Wheely exciting facilities

By Lachlan Ellis

Grab your skateboards, bikes, and scooters – the new Ballan and Gordon skate parks are now open for use, just in time for school holidays.

Though final landscaping works aren’t complete yet, the skate parks at Mill Park and Gordon Public Park had a ‘soft opening’ in December, with gates opened to allow everyone to enjoy the parks over the summer holidays.

Skateboarders Niall and Wes, and scooter rider Jaxon, showed Mayor Cr Rod Ward, Deputy Mayor Cr Ally Munari and Cr Moira Berry how it’s done at Mill Park, before trying out the Gordon skate park, where the group was joined by Catherine King MP, the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.

The total cost for both skate parks was $550,000, with the Mill Park skate park costing $385,000, and the Gordon skate park costing $165,000. Of the total, $410,000 was provided by the Australian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program (LRCIP), and $140,000 was contributed by Council.

As both a Councillor and a Gordon local, Cr Munari said the soft opening was exciting for the community.

“It’s really exciting for the community, especially the kids that have been eagerly awaiting jumping on. It’s perfect timing for school holidays, I think that was the reason for the soft opening – we definitely wanted kids to have somewhere to go as soon as school finished up,” she told the Moorabool News.

“On a personal level, I have three skaters in the family, and it’s already made life so much easier. It’s not even ten minutes up the road for us, and it’s so much easier to get the kids there than driving up to Ballarat all the time, just for them to enjoy a hobby they love. Everyone wants their kids to get out and have fun.”

For more details on the designs, visit www.moorabool.vic.gov.au/Mill-Park, and www.moorabool.vic.gov.au/Gordon-Park.