Making a big splash in town

Community responds to online survey about pool options for Port Douglas

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Douglas

Nick Dalton

A REPORT on whether the Port Douglas community supports a $25 million swimming lagoon, a $15m pool or a more humble $1.2m splash park is due to be delivered to a Douglas Shire Council meeting soon.

There have been more than 700 responses to an online survey which closed on March 3.

The survey asked residents about the splash park, a $15m 50m-long swimming pool or the lagoon.

Two parks have been shortlisted for the splash park: Jalumbu Park, on the corner of Mowbray and Garrick streets, or Reynolds Park, on Port Douglas Road, but the pool or lagoon could only fit on Reynolds Park.

The council has funding for the splash park to be opened by May next year but none for a pool or lagoon.

In a statement the council said: “A report on the community engagement for the Port Douglas Aquatic Precinct project will be tabled at a future ordinary council meeting”.

In the meantime construction has started on the $550,000 Mossman Splash Park with excavation work underway.

Councillors met at the Mossman Pool and Caravan Park to mark the start of construction. It is expected to be open to the public by August 2023.

Council contractors have started excavating to install underground pipes.

The project is jointly funded by the council and the Queensland Government which has offered $1.5m to build splash parks in Mossman and Port Douglas. Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said the splash park would draw more local families to the Mossman Pool.

“The splash park will be a fantastic addition to the Mossman Pool precinct which is already

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a really popular venue,” he said.

“Parents will love watching their kids splash around from nearby shady picnic tables and barbecue areas.

“We have more than 1500 preschoolers and primary school students in Douglas Shire, many