Vibrant Towns and Villages

Council is contributing to the economic development of the region and strengthening the social fabric of communities through the revitalisation of towns and villages which reflects their unique heritage and character.

REVITALISING PLAYGROUNDS

The revitalisation of two of the region’s popular playgrounds was completed in May 2019 with the opening of Springleigh Park at Boonah and Moffatt Park at Aratula as part of Council’s 10-year Playground Strategy which is seeing the transformation of key recreational areas throughout the Scenic Rim. A feature of Springleigh Park’s makeover was the installation of a new rock climbing wall which provides a number of challenges combining body strength and coordination as well as the opportunity to experience nature with lifelike discoveries of fossils within the glass fibre reinforced concrete rocks. Works also included the repainting of all playground equipment surfaces, the installation of new soft fall and the inclusion of a new sandstone seating wall. With a tractor at the core of its design, Moffatt Park captures the strong history of the Scenic Rim’s agricultural sector. The playground structure also includes a wheelchair-accessible driving panel as well as two other drivers panels, two large tube slides, a crawling tunnel, talking tubes, an all-abilities swing unit, climbing net, spring play seats and sandstone seating. As well as providing a drawcard for visitors to the region, the park has potential for use as an outdoor learning area for students at nearby Aratula State School whose artwork is featured in the playground. Council’s investment in playgrounds in strategic locations takes into account the needs of the growing number of families in the Scenic Rim and community expectations to provide engaging spaces for young people.

A new play space inspired by Tamborine Mountain’s natural environment was opened just in time for Christmas 2018, delivering some big new toys to the community and Scenic Rim visitors. The park was a team effort between Council and the Lions Club of Tamborine Mountain which contributed $45,000, including a State Government grant, and worked for more than three years on the project. Features of the park include carved timber butterfly totem poles, a dry creek bed, scramble net, tri-tramp net, an embankment slide, a fallen tree and an inclusive swing seat which promotes truly accessible play. The playground, upgraded as part of Council’s 10-year $2.5 million Playground Strategy embodies the nature surrounding the area and includes a commemorative space to recognise the centenary of the foundation of Lions International. Council’s investment in infrastructure not only provides core assets, such as roads and bridges, but also community facilities and amenities which help make the Scenic Rim’s towns and villages a great place to live and raise a family. In June 2019, Lions Park was named one of Queensland’s best playgrounds at an industry awards presentation. Scenic Rim Regional Council’s nature play space, co-designed with Playscape Creations and Mode Design, was a joint winner in the under $500,000 playground category of the Regional Excellence Play and Leisure Australia Awards. Lions Park will be in the running for the National Play and Leisure Australia Award to will be announced on 29 October at a gala event in Perth.

ENHANCING COMMUNITY SAFETY

The amenity and safety of Jubilee Park in Beaudesert was enhanced in 2018-19 with the installation of additional lighting and closed circuit television cameras. A $231,000 grant from the Australian Government’s Safer Communities Fund for the enhancements to the popular recreational area was welcomed by the Beaudesert Chamber of Commerce as encouraging community and business confidence in the safety of the park precinct and by park users who are now able to enjoy the area from early morning into the evening. The park plays a significant role in the region’s tourism industry as a meeting place and rest area for visitors and is at the heart of Beaudesert’s community life as a recreational area for all ages and abilities.

The installation of seven CCTV cameras has provided clear coverage of some 20,300m2 of the park precinct, providing a deterrent to anti-social or criminal behaviour.

It has also assisted in the protection of valuable public assets including playground equipment, the events stage, memorial garden and the Beaudesert Pool and Library as well as neighbouring properties such as the Beaudesert Historical Museum.

The improved lighting and surveillance of the area has resulted in a cleaner and tidier park, a reduction in vandalism and improved perceptions of safety from park users who are making greater use of the area.

OPENING A NEW CHAPTER FOR BEAUDESERT

Davidson Park in Beaudesert was endorsed in June 2019 as the preferred location for a new community hub and library as part of Council’s Vibrant Towns and Villages Program to revitalise the town centre. Funding of $200,000 from the Queensland Government’s Maturing Infrastructure Pipeline Program will enable two detailed concepts to be developed, one for a stand-alone building and another for an integrated facility to incorporate a portion of the existing Council administration building on Brisbane Street. In all of its Vibrant and Active Towns and Villages initiatives, Council’s objective is to deliver a built environment which resonates with residents and yields a social and economic dividend for communities as there is a direct correlation between proactive revitalisation of public spaces into vibrant places resulting in enhanced economic growth, jobs creation and community vitality Community consultation on concepts for the Beaudesert Town Centre has informed Council’s development of solutions for the area north of the Brisbane Street/William Street intersection. As each stage of this project progresses, Council will be communicating with the community to share more of the concepts to finalise the way forward in the Beaudesert precinct.

