The new state-of-the-art, all-inclusive Wherrett Park Playspace in Maclean was officially opened by Clarence Valley Mayor Ian Tiley and Clarence MP Richie Williamson on Saturday 22 July, 2023.
Opened to the public just in time for school holidays earlier this month, the $355,000 project was proudly funded by the NSW Government’s Everyone Can Play program ($175,00) in association with Clarence Valley Council ($180,000).
PICTURED: Clarence MP Richie Williamson and Mayor Ian Tiley officially opened the Wherrett Park Playspace.
“This exciting new playspace has been very well received by the local community so far, with large groups of people visiting and using the various play elements every day,” Clarence Valley Council General Manager Laura Black said.
“For this upgrade Council’s Open Spaces team took a holistic approach to how it used the space, taking into account the existing Out of the Box youth space, coupled with the goal of creating a vibrant and safe space for all users to play, socialise and relax.”
PICTURED: The E-Roll Runner is the first of its kind in the Clarence Valley.
This exciting shared playspace includes:
- Adventure tower with a large tunnel slide
- Half-court basketball area and netball hoop
- 2.3-metre “E-Roll Runner”
- Variety of musical instruments
- Elves playhouse with tunnel
- Inclusive roundabout spinner
- Inclusive seesaw
- EDPM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber soft fall
- Basket swing, cradle swing and flat swing
- Senior multi-play climbing unit
- Ping pong table
Along with the wide variety of play equipment and features, this shared space also includes footpaths through the playground to the existing skate park, seating and shelters, native trees and shrubs, sandstone seating walls and shade sails.
BIGGER PICTURE FOR RECREATION IN WHERRETT PARK
Recreation activity in Wherrett Park will soon receive another boost with an extensive shared user pathway network.
A pathway on the levee wall around the perimeter of the park will incorporate the picturesque wetlands at the northeast corner of the park maintained by the Lions Club of Clarence – Environment group.
It will also be linked to the recently completed Wherrett Park Playspace.
IMPROVED FLOOD RESILIENCE IN MACLEAN
The replacement of two flood pumps will help reduce the impact of future flood activity in Maclean.
The new pump at Wherrett Park (pictured below) has an increased capacity of 60 per cent, while the Essex Drain pump as 125 per cent extra capacity.
It is expected the new pumps will reduce ponding in the flood prone Wherrett Park area, experiencing far fewer days of inundation after major flooding.
The pumps were constructed as part of the Wherrett Park Flood Damage Renewal and Future Flood Resilience project funded by the 2021 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program (CLIRP).
