The largest playground ever completed by the City of Sydney, Gunyama Park in Zetland, is now open for play.
Gunyama is an Aboriginal Sydney language word meaning wind from the southwest. Strong southerlies regularly blow through the district that has been home to Aboriginal clans and families for thousands of years.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said that kids will climb, slide, bounce, skate and splash across 6,300m² of new open space, with 70 metres of tunnels and tube slides, a skate plaza, water play area and more than 150 newly planted trees.
“For the many thousands in our community who live in apartments, parks and playgrounds are a backyard,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said.
“This new wonderland for our youngest residents and their friends is one of 40 parks we’re delivering to ensure Green Square is not just one of Australia’s largest urban renewal precincts, but one of our most liveable communities.
“Designed with areas for toddlers and primary school-aged children, the playground features include swings, a flying fox, climbing ropes, in-ground trampolines, a small sand play area, musical elements and obstacles.
“The playground sits alongside a sporting field, outdoor fitness equipment and the Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre, the largest swim facility built in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics.
“With all this in one spot, when it comes to exercise and play there really is something for everyone in the heart of Australia’s most densely populated neighbourhoods.”
The park’s design reflects its location, with banksia scrub surrounding channels that mirror the original wetlands, and native plants belonging to the area.
The design also recognises how Aboriginal ways of living are dictated by knowledge of Country and seasonal changes in the environment, marked by transformations in flora and fauna and movements of the stars.
It also includes a learning circle to support intergenerational and cross-cultural education, large lawn area, barbecues and picnic tables, as well as bathrooms and change rooms for the sports field next door.
Sustainability is front of mind for this project with a green roof on the amenities building, habitat boxes for local animals to make themselves at home, seating made of rammed earth and recycled water helping plants thrive.
Green Square is Australia’s largest urban renewal project. It will be home to around 63,000 people and be among the most densely populated areas in Australia.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the secret to the precinct’s success has been the delivery of infrastructure alongside residential development.
“We know that growing, densely-populated neighbourhoods need commensurate infrastructure to thrive,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We want Green Square to be an exemplar of a high density urban village, a community sustained by community facilities, rich cultural life and green space.
“In 2013, prior to the rapid expansion, the City of Sydney developed a comprehensive, $1.8 billion infrastructure plan to provide local services and facilities alongside the development.
“We have built an innovative new library and plaza, an aquatic centre, sports fields, childcare and a creative hub. We are delivering more than 40 parks and playgrounds. We have delivered stormwater drains, roads, footpaths and cycling links, and protected a transport corridor for future mass transit.
“With the recent completion of a new primary school and now this impressive playground, we are making sure Green Square is the model of residential development done well.”
