Improving play in Warrenheip

PUBLIC play amenities at Warrenheip are set to see a massive expansion with backing from te State Government’s Tiny Towns grants program.

Following an application by the Committee 4 Warrenheip, $50,000 from the funding scheme will be utilised to develop a dedicated play space at the town’s recreation reserve.

Committee for Warrenheip member Kelly Bevan said a public play space is a much-needed asset for the community.

“We don’t have any play equipment for children in Warrenheip except for two tyre swings which are the closest things here,” she said.

“In terms of community impact, it’s pretty high. We have lots of young children in the area that don’t have anywhere to play.

“It’ll be themed around Australian animals and totems and hopefully will help families to connect too, since we’re all so geographically spread out.”

Expected to arrive by Christmas next year, the play space’s design will be aimed at evoking the surrounding natural landscape, featuring wood carved equipment and musical instruments.

The remainder of costs will be rounded out using the Warrenheip Community Fund.

Member for Eureka Michaela Settle visited the site on Tuesday afternoon.

She said the Tiny Towns program is about supporting smaller localities otherwise missed by local council and other State Government initiatives.

“We have so many of these fantastic small communities and what can make a difference in these communities is something as simple as a playground,” she said.

“But they’re often not eligible for the bigger grant programs and tend not to fit in strict guidelines of programs.

“When we introduced the Tiny Towns program it was about you as the community telling us what you need to make this a better place to live.

“It’s about letting the community direct what they’d like for their small local community.”

Warrenheip’s play space is part of the first round of Tiny Towns grants, with applications for the four-year fund’s next one to open around October.