“I’ve always wanted to do a project like this,” says Ross Ledingham, founder and managing director of Potentia Solutions Leisure (the crew behind Soko Rooftop, Lina Rooftop and Azteca). The project in question is The Hills of Rivermakers, an immensely ambitious precinct that is shaping up to be a landscape-altering attraction for locals and tourists.

Spread in and around Rivermakers’ Heritage Quarter and the Commonwealth Acetate of Lime Factory at its heart, The Hills will add a number of food and beverage concepts to the 30-hectare precinct’s offering, including (but not limited to) a pizzeria, a coffee roaster, an urban winery and wine bar, a brewery and roadhouse-style pub, a cafe and bakery, a deli and providore, and a seafood counter.

It’s enough to make one’s head spin, but when Ross animatedly talks about some of his chief inspirations – The Grounds of Alexandria, Comiskey Group’s Sandstone Point Hotel and The Doonan, and Brisbane’s own Howard Smith Wharves, for example – it’s readily apparent that the vision, while ambitious, is carefully considered.

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The Hills will be spreading its fresh elements across the hub’s new and existing buildings. The coffee roaster will be housed next to Mas & Miek Ceramic House, while the pizzeria (which will serve ten kinds of pizza), the gelateria (offering more than 20 types of traditional and creative gelato made on site), seafood counter (slinging everything from fresh oysters to crispy fish and chips), and the cafe and bakery will exist within the building previously home to Low and Slow Meat Co.

The Hills’ urban winery is located within a new structure situated near the car park, with a chic indoor lounge and an adjacent lawn area (furnished with bean bags and tables) giving guests ample to kick back with wines, charcuterie boards and cheeses. This space will also accommodate a deli and providore, which will open in 2025. A production kitchen will be the culinary engine room for much of The Hills’ venues and functions.

Speakers will pipe music all throughout the precinct – from the grassy lawns to the picnic areas – while QR codes will be affixed to almost every table at Rivermakers, allowing guests to order food from any vendor without having to get up.

In addition to its cadre of newfangled culinary concepts, The Hills is also designed to offer families plenty beyond food. A petting zoo will operate every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (and every day over school holidays), while a space above the brewery is being converted into an indoor play area. There will also be an open-air cinema, where visitors can catch themed film nights and regular screenings.

“This is one of those [concepts] that makes or breaks,” says Ross. “But, at the same time, I have so much confidence in the area knowing how many kids and families and young adults that live around here. What’s here for families on this side? What is there that appeals to young adults and young professionals?”

The hub’s evolution will also include some infrastructural improvements, with parking increased to 1200 spaces across the whole site, solar panels installed on rooftops, improved irrigation systems and the establishment of a 200-sqm garden, where space-age planters will be used to grow herbs, lettuce, kale, tomatoes and edible flowers for the precinct’s various kitchens.

On the events front, The Hills of Rivermakers can accommodate intimate weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations at the Engineers Hut, while a large heritage events hall is equipped to host larger events with a capacity of 400 guests.

The Hills of Rivermakers will officially open to the public on Wednesday December 11, with more to come in the new year. Bookings can be made now via the precinct’s website. Be sure to visit in the coming weeks as the precinct transforms with its winter wonderland-inspired, Christmas-themed activation.