We’re upgrading the playground at Howard Dawson Reserve in Glen Iris due to its age and condition.
About the upgrade
This playground upgrade aims to:
- create new play experiences for a range of ages and abilities
- improve accessibility
- complement the nearby Gardiners Creek trail.
Key features of the new playground include:
- a play unit with platforms, slides and climbing suitable for younger and older children, and play opportunities underneath
- a triple swing frame, including a basket seat
- castle-themed features including a drawbridge to the main play unit, a castle moat and rope haul
- a frog rocker
- native animal prints around the castle moat.
Existing play items in good condition have been incorporated into the new design and include:
- junior swing frame
- carousel
- pommel seesaw.
We will also keep and modify parts of the existing shade sails.
Other features to be included in the wider playground space include:
- improved seating overlooking the playground.
Community consultation
We invited our community to share feedback to help guide the design for the new playground.
We received feedback from 71 people over 2 rounds of consultation in February and August 2024. Thank you to everyone who had their say.
You can find out what our community told us and view the final design on our Howard Dawson Reserve playground upgrade page on Your Say Boroondara.
Artist’s impression of final design
Have a look at a selection of illustrations of the upgraded playground design.
Status
Construction of the new playground is expected to start in the 2025-26 financial year (subject to Council's annual budget process).
We will update this page and keep our community informed when construction timelines are confirmed.
Timeline
| Date | Project stage | Project update |
|---|---|---|
| February 2024 | First stage of community consultation | 53 community members shared their local knowledge, special memories, stories and ideas to help us develop the draft design. |
| July and August 2024 | Second stage of community consultation | 18 community members shared their feedback on the draft design. This helped us further refine and finalise the design. |
| February 2025 | Final design released | We shared the final design for the new playground, which was shaped by 2 rounds of community consultation. |
| From 2025-26 financial year | Construction starts | We expect start building the new playground (subject to Council's annual budget process). |
More information
To receive updates about all works, visit the Howard Dawson Reserve playground upgrade page on Your Say Boroondara and select 'Follow' at the top of the page.
For more information about construction, please contact or Landscape and Design team on (03) 9278 4444 or [email protected].