The concept design is complete. Permits and approvals are proposed to take place in 23/24 financial year pending budget approval. The detailed design and construction is proposed to follow in 24/25 financial year and take place over multiple financial years, subject to permissions, external approvals, budget approvals and external funding opportunities.

Please visit the Community Consultation and Outcomes Summary Page for more information on how Stage One and Two consultations influenced the Final Concept Plan.

We received 59 online survey responses and four hard copy questionnaires. In addition to this, five people shared their story through the Share your Story tab, 25 young people participated in an online workshop and 40 young people participated in the Youth Council presentation.

Read more about stage one results.

While there isn’t space in this location, this was suggested by multiple contributors. Another location would better suit a flat roller derby track and we will contact interested people in the new year to discuss this further.

While there isn’t enough space at this location for either of these, there are dirt jumps already located approximately 100 metres away from Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre (off Browning Street).

In January 2022, the Ewing Park Skate Park will begin construction and this has both a mini bowl and many street elements. You can find more information about the Ewing Park Recreation Precinct Redevelopment project on the City of Greater Bendigo’s website.

A bowl, even if it is mini, is not possible in this location because of water inundation (please see the FAQ: Will there be a bowl? for more information on this).

Toilets and barbecues are already located less than 300 metres away at Gateway Park which can be easily accessed via a concrete, accessible path.

Future development in Gateway Park, as part of the Master Plan, includes a new play space near the toilets and barbecue area. The nearest existing playground is less than 300 metres away. Duplication of these services is not sustainable for the City and therefore not supported.

While we recognise some people may use this feature in the winter months, lights are beyond the service level of this skate park and are not currently supported.

You can also pick up hard copies at Skip’s Skate Shop, Royal Jim’s Barber, Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre, and the Kangaroo Flat Library.

You can return these by December 15, 2021 to the location you picked them up from, drop them off at the City of Greater Bendigo office in Hopetoun St, or post to:

City of Greater Bendigo
c/o Active and Healthy Communities
PO Box 733
Bendigo, Victoria 3552

The first design you see is a concept design only, completed by a skatepark designing company. A concept design is a design that starts a conversation and tests to see what you like about the design, or elements in the design, and what else you’d like to see. This includes skate elements but also shade, shelter, planting etc. The design will change based on the collective feedback of the community, meaning elements may be eliminated or added, depending on what you and others say, together with the expertise of the skate park designers, and cost.

No, there will be no bowl designed for the Kangaroo Flat skate park for several reasons. The water table (the level of water under the ground) is high in this location, meaning if we built a bowl, it would fill with water below the ground level, or cost far too much to construct above the ground. Additionally, there is large bowl at McKern Skate Park and a mini bowl as part of the skate park design at Ewing Park, which will be constructed next year for riders to use.

The City’s Skate Park and BMX Strategy identifies one regional level skate park and three local or neighbourhood level skate parks for the Bendigo area. McKern Skate Park is the designated regional level skate park for the Bendigo area which caters to all levels of users, including advanced users. The remaining skate parks at Epsom, Bendigo (now Ewing Park) and Kangaroo Flat, are the local level skate parks and are geared more to beginner and intermediate level users. This park will be more similar in size to Epsom rather than McKern Skate Park.

The City of Greater Bendigo is planning for the construction of a new skate park to be located on Crown Land adjacent to the Bendigo Creek and directly opposite the Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre in Browning Street, Kangaroo Flat.

As part of the City of Greater Bendigo Skate and BMX Strategy, Kangaroo Flat was identified as a key location for a skate park due to its current and projected population and its distance from other skate parks.

The Browning Street site was chosen because it:

• Provides a better opportunity to design and build an elongated shaped skate park to cater for multiple skills levels and abilities, and universal design principles
• Is within 20 meters of the nearest road, and within sight and accessible to Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre
• Has excellent access to the Bendigo Creek Walking and Cycling Trail, Gateway Park and other local recreational facilities, spaces and public amenities
• Diversifies the types of activities that occur within the existing reserve, a key consideration in the State Government Safer Design Guidelines for Victoria when considering public space development
• Provides better buffer zones between residential housing and the skate park
• Has good access to public transport, is close to nearby car parking areas
• Has better set-back from busy roads
• Will enhance other local facilities in the precinct

The site is Crown Land managed by a Bushland Reserve Committee of Management who have given in principle support for the location and future development of a skate park on the understanding that the City will take full responsibility for the asset.

The location is also subject to a negotiation of Land Use Activity Agreement with Dja Dja Wurrung. Negotiations will commence once the concept designs for the skate park have been completed. Unfortunately, if the City and Dja Dja Wurrung cannot meet an agreement in relation to the use of the land for this purpose the project will not proceed.

The decision to build a skate park was made by the City of Greater Bendigo in 2017 in response to the Skate and BMX Strategy and calls from the community for such a facility to serve the Kangaroo Flat area.

At that time, Cook’s Reserve, located on the corner of Browning Street and Calder Highway, was identified as a potential site for the skate park. During the initial community engagement phase, concerns were raised by community members that this was not an ideal site for the skate park due to its close proximity to the Calder Highway and neighbouring residential properties.

The City also recognised other limitations with the Cook’s Reserve site following the learnings from the construction of the Epsom Skate Park and the design phase of the proposed Ewing Park Skate Park. These learnings included a greater understanding of skate park size requirements and location of parks to support user and community expectations. In addition, the most recent industry research into site selection for skate parks and Council policy changes were considered.

After considering concerns raised from the initial community consultations and the learnings from other projects the City Greater Bendigo identified nearby Crown Land off Browning Street, opposite Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre as a more suitable site for the development.

Progressing the project has been restricted by COVID 19 related delays. Face to face consultation and opportunities to interact with schools has not been possible as community and schools have navigated their way through the challenges of limited contact. Face to face consultation is particularly important for this type of project as it allows school children and young people the opportunity to be heard and contribute to the design in a way that is not possible through other means.

The Greater Bendigo Skate Park Strategy prioritised the construction of Epsom Skate Park, followed by the construction of skate parks in Bendigo and Kangaroo Flat.

The City of Greater Bendigo has engaged specialist skate park design company Enlocus to design the plans for the skate park. The feedback received through this consultation will be considered as part of the design process undertaken by Enlocus.

The City has allocated $30,000 for the concept designs and site investigations. Future construction budget has not been allocated at this time and estimated costs will be determined from the concept designs.

Funding for the project will be considered as part of the City’s annual future budgetary process. The City will also investigate other potential grant opportunities to fund the project.

You can have your say by:

• Completing the activities on this page.
• Emailing any suggestions you may have to activecommunities@bendigo.vic.gov.au
• Phoning the City of Greater Bendigo on 1300 002 642