Children flocking to Burnside Council’s new pump track

Hundreds of children have already enjoyed Burnside’s new $60,000 portable pump track that has been set up in the carpark of the council’s civic centre in Tusmore.

Burnside’s new $60,000 pump track is already proving popular with locals, with hundreds of children using it in the fortnight since it opened.

The portable track – which caters for bikes, skateboards, scooters and in-line skates – has been set up in Burnside Council’s civic centre carpark, as the first part of a year-long trial.

Richelle Martin, who founded Skate the East to lobby for a skate park in the district, says she has been “blown away” by the track’s popularity since it opened on February 20.

“This is the chance for the kids and the youth to get out and show how popular it is and how much they’re using it,” Mrs Martin says.

“The launch weekend there must have been 40 kids on the pump track at once and they were all patient and let the younger kids have their go.

“I’d think surely by now it would be over 10,000 laps on it so far.”

Burnside Council’s pump track is up and running in the carpark