50% of you prefer nature play (e.g. boulders, weave poles, free play areas)
Garden Gully Playspace What We Heard
4 July 2025
The Garden Gully Playspace survey closed May 16, 2025. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.
What we heard
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50% of you prefer play experiences (e.g. swings, play tower)
The play area will have a mix of natural features (like boulders, weave poles and free play areas) and built equipment (like swings, slides and a play tower).
The top 3 preferred play equipment items were:
What you liked most about the proposed design
We also asked if there was anything you would change or things you think we missed
We’ve had lots of great ideas from the community for the new playspace. Even though we can’t use all of them because of limits on budget, time, and upkeep, we’ve picked some that will make the space better and more fun. Thank you for sharing your ideas—we’re working hard to make a place that everyone can enjoy.
The key themes from your ideas and our responses are below:
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Getting there and parking
The current shared path will connect to the Ironbark Gully trail. A new walking path in the playspace will connect to the shared path.
Visitors arriving to the playspace by car can park in the existing carpark and overflow car parking areas near the hockey field. These parking spots fill up quickly on weekends. On-street parking is also available along Ashley Street and Robshaw Road.
We encourage families to walk, ride and scoot to the playspace. Bike hoops will be provided.
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Shade and weather protection
We know that shade is important to you, especially on hot days. We have also heard from you that a green playspace with trees and planting is important to you.
Trees are the best way to provide shade in the playspace. The trees will take a few years to grow. Once they are tall, they will make the space cooler, greener and relaxing. Shade sails will not provide the right feel for the playspace even though they provide immediate shade.
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Safety and fencing
Security cameras and fences cannot be provided. Fencing and security cameras require a lot of upkeep. If you prefer a fenced playspace, there are other parks in the city that have full or partial fencing, so families can choose what works best for them. The Australian and Victorian Government don’t require fences around public playspaces.
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Play and recreation features
The playspace will have lots of natural and built play equipment to play on. There will be a play tower with areas for both younger and older kids, and fun things like climbing and sliding.
We need to provide a variety of different play options across all playspaces in Bendigo. Water play and outdoor gym equipment will not be provided as they do not meet project need.
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New facilities
We have included lots of seats. All seating areas have spots to park prams and wheelchairs. A baby changing table will be installed in the new toilets. A hook for tying up dogs near the toilets is being considered.
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Look and plants
The play area will have a special look, and the plants and trees will be picked to match this.
Next steps
Next, we’ll include some of the community’s ideas into the design to help make the playspace better. Then, we’ll work with the right builders and suppliers, and we plan to start construction in 2026.
