkness Memorial Park is not a one-off project or infrastructure build – it's a legacy in the making. As a regional asset, the park reflects our commitment to Melbourne’s west. It will grow with the region and be continuously shaped by the community.
“There needs to be the opportunity for the site to evolve, so it’s broken down into stages that will actually allow that evolution to take place over time,” says Eriksen.
This staged approach isn’t just about construction logistics – it’s about listening, adapting and ensuring the park remains relevant for future generations.
“Harkness Memorial Park has probably the first opportunity to do something on this scale, and the beauty of that is it allows us to invite so many different choices into the space and to be able to explore all of them,” says Eriksen.
This reflects how GMCT sees its role – as a trusted caretaker of memorial parks and cemeteries, helping the community’s vision for these special places become reality.
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Harkness Memorial Park is redefining what a cemetery can be. As the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust’s (GMCT) first greenfield development, this landmark project will serve communities for generations to come.
Through a nine-part video series, titled Building Harkness Memorial Park, we’re taking you behind the scenes of Victoria’s largest new cemetery in the last century. Meet the people shaping this innovative space as we explore the vision, design, and community central to the park’s development.
Stay tuned for Part 2: The Design, where Chief Built Environment Officer James Reid shares how inclusive design principles are shaping a space that responds to cultural diversity, protects the environment, and has community needs at its heart.
Keep up to date with the project
The first stage of Harkness Memorial Park is expected to open in early 2027.
Keep up to date with our progress by subscribing for project updates or exploring our development timeline.