Wagga Wagga City Council Works and Playgrounds Officer John Conlan has confirmed the design for the first of five parks set to receive major upgrades in 2026. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
The Hardy Avenue playground will soon get a major facelift, with Wagga Wagga City Council confirming its new design.
In late 2025 the council identified five parks within the local government area (LGA) that would receive upgrades as part of its 2024-44 playground strategy.
The playgrounds include Forest Hill Oval, Nathan Park and Jack Mission Park playgrounds in Ashmont, Rotoract Park playground in Kooringal and Hardy Avenue Park playground in central Wagga.
After identifying the parks, the council provided several design options for residents to choose from for each park.
The Hardy Avenue playground design is the first to be revealed, with residents deciding that slides and swings are a priority.
The new design includes a triple swing with bird’s nest, spinner, spring rockers, a large double slide, small single slide, overhead challenge ladder, rope bridges, activity panels, twirl bars, balance rope traverse and a ladder.
Council’s works and playgrounds officer John Conlan said there was a positive reaction to each of the playgrounds set to be redesigned, but the Hardy Avenue site seemed to get the most attention.
“The reaction to the Hardy Avenue playground has been surprising but welcome,” Mr Conlan said.
“It’s a bit of a landlocked area there, and aside from a lot of houses, the park in the middle of the street is the only thing that’s there for families to enjoy within walking distance.
“As part of that upgrade, we will be adding some fencing to circle the area on top of the designs that everyone voted for as well.
“We think that will make it a lot more accessible and just a bit safer as well.
“We will start working on delivering those upgrades soon, as well as revealing the results for the other parks too.”
Mr Conlan said parks continued to serve as an important and free resource for families across the LGA, and the strategy was important to maintaining the quality of each park.
“Every 20 years, we identify playgrounds that need replacing,” he said.
“When you get an old and tired playground, and you freshen it up and make it look a lot better, it really does attract more people and families to come try it out.
“In some little communities, it really is exciting.
“Sometimes you might go to one of the old ones and hardly ever see a person there. Often with these upgrades, it really does bring it back to life in many ways.”
Construction on the Hardy Avenue Park is expected to begin in the next couple of months.
