AusLeisure

With COVID-19 restrictions beginning to ease, children in the Bega Valley community will soon be able to explore four exciting new playground spaces.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Bega Valley Shire Council’s Leisure and Recreation team and local contractors GDB Excavation and Landscaping and Bega Bobcats have been working on the village playgrounds project that takes in Cobargo’s Apex Park, Lions Park at Mogareeka, Bicentennial Park in Bemboka and the Wyndham Memorial Park.

Due to the challenges posed by the summer’s bushfires, the construction program needed to be staggered, with Cobargo and Mogareeka now completed, while Bemboka is well underway, and Wyndham is set to commence in the next few days.

With funding of $300,705 from the NSW State Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund and contributions from Council, the renewals will provide local children with functional, safe and imaginative play spaces and areas for families and community groups to gather in a social setting.

Member for Bega, Andrew Constance, said that he was pleased to see the delivery of these playgrounds across the region adding “now more than ever our kids want to access the outdoors and great play facilities, after what has been a very difficult time for them.

“Kids need outside activities for play and social reasons, but so to do parents and the completion of these playgrounds will be the start of bringing communities back together in a fun social atmosphere.”

Bega Valley Shire Council’s Leisure and Recreation Projects Officer, Glenn Merrick, said the work that has and continues to be produced by the local contractors was first class and the spaces were looking great adding “the extremely valuable community contributions made in the planning process mean that each playground has unique components, with accessibility improvements a real feature across all the sites.

“At Mogareeka this has taken the form of accessible parking and pathways linking the carpark, playground toilets and barbeque areas, while in Cobargo the project provides accessible pathways linking the new picnic shelter and accessible table to the playground with the inclusion of new bench seating and a wheelchair accessible drinking fountain. Both parks have an accessible nest swing with rubber softfall base to provide access for all abilities.

“Also of note at Mogareeka is the inclusion of a large wooden ship feature piece to replace the ship that was destroyed by floodwaters during the 2016 East Coast Low event at Ray Whyman Reserve on the north of the Bega River.

Merrick explains “the playground at Cobargo has been constructed in traditional colours to represent the heritage values of the town and features a rainbow coloured slide and 25metre flying fox, while the original old rocking horse has been repaired by Council’s Works staff and retained.

“Unfortunately, some of the garden planting works set to be undertaken by volunteers at Cobargo has been delayed after the plants were destroyed in the bushfires, however planting around the park will be an ongoing project for a small group of locals in conjunction with council staff.”

For more information on the village playgrounds project visit www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/major-projects

Image: A wooden pirate ship is the feature piece in the new playground at Tathra’s Lions Park. It replaces the ship that was destroyed by floodwaters during the 2016 East Coast Low event at Ray Whyman Reserve on the north of the Bega River.

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