From 14 July - 10 August 2025 we asked for your assistance to design an upgrade to the playground at Cheltenham Recreation Reserve.

We wanted to find out

Around 188 people provided feedback

What we heard

Ways to make this playground more fun

A digital ideas board online and a poster board at pop-up events provided the opportunity for community suggestions on how to improve the playground design.

A high proportion of young people and families contributed to these (89) with 17% aged under 9; 7% between 10 – 15 years and 58% between 25 – 49 years.

The suggestions fell into a number of themes:

The most common suggestion was for a bike/scooter pump track with 25 comments including:

"Scooter/bike pump track would be amazing!"
"A scooter pump track for younger to older kids."
"Space for kids to safely ride bikes and scooters with some more challenging areas like hills and bumps"
"A pump track would be really good, it really is something where kids and parents can play and be active together"

12 commented focused on providing features to keep older children/ teens active including:

"Parkour, Ninja, Exercise gym, Playground for youth not just early childhood., Big adventure, Most local playgrounds are for early years only"

"It would be fun to have some in ground trampolines and some parkour activities for older children/ tweens."

"Beach Volleyball court to make it a cross generational play area"


"Basketball hoop/netball hop with surfaced area, wheelchair accessible swing, multi-aged swings, water play."

General facilities were suggested by 12 participants with comments including:

"Picnic areas/seating areas with shade would be good."

"Please upgrade the toilets!"

"Undercover table for kids birthday parties"

"Lots of shade canopies to keep us sun safe!"

Many comments included requests or trampolines, zip lines, monkey bars and more.

"Add a Zip line, tremendous fun."

"Monkey bars/hanging or climbing equipment"

"Spinning hamster wheel"

11 requests were for things that support development and safety of younger children including:

"Safe climbing area for young toddlers with a small slide."

"A sandpit with trucks and diggers. A bridge. A music making area with xylophone."

"Enclosed area for toddlers/babies to be safe and away from the older children, where parents can sit and watch them play safely."



10 people made comments relating to Cheltenham Station/ Down Building restoration.

"I'm very pleased the 'old' Cheltenham railway station is coming back to where it belongs."

"Thanks for preserving our history for the next gen (steamroller, train station). Please put them together have a plaque explaining their significance."

"Please ensure the original Cheltenham Station building is looked after and appropriately signed with an added plaque."

7 suggestions related to running water and mist sprays including:

"Water misters would be amazing to include!"

"Lots of water play activities and a water tap/fountain similar to Tjilatjirrin reserve that feeds into the sand pit."

"Interactive combined sand & waterplay area (water table, pumps, channels)"


Other comments related to

  • Natural environment (6 comments)
  • Safety and fencing (4 comments)
  • Dog management (2 comments)
  • Parking and access (2 comments)

What happens next

Refining the design

The playground design will be refined based on this feedback from the community. A Project Group, consisting of a cross-functional team of Council officers, evaluates and approves each final design against the objectives in the Playground Improvement Plan.

Toilet Upgrade

We can confirm that an upgrade to the toilet facilities will be part of the redevelopment.

Construction begins

Construction of this playground could commence in late 2025 – early 2026 after a tendering process for a playground builder. Given the project value, the construction tender will be awarded at the November 2025 Council meeting.