Overview

Play is an essential part of every child's life and is vital for the enjoyment of childhood as well as social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development.

When children are asked about what they think is important in their lives, playing and friends are usually at the top of their list. It is one of the reasons the provision of quality play spaces is important.

Recognising also our growing population and the need to manage our open space and recreation areas carefully, we're developing a new Play Strategy to consider how Council-owned infrastructure can support every child's right to play.

This will include how play spaces will be identified, developed, upgraded, and managed. We're not just talking about playgrounds, but also parks, sports facilities, and things like skate parks, half basketball/netball courts, street play, and outdoor fitness equipment.

There are currently 72 Council-owned public 'play spaces' across the municipality but play occurs well beyond those spaces. This includes a mix of larger regional parks, municipal, neighbourhood, and smaller local play spaces.

We want to understand from our community, including our youngest members, what is working well and what is not – what are the spaces you love, which spaces could do with some TLC, and what we need to consider for the future.

From engagement on the development of the Passport to Play resource, we already know some of the elements important to children, parents, and caregivers include opportunity to:

• jump, run, swing, spin, bounce, imagine and explore
• play hide and seek, tag, jump rope
• kick or throw a ball, wrestle, dance on a stage
• play on swings and slides, enjoy a treasure hunt, and enjoy nature play
• find quiet places to read

Your feedback, along with a review of existing spaces and an understanding of trends in play, will help inform the development of a draft Play Strategy, which we will share back with you for further comment in early 2025.

We want to understand what is working well and what is not – what are the spaces you love, which spaces could do with some improvements, and what we need to consider for the future.

Share your ideas on the ideas board, interactive map or survey via the tabs below.

Drop a pin on a play space you visit often. Tell us what you like about it and what, if any, improvements could be made via the survey. Don't want to drop a pin? Click on the 'survey' tab to share your thoughts instead.