PRESERVING THE REGION’S HISTORY

The Scenic Rim gained three new significant sites following community consultation on their addition to the Local Heritage Register. In November 2019, Council endorsed the register’s inclusion of Knoll Road and a weir over Plunkett Creek at Tamborine Mountain as well as a private cemetery at Finch Road, Canungra. The Finch Road Cemetery includes the graves of the Smith, Duncan, Christie, Marsden and Murray families and represents an important link to Canungra’s pioneering past as they date back to the 1890s. The weir over Plunkett Creek at Roslyn Court, Tamborine Mountain, was constructed by Norman and Vonda Youngman in 1958 and was evidence of cropping and grazing on Tamborine Mountain in the mid-twentieth century. Knoll Road had played an important part in the settlement of agricultural and tourism industries. As the first road to the plateau of the mountain and the only access route for wheeled traffic between 1877 and 1920, it has special significance for Tamborine Mountain. To ensure Council’s ability to undertake maintenance work on its portion of Knoll Road, an exemption certificate was sought in line with the Queensland Heritage Act 1992.

Moffatt Park’s tractor centrepiece play equipment reflects Aratula’s character.

Lions Park at Tamborine Mountain was a team effort between Council and the local Lions Club.

PLANNING FOR THE LONG TERM

There was a renewed focus on the Scenic Rim’s shared vision for a vibrant community with the adoption in April 2019 of a long-term master plan for an active recreational precinct in Beaudesert. Funding from the Queensland Government assisted Council in the development of the Spring Creek Precinct Master Plan and Implementation Plan 2019, which was adopted following extensive community consultation. The Spring Creek precinct, which includes Jubilee Park, Lions Park and a small section of land to the south, is an important place for people from all backgrounds, ages and abilities in the Scenic Rim to connect and find a sense of belonging. As well as being a popular recreational area, the Spring Creek precinct provides a venue for events such as the Mununjali NAIDOC Day, the Beaudesert Gourmet Street Food Festival during Eat Local Week and Australia Day and Queensland Day celebrations which bring families and the community together in celebration. The master plan takes a long-term view to develop a well-designed space to meet the needs of the Scenic Rim community for the next 10 to 20 years. Priorities outlined in the master plan will be considered against others in the 10-year Capital Works Plan.

Council thanked the community for its feedback which will ensure SCENIC RIM REGIONAL COUNCILthat improvements made to Spring Creek are part of a strong longterm plan that will provide maximum benefit to the Scenic Rim region. The community consultation showed strong support for walking and cycling paths and for natural areas to be developed and/ or maintained. Other desired features included a dog off-leash area, water play features and recognition of the cultural and local history of the site. Proposed Youth Hub

HONOURING THE FALLEN

The 2018 centenary of the Armistice that ended World War One provided a timely opportunity to honour some of the forgotten heroes - the animals and their handlers who have served Australia in war and peace. On Remembrance Day at DJ Smith Park Canungra, Scenic Rim Councillors Nadia O’Carroll and Virginia West joined Canungra RSL Sub Branch President Col Lee and Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation Director Nigel Allsopp in unveiling a new memorial to honour the horses, camels, donkeys, dogs and carrier pigeons and their handlers that have served their country. Council installed the new memorial and ensured the park and its gardens were in immaculate condition for the special centenary commemoration of the end of World War One on 11 November 2018. In addition to the new memorial, and in consultation with the Canungra RSL Sub-Branch, Council also undertook the refurbishment of the 80-year-old memorial to those of Canungra and the surrounding districts who served in World War One and subsequent conflicts.

LOOKING AHEAD Landmark projects that will drive the revitalisation of Beaudesert to boost the region’s economy are key initiatives in Council’s $13.13 million Vibrant and Active Towns and Villages Program in 2019-20. The program includes the $10.72 million expansion of the Beaudesert Business Park - funded with a $5 million contribution from the Queensland Government under the Building Our Regions Fund - a $1 million investment by Council in the first stages of improving traffic movements in Selwyn Street and $550,000 towards improving drainage in the Beaudesert Town Centre. Work, which commenced in the 2018-19 year to revitalise the Boonah Town Centre, is expected to be completed in time for Christmas celebrations in December 2019. Central to this project is the upgrade of the courtyard outside Council’s Boonah Administration Building on High Street to incorporate a shaded alfresco area and seating set amidst public artworks to create a vibrant community space. It also includes the upgrade of the Walter Street car park behind the Council building, with the addition of parking spaces, disability car parking, the installation of retaining walls and construction of a covered walkway with solar panels connecting through to High Street.