A fresh look is planned for the playground at Brookville Gardens in Toorak, with a draft design now open for public comment. The design includes a tunnel slide, a double slide, a rock scaling wall, a tree climber, a spider web climber, netted cube monkey bars and a shop counter for imaginative play. The council also proposes updating the existing play towers, which the community has said it values. Feedback can be shared online until 11.59 pm on Monday 16 November.
Work on a new playground at the St Lawrence Recreation Grounds is scheduled to start on Monday, 26 October 2026, weather permitting. The project is being delivered with the St Lawrence Recreation Group. Some sections of the area may be temporarily closed during construction. Residents are asked to take care around the work site and follow temporary signs and access directions. Council thanked the community for its patience and support.
A $2.5m community playground at Roseworthy, in Adelaide's northern suburbs, has won the best Social and Community Infrastructure project award at the 2026 UDIA SA Awards for Excellence. Harvest Green Park opened in February and has drawn families from across the state. More than 1500 people attended its opening day celebration. The playground is part of a $504m Roseworthy development expected to house 750 families. Hickinbotham Group managing director Michael Hickinbotham said the company was proud of the award and its effect on the local community.
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Construction has begun on a new playspace at Garden Gully Recreation Reserve in Ironbark, near Bendigo. The $1 million project includes nature-based and interactive play options, barbecue facilities, a shelter, seating, a drinking fountain and bike parking. The City of Greater Bendigo is funding most of the cost, and the federal government has pledged $100,000 through the Commonwealth Accessible Australia initiative. Mayor Thomas Prince said the playspace and new public toilets form part of the reserve's updated masterplan. Federal MP Lisa Chesters said the funding will help children with disability play outdoors.
Douglas Shire Council will remove a mature fig tree beside the playground at Rex Smeal Park in Port Douglas. Arborist assessments found significant structural defects, including cracking and deterioration, and the tree cannot be saved. Removal is necessary for public safety. The area will be cordoned off from Monday 19 October 2026, with removal works starting on Tuesday 20 October and expected to finish before the weekend. Council plans to transplant mature fig trees to the site and install shade sails over the playground.
Members of Coffs Harbour Baptist Church spent a week transforming the children's play area at Grafton Baptist Church. The volunteers, including tradespeople, landscaped the grounds, built a sandstone wall, repainted the climbing frame, installed a new slide and added lights. Some stayed at the church, praying and eating breakfast together each day. Pastor Jeff Andrews said the group wanted to bless the local community. Grafton Baptist Church marks its 150th anniversary with a service on Sunday 25 October, open to everyone.
Telethon star Paige McKay, eight, gave Emma Memma an exclusive first look at the Children's Garden at Perth Children's Hospital. The garden is being built for young patients in the oncology and burns wards, who have very limited time outdoors because of infection risk. Paige, who has spent much of her life in the hospital, was the first child to play in the garden. The garden is due to open in December with infection prevention as a major consideration. Paige is already hoping to return on warmer days once it opens.
Construction has been completed on a major upgrade to Farfalla Way Park in Tarneit. The works add new play and fitness equipment, a basketball half court, accessible park furniture and a barbecue. Landscaping and irrigation improvements have been made to the kick-about space, and a public toilet is expected to be installed in early 2027. Wyndham Mayor Mia Shaw said the upgrade gives residents more places to play, exercise and relax. The park is being celebrated with a free community opening event on Friday, 23 October from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.
The Arthur Fairall playground in Kings Park will be permanently removed later this month after an independent engineering assessment found its poles structurally unsound. The Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority announced the closure, saying the playground had reached the end of its useful life. Repairs were judged unviable because of widespread defects from natural degradation, and repair would require significant investment. Landscaping works will follow, and alternative play spaces will be investigated as part of a broader review. The Lycopod Island in the ornamental lake will remain open.
Knox City Council is asking residents to suggest natural play features for a new playground at Lewis Park in Wantirna South. The council wants ideas that encourage imagination, adventure and fun. Feedback is open until 8 November 2026. Residents can share their views through the council's online Have Your Say page, or arrange an in-person discussion with the council's major projects and facilities team.
Vandals used a fire extinguisher to graffiti the red slide at Gordon Park playground and left broken glass near picnic tables before dawn on Friday, 25 September. A local parent alerted Nambucca Valley Council, which sent a worker to clean the equipment and remove the glass before the Uniting Supported Playgroup began at 10.30am. Council staff said the clean-up was finished within three hours of the call. Tim Woodward said vandalism in council parks is more common than many people think, and urged residents to report incidents through the council's emergency line or its Antenno app.
Construction on a new playground in Injune, Victoria, will start on 12 October 2026. The design was shaped by community feedback, with 90 per cent of respondents supporting the chosen concept. The playground will feature rubber softfall and equipment for preschool and younger children. The project is expected to take up to three weeks, weather permitting, and the playground will be closed during construction.
A 13-year-old boy, Olvin Cabrera Valladares, died in a tragic playground accident in Miami. While playing on a slide before school, his shirt became caught on a protruding screw, causing him to lose consciousness. Despite efforts to revive him, Olvin was pronounced brain dead a week later. His family, devastated by the loss, is now arranging funeral services. The incident has left the community in shock, with many struggling to come to terms with the sudden tragedy.
