The City of Greater Geelong is inviting the community to provide feedback on the detailed design of the Rippleside Inclusive Playspace.

Replacing the current Rippleside Park Playground in Bell Parade the Rippleside Inclusive Playspace will provide a unique playground environment for people of all ages and abilities.

Extensive consultation through 2019 and 2020 pointed to the importance of natural green space shade multi-aged experiences toilet location cleanliness and nature play as priorities for the project.

The City has also engaged a broad range of community members in the concept design including children and families with lived experience of a disability along with local school children and residents.

The major playground project has received financial support from all levels of government.

The City was also successful in obtaining a $110 000 grant through the Victorian Government’s Changing Places Funding Round in 2021.

The City has partnered with the Touched By Olivia Foundation (and previously Variety – the Children’s Charity) to deliver this exciting project and will join a network of play spaces known as Livvi’s Place.

The playspace aims to provide a safe facility while offering a broad choice of activities and types of play.

Greater Geelong Mayor Peter Murrihy;

I applaud the design of the Rippleside Inclusive Playspace as the facility will help children progress in a way that suits their individual abilities and needs.

The playspace designers have done a terrific job in planning a facility that aims for high levels of inclusivity and accessibility for people of all abilities.

The Rippleside Inclusive Playspace is highly interactive and slightly larger than the existing playground while still leaving plenty of park land at Rippleside Park for casual and informal use.

Cr Anthony Aitken chair of the Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee;

The concept and design elements of this regionally significant project has been driven by council’s Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee and strongly supported by members of our disability community.

The playspace is designed to be inclusive for all and also embrace unique elements for people living with a disability. 

We now welcome broader community feedback on the detailed design which I strongly believe has the potential to become Geelong’s most loved playspace in the future.

The project will also include the upgrade of park amenities such as the toilet block (including a Changing Places facility) connecting path to the Bay Trail accessible carparking spaces additional seating and picnic facilities on the outside of the fenced playspace.

Touched By Olivia’s Head of Inclusive Play Kim Becherand;

Children families and broader community voices led the design of the amazing space.

Rippleside is such a beautiful part of Geelong known and loved by many locals.

When we shared the vision to create a Livvi’s Place here where everyone would feel safe welcome and that they belong the engagement and support was overwhelming.

This design shows what happens when we come together listen to each other and share what we know and have.

Engagement told us to make Livvi’s Place Rippleside somewhere for all locals and visitors to enjoy together; where everyone will play often play together make friends and develop community connections.

The current stage of engagement is the third and final round of engagement before the City proceeds to construction.

A Have Your Say Page is open inviting input from the wider community until Sunday July 17.