FAQs

During consultation for the Picton Parklands Masterplan, the accessibility of the playground and amenities was identified as a high priority. As well, Council's Disability Inclusion Action Plan identified the Botanic Gardens as an outdoor place needing improved accessibility.

The playground has been designed using universal design principles, ensuring that children of all abilities can participate and enjoy the play experience. Inclusive features include:

• Accessible surfaces: The play areas have soft fall surfaces that are designed to be easily accessible for children of all abilities. This allows children using mobility aids to move around comfortably.
• Inclusive play equipment: The playground includes inclusive play equipment such as swings, rockers, and spinners that are designed to accommodate children with different abilities. These equipment options ensure that all children can participate and have fun.
• Accessible boardwalk: The boardwalk is fully accessible, allowing children of all abilities to enjoy the play experience. It incorporates musical, tactile, and sensory elements, making the pathway part of the overall play experience.
• Inclusive water play: The water play area includes accessible hand pumps, allowing children with disabilities to actively participate in creating water flows. This involvement adds to the fun and inclusivity of the water play area.
• Play structure accessibility: The main play structure offers opportunities for children to move underneath and between various parts. This design feature ensures that children with mobility and other challenges can engage with the play environment and be included in the play activities.
• Fully accessible pathways: All main pathways throughout the playground are designed to be fully accessible. This ensures that children of all abilities can freely move and play in all areas of the playground.

By incorporating these inclusive features, the playground aims to provide a welcoming and inclusive play space where all children can engage, have fun, and enjoy the play environment together.

The playground caters to children aged one to 12 years, providing a wide range of play opportunities. It is designed with separate areas for toddlers and older children, ensuring age-appropriate play experiences. The feature play structure offers various challenging activities and allows children to choose how they want to play, with multiple entry and exit points. Overall, the playground aims to provide an inclusive and enjoyable environment for children of different age groups.

Safety fencing to the pond will be upgraded and extended. Various types of fencing and barriers will be used along sections of the shared path to separate it from the play area. These might include a typical 1m high fence, furniture items, low walls, or boulders that act as a barrier to slow children down without blocking access completely. Where fences or barriers are installed, they will be designed so they do not detract from the beauty of the gardens.

Shade sails will be provided in the toddler playspace to shade the main play elements. Shade will also be incorporated into the feature play structure. Where possible, seating will be provided near existing trees to take advantage of the shade they provide, while new tree plantings will increase shade across the playspace as they grow over the coming years.

Adult change facilities are planned for future implementation and space has been allocated near the new amenities building to accommodate the extension. Despite this, the current upgrade will include accessible amenities to ensure inclusivity and accessibility.

Temporary toilets will be installed on-site while the amenities are being upgraded.

The Picton Parklands is an area of linked open spaces and recreational spaces within Picton. It includes

• Picton Botanic Gardens
• Hume Oval Sportsground
• Picton Sportsground (Fairley's Road)
• Stonequarry Creek and Racehorse Creek section
• Monds Lane Precinct  
• Picton RSL Park

After extensive community consultation over a two-year period, the Master Plan and Plan of Management for the Picton Parklands were adopted by Council in August 2022. 

Funding is through the NSW Government's Public Space Legacy Program, Council contribution, and the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLER) 

Next for Picton Botanic Gardens is a new permanent events stage, which will be constructed near the flagpoles.

The adopted Master Plan for Picton Parklands and is being implemented in stages, based on funding availability. The next stage for the Picton Parklands will be extending the amenities facility at Picton Sportsground.

We estimate the upgrades will take about nine months to complete.

The carpark, silt pond and the garden space will remain unchanged.

No changes to the pond are proposed as part of the project. The pond is part of a wider stormwater and flood management system and needs to be retained. There is a floodway that allows to pond to overflow in large rain events and this has been maintained in the concept design. The sensory play boardwalk sits above the floodway, allowing all visitors to move safely across the playspace.