The community were invited to provide feedback in March 2022 on the location for a significant upgrade and what play elements, equipment and amenities they would like to see included. Following this, feedback was analysed and preliminary sketch plans were developed for further community feedback in November 2022.

Alston Street playground is being upgraded with key features including:

• centrally located seating with a shelter and picnic table
• cultural artwork on the shade sail posts and on the existing basketball hoop and backboard
• fencing
• concrete path with animal imprints
• accessible swing and spinner
• improved drainage to manage rain across the site
• nature play journey with balancing, climbing equipment and Ngunnawal cultural play elements.

The ACT Government is committed to delivering better play spaces across Canberra and providing people of different ages and abilities with fun, creative and engaging play experiences.

The community were invited to provide feedback on a significant upgrade to the Alston Street playground including play elements, equipment and amenities as well as safety and accessibility.

During the first round of feedback we learned most of the community wanted nature play and learn to ride facilities.

Feedback received during engagement on this project assisted in developing and then finalising designs ahead of construction procurement for the significant upgrade to the Alston Street playground.

If you have any questions about this project or would like to be kept updated on its progress, please email communityengagement@act.gov.au.

What you told us you’d like to see

• Amenities: furniture for sitting, eating, or studying; shade sails; picnic shelters; improvements to paths and access and safety improvements such as fencing.
• Play equipment/elements: nature play; all abilities play equipment; climbing structures; slides and forts; swinging equipment and multipurpose areas.

How we have used your feedback

• Centrally located seating with a shelter and picnic table
• Cultural artwork on the shade sail posts and on the existing basketball hoop and backboard
• Fencing
• Concrete path with animal imprints
• Accessible swing and spinner
• Improved drainage to manage rain across the site
• Nature play journey with balancing, climbing equipment and Ngunnawal cultural play elements.

Click here to see a full-screen version of the final indicative design.

The region where the Chisholm play space upgrade is located holds an ancient cultural and spiritual connection to the Ngunnawal people and has for thousands of years. The Ngunnawal landscape around Chisholm is used as a songline to navigate across country, conduct cultural land management practices, ensure safe passage, and welcome neighbouring nations from the south and east such as the Ngarigo and Yuin nations to Ngunnawal country for special ceremony, marriage, trade, and lore.

This region which is traditionally known to the Ngunnawal people as Tuggeranong meaning ‘cold place,’ holds the largest songline across Ngunnawal Country. This songline in contemporary times is the foundation of the Monaro Highway.

The artwork for Chisholm, by artist and cultural consultant Bradley Mapiva Brown, reflects the ancient cultural and land management practices the Ngunnawal people used to care for country. The artwork includes aspects of the Tuggeranong songline, native wetlands used for hunting and gathering, and features Maliyan the wedge tailed eagle, a totem of protection for Visitors on Country. Bagariin Ngunnawal Cultural Consulting provided several recommendations to showcase the play space songline theme. Recommendations included in the play space design are:

• artwork applied to the basketball court backboard
• native animal tracks and footprints in the new part of the concrete path, representing the songline
• nature play elements.