Accessible, Inclusive, Innovative

New facilities at Indigo Shire Council’s Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve.

An award winner at the 2022 National Sports Convention, Tania Fountain looks at iDwala’s transformation of Indigo Shire Council’s Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve

Recognising the creation of one of the most inclusive and accessible regional multisport facilities in Victoria, the transformation of Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve involving community sport facility specialist iDwala was a recent winner in the Sport Surfaces category at the 2022 Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards.

Funded through Indigo Shire Council’s receipt of a $1.09 million grant under the Victorian Government’s Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program in August 2020, the project set out to revive the Reserve’s tennis and netball courts to cater for growing demand and compliant facilities.

A major driver of the inclusive design and construction aspect of the project was to cater for the ageing population of the town on the southern banks of the Murray River, along with young families moving to the area. The older users of the Reserve required a safe and inclusive facility that provided easy access and suitable sports surfaces that were gentle on their joints and suitable for slower paced recreation while a desire to increase social and structured tennis and netball for young families and their children had previously not been possible due to the deteriorated and even hazardous existing court surfaces and surrounds/run-offs.

With inclusion at the heart of this project, the aim was to develop a facility catering for all persons that would help increase physical activity across the region - which it has achieved - driving more awareness for superior sporting facilities and participation from the broader catchment area, not only in the Shire of Indigo but in the Riverina region of southern NSW.

Undertaken during 2021, iDwala’s design and construction process took special consideration of the need to deliver accessible and inclusive facilities that would ensure all participants and spectators were able to access, use and depart the entire facility easily and safely.

As a result, the facility now features wider walkways and

entry gates to allow for ease of mobility and disabled access to all ablution facilities. Spectator seating, player shelters and picnic tables all now offer designated wheelchair access along with uniquely designed water fountains that are accessible for all abilities.

A comprehensive lighting upgrade was carried out with an advanced LED system installed that not only creates reduced spill lighting at night and optimal competition lighting, but also features lower control panels for wheelchair users. The system also incorporates a relay switch for delayed blackout and can also be operated remotely via a smartphone app.

Offering full wheelchair friendly facilities that benefit both participants and spectators alike, the facility also meets the compliant court requirements of Tennis and Netball Victoria.

The design of the Reserve was undertaken by iDwala in close partnership with the Council, a nominated and locally based working group of six persons and members of the Recreation Reserve Committee of Management.

Extensive stakeholder engagement was carried out by iDwala throughout the design phase of this project where Managing Director George Devenish, an experienced sports court designer and consultant, explained and provided example visuals of the finished outcome to create a comprehensive understanding of the proposed plans, drawn from the original vision of all stakeholders.

This approach helped the understanding of non-technical minded members of the working group, through to the retired engineers and now ‘tennis goers’ at the Wahgunyah Tennis Club. With such a diverse range of stakeholders within the working group aging between 28 and 70 years old, Devenish was successful in understanding their vision and identifying optimised solutions to further transform and improve the inclusiveness of the facility and help to increase accessibility of the overall reserve.

During the design process Devenish identified that far more

Courts at the Wahgunyah Recreation Reserve, before (above left) and after.

inclusive design considerations were available to Councils than what was being considered.

As he explains “councils who are looking to develop brand new or transform existing facilities into inclusive and accessible sports and recreation hubs would benefit from adopting the design considerations included in this facility.”

Explaining the project’s “biggest challenge”, as being the construction of the new concrete pavement during a very wet winter, Devenish notes that “programming of works with suppliers and subcontractors was key to ensure that works were completed in appropriate sequence.

“This also included an excellent working partnership with Council to ensure that all inspection and hold points were inspected with no delay which ensured that we managed to get the pavement constructed just as winter settled in.

“We also selected to pour two courts at a time per day, using a laser screed to ensure volume of concrete works could be achieved and also the requirements for an even surface that conforms to the +/- 3mm over a three metre straight edge requirement.”

Surfacing Information Hard Court: Acrylic - Laykold Advantage - Manufactured by APT Asia Pacific Australian made Laykold Advantage was the selected surfacing system for the Reserve’s two netball/tennis multisport courts and the single netball court.

Installed by Grand Slam Surfaces, the courts offer tennis players a medium to fast-paced court and a suitable slipresistant surface for netballers. Soft Court: Synthetic Turf - SuperGrasse - Manufactured by APT Asia Pacific Australian made and ITF certified SuperGrasse Court Turf PE was the selected surfacing system for the project’s two tennis courts.

Installed by True Turf FX, this popular choice of sand filled synthetic grass is free from heavy metals and provides a cushioned experience for elderly players looking to enjoy tennis on a medium to slow court. Project Orientation Orientation of the site is positioned North to South, although the existing netball court that was purely resurfaced and amended to include suitable run-offs to meet Netball Victoria specifications, remains in an east to west orientation.

That said, the redeveloped facility now has greater flexibility to coordinate four tennis matches at the one time, or three netball games at the one time which is further supported with exceptional LUX lighting for day or night activity, which it didn’t have before.

All courts at the Reserve are now Netball and Tennis Australia compliant with all new court constructions developed in a north to south orientation. Outcomes In addition to widespread commendation for the project, its proven outcomes have already seen: •Significant increases in player registrations for the

Wahgunyah Tennis Club •Wahgunyah Primary School extending its school sports programs to now include regular use of the courts •Social tennis has spiked with elderly members of the community now enjoying tennis on the synthetic grass courts which provide a slower pace •The Recreation Reserve Committee expanding its offering and introduce a mixed mid-week tournament •Membership registrations have increased at the

Wahgunyah Football Netball Club with netball activation steadily increasing and now attracting additional participation from the NSW border town of Corowa. •Access between the courts and the club house no longer requiring members to travel across uneven grass/rocks, so more of the ageing population have started using the courts for recreational purposes.

Funding for the site came after several years of campaigning for new courts, with the Council contributing $121,318 in addition to the Victorian Government’s Stimulus Program funding.

Devenish also acknowledges the work of Jayme Collins, Indigo Shire Council’s Coordinator of Capital Works and Wes Canny, President of Wahgunyah Football Netball Club (WFNC). Tania Fountain is Director at Fountain Marketing + Media Pty Ltd. Recognising innovations to get more people active in the community and reduce the environmental impact of sport, the Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards have been created by and are presented at the National Sports and Physical Activity Convention. The project has also been named the first place winner in the Design category at the 2022 Sports and Play Industry Association (SAPIA) Awards.