What is the plan for the playground?
We are getting ready to upgrade the St Kilda Adventure Playground. We want to make sure this beloved community space continues to be somewhere local children can adventure, imagine, make friends and connect to nature.
The playground upgrade is planned to start in mid-2025. While the playground will be closed during construction, we're committed to continuing services for children who use the space during this time. We've talked to carers about what this might look like.
To honour the unique look of the current playground, which the community has helped to paint and create over many years, the draft design uses raw timber which can be painted by children and keep changing over time.
Feedback on the draft concept design has now closed, but we would still love to hear your Adventure Playground memories and ideas for farewelling the old equipment.
Children who use the playground have attended a series of interactive workshops to help co-design the Playground.
Carers have had input into the functions and accessibility of the playground, and what the services might look like while we're building it.
Playground staff have shared valuable insights into the functionality of the playground to make sure it can meet the needs of children.
Children, carers, playground staff and the broader community have provided feedback on the draft concept design.
Community members who have a connection to the adventure playground will be invited to be involved in celebrating and saying goodbye to this chapter of the playground and welcoming in the new!
The St Kilda Adventure Playground upgrade will make sure that this much-loved space is here for future generations of children, and will:
- offer risky (but safe) play with staff to support this
- be accessible, safe and welcoming for all, meeting Australian standards (Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliance and CPTED best practice)
- connect children to nature
- be designed with children at the centre
- have a unique look that recognises the past and looks to the future.
These commitments were endorsed by Council in July 2022 - you can read the full commitments here.
A noticeboard has been placed at the entrance of the playground, where updates and key dates will be shared.
You can click the FOLLOW button at the top of this page to receive updates.
Your stories
Farewell the equipment
What's your idea for farewelling the old playground equipment?
The upgrade will mean changes to the playground equipment. Tell us your idea for how the community could celebrate and farewell the old equipment in a meaningful way, to go into the draw for a $50 voucher. There are two vouchers to be won by 20 December 2024. (max 140 characters).
6 June, 2024
sarah sanders says:
“invite all the parents and kids that have benefitted from the playground over the past 20+ years - invite Liz, adnana etc. ”
8 May, 2024
Jane Laver says:
“To keep the aesthetic non-generic, to keep it feeling handmade, like a place where magic can be found. No generic metal equipment please!”
16 April, 2024
Thomas says:
“"It's really, really fun. It's a very special place to me. My favorite is the treehouse. I would survive in it in a zombie apocalypse." 7yrs”
21 March, 2024
@strictlydt says:
“Keep the soul alive! The real risk of ground, wood, bark and concrete. No over protective plastic. Also allow the kids to help paint it too.”
26 January, 2024
Jody (6) & Eva (5) says:
“Our idea is bring back the plane, just put it on the floor! And please replace the big tunnel slide. Another trampoline would be nice. Thxs”
9 October, 2023
Tom says:
“Community bonfire night - maybe on the winter solstice….. to celebrate that things were made of wood, with splinters not plastic and metal.”
9 July, 2023
nikitajain86 says:
“My daughter and I have always loved being a part of this wonderful playground. All the activities and clay, kitchen, garden programs are ama”
25 April, 2023
cliff says:
“Have a 'wishing tree' in the playground, where kids hang a note, on colourful string, wishing for what they would like in their play area :)”
18 April, 2023
Adele A says:
“Please ! Leave some riskyness! There can be no plastic! It's awful to think that those hand made type things would go :((”
13 April, 2023
Sam says:
“Can you just re- build them exactly the same for example replace the old plane with a new one. Ask the kids what they want and build it. ”
22 March, 2023
Ruby says:
“Invite people back to walk around and say goodbye at a formal farewell, taking photos of people amongst the equipment who went there as kids”
What we heard
What did we hear during Stage 1 of the project?
The purpose of the engagement in Stage 1 was to inform the design of the new playground and buildings (the draft concept design).
Between February 2023 - May 2024, a range of communications and engagement activities were carried out to inform the community about the proposed Adventure Playground upgrade and to seek feedback from key users of the playground.
You can read about what we heard during Stage 1 in the Engagement Summary Report - Stage 1. Findings from Stage 2 of the project are being reviewed and these will be made available on this page in August.
What did we hear from children? (Click on each image for a closer view)
Draft design
Draft Concept Design
A multi-disciplinary team lead by Landscape Architects was engaged by Council to provide a full range of design services for the Adventure Playground upgrade.
What we heard from engagement activities in Stage 1 of the project helped to inform the development of the draft concept design. You can read the full draft concept design below or click on the hotspot map below to see how ideas from children informed the design.
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Draft Concept Design for the Playground
View the draft design
Hotspot map - take a look at the features in the draft design
Click on each hotspot to find out more
