Inclusivity at the heart of Hamilton playground upgrade

City of Newcastle is getting ready to welcome children of all ages and abilities to play, learn and connect at Hamilton’s historic Gregson Park following a significant playground upgrade.

The final touches are being placed on the inclusive playspace, which is expected to open to the community for the September school holidays. 

Regal Innovations Construction Manager Newcastle Pedro Angeli and Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes with (rear) Regal Innovations Managing Director Robert Stanton, City of Newcastle Executive Manager Community & Recreation Lynn Duffy, Hamilton Community Preschool Director Narelle Jackson and City of Newcastle Project Manager Tony Ayling in the bush tucker garden and yarning circle at Gregson Park.

Celebrating indigenous traditions, the area will include a bush tucker garden and yarning circle to encourage knowledge sharing, in addition to traditional play equipment, a range of accessible and nature-based play options and a fitness station.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle is committed to delivering accessible infrastructure for everyday activities, including creating more inclusive play spaces in our parks. 

“We have invested around $14 million into almost 30 playground projects across Newcastle during the past six Budgets as part of our commitment to delivering enhanced and accessible recreational opportunities for the community,” Cr Nelmes said. 

“Construction of this $3.5 million playspace at Gregson Park was identified as a high priority action as part of its adopted Masterplan, with the impending completion signifying an important milestone in delivering our shared vision for this much-loved Hamilton location.

“Gregson Park’s new playspace includes accessible features such as carousels, bridges and pathways, with various pieces of equipment that will be suitable for everyone, including those with limited mobility.

"We're proud to have worked closely with the community, including First Nations Australians and Hamilton Community Preschool, to design this fantastic multimillion-dollar upgrade at Gregson Park and I can’t wait to welcome everyone back into the space later this month." 

Regal Innovations Construction Manager Newcastle Pedro Angeli, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Hamilton Community Preschool Director Narelle Jackson check out progress on the Gregson Park playspace.

Hamilton Community Preschool Director Narelle Jackson said as regular visitors to the popular parkland, the preschool has been a strong advocate of the upgrade.

"When the preschool heard of the new playspace we invited the children to sketch their dream playground, which we then shared with City of Newcastle as inspiration. The submissions led to representatives from the Community and Recreation team visiting our preschool to share with the children and educators how the space could be improved,” Ms Jackson said. 

"The preschoolers have continued to document the progress of the upgrade and have captured it all in a book with the assistance of an educator to share with their families. 

"We have loved being brought along for the journey and are all very eager to utilise the new space and watch the kids play and explore."

The Gregson Park project supports a key objective in City of Newcastle’s Disability and Inclusion Action Plan to create and contribute to liveable and accessible public places, with the project delivering inclusive play features and a design that promotes greater interaction between all children.

The new play space includes equipment for a range of ages and abilities, including a six metre-high climbing tower, trampolines and a balance obstacle course, as well as a softfall mound with slides, rope and rock-climbing elements.

Other features include a seesaw rocker, swing set and sandpit with waterplay feature, along with an accessible carousel and whizzers.

Additional shade, formal and informal seating, and footbridges are also features of the project, complemented by an upgraded, accessible amenities building and new covered picnic area.

City of Newcastle will invite community members to celebrate the completion and enjoy the new facilities at Gregson Park with a fun, family-friendly opening event in October.