Swim to a Floating Dock in Victoria’s Gorge Waterway this Fall

Image by: Sebastian Huxley

There’s a new outdoor attraction in Victoria, just in time for fall. Dubbed “Project Albero,” a floating dock, or swim float, was installed in the Gorge Waterway earlier this summer. 

The Gorge Waterway, affectionately referred to as “The Gorge” by locals, is a narrow tidal inlet that connects Victoria Harbour to the Portage Inlet. 

This all-new floating dock installation is located just out from Banfield Park, a popular spot among dog walkers, joggers, and cyclists. The park is home to tennis courts, park benches, basketball courts, a playground, washrooms, and several picnic tables. But best of all, it is now the ideal place to access the Gorge’s floating island. 

Although there is no sandy beach at Banfield Park, there are several docks for visitors to jump off of and into the water. From there, it’s only a short swim to Project Albero. 

The floating circular dock features a Japanese Katsura tree in the middle (albero, the name of the project, means tree in Italian), and was built by a group of architects and engineers. Franc D’Ambrosio, founder of DAU Studio, Bianca Bodley, founder of Biophilia Design Collective, and Andrew Chapman and Luke Mari, builders at Aryze, brought this project to life. The dock was constructed at Point Hope Shipyard and secretly installed in the Gorge Waterway overnight in July 2020.

The intention behind the art installation meets recreational activity was to get people thinking about urban change and how they use the harbour.

According to Aryze, Project Albero is just the first phase of what they hope to accomplish in the city of Victoria. They plan on building more installations in the future that are even larger in scale.

If you’re interested in swimming out to the Gorge Waterway’s new floating dock, or even just seeing it from the vantage point of Banfield Park, then you’ll want to book a room at the Days Inn Victoria on the Harbour. Just a short distance from some of the best attractions in the city, including Project Albero, we combine top-notch service and family-friendly amenities with an unbeatable location.

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