Vincent Fazio Splash Park

Project Details

FROM POOL TO SPLASH PAD—AN INCLUSIVE, INSPIRING AND COLLABORATIVE RENOVATION

Like many councils throughout Australia with aging pool spaces, the local government in Tuncurry, New South Wales, had a decision to make, undergo costly upgrades to their existing public pool at Vincent Fazio Park, or reimagine the space with consideration to the needs of their growing community.

With a vision to create a space that would be a social and recreational hub for the community, the council consulted with the public from July – August 2017 and, based on their feedback, made the decision to close Tuncurry Pool and repurpose the space into a water playground. Unanimous on both sides was the hope that this space would be accessible to all members of the public. Back to community consultation in November 2021, the council gained feedback from the public on the key play and design elements they wanted to see in the aquatic space. Between April 2021 and February 2021, the designs were vetted and approved. In June 2022, demolition of the new space began.

Free, and open to the public, this reimagined, zero-depth, inclusive splash park features vibrant coastal-inspired theming in blues and sands, with fun pops of colour, an inviting play backdrop in this seaside community. In the centre of the space, a large, multi-level slide tower anchors the fun space as the main attraction. Complete with double slides, water cannons, and a large, translucent splash bucket—the activity tower attracts adventurous waterplayers of all ages and abilities and is accessible for all with a transfer station at the main entry point.

The splash pad surface features Life Floor aquatic surfacing. Continuing the shoreline beach theme, this cushy tile surfacing acts as a supplement to the exciting, above-grade water play features, encouraging kids to crawl through water tunnels, roll around on the splash surface over or through water elements, or sit directly on the padded surfacing as water splashes around them. Wheelchair friendly, the smooth, even surface, and well-spaced water play elements invite waterplayers with diverse mobility needs into the space.

“The water park has certainly achieved its design vision of providing a facility that will improve the social wellbeing of locals and visitors to the region,” said Dr. David Gillespie, Federal Member for Lyne, NSW, Australia. “Providing inclusive recreational spaces for whole-of-community use is so important.”

This project was made possible with funding from the Australian Government, with the remainder of the project funded by MidCoast Council and developer contributions. Making the transformation from a pool to a zero-depth splash pad, Vincent Fazio Park became an inclusive and accessible place for all ages and abilities to enjoy, with lower operating costs, year over year. A huge win for the whole community of Tuncurry.

Project partners:

• Waterplay®
• Life Floor®
• Parkequip
• MidCoast Council