New Visitor Services Hub For Centennial Park

By Daniel Hutton on May 7, 2015 in News

Works have begun on an exciting new visitor services hub in the southwest corner of Centennial Park, next to the Children’s Learners Cycleway.

Already a popular area for families utilising its picnics areas, playground and barbecue, the new South West Hub, as it will be known, aims to provide improved amenities, upgraded accessibility and new services to this busy part of the park. In addition, it will become the new permanent home of the Centennial Park bike hire business.

Stage one of the project will include a small new kiosk, a covered picnic shelter and improved pathways to the existing amenities. This concept is inspired by a small combined kiosk and cyclist pavilion (the site of today’s Centennial Parklands Dining) that existed and operated in Centennial Park from 1908 to 1946 before it was destroyed by fire.

“This project was driven by many years of requests from our park visitors for improved food and beverage services and more modern and accessible facilities in this part of the Park,” Kim Ellis, Executive Director, Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands, said.

“To ensure we are delivering on the needs of the community we completed in-depth community consultation during the development of the Centennial Park Master Plan 2040, and again during another round of consultation in late 2014.”

During the development of its master plan, which received more than 3,000 submissions from over 1,000 individuals and organisations, it was identified that continued visitation growth and surrounding residential population growth already places great strains on the park’s facilities and services.

While longitudinal park visitor research has generally shown improving levels of satisfaction with the parklands, there were several key areas that visitors consistently highlighted as present and future needs. These include improved food and beverage opportunities, upgraded amenities and baby change facilities, an increase in human and dog bubblers and an increase in shaded/sheltered picnic areas.

While these issues are being addressed variously across the parklands, the South West Hub project will respond to them all.

Funded under Centennial Parklands’ Sustainable Parklands Program, the project recently received approval from the Heritage Office and construction is now underway. Construction works are expected to be completed by August 2015, with the new facilities becoming operational by September.

“This is stage one of a wider program to create a new entranceway to Centennial Park linking Grand Drive to the forthcoming light rail station on Alison Road,” Ms Ellis said.

“Stage two of the project will include a major upgrade to the Children’s Learners Cycleway and the Children’s Playground adjacent to this site.”

Centennial Parklands is now inviting the community to help name this new visitor precinct. For more information on the naming competition and for further details about this project, please visit www.centennialparklands.com.au/southwesthub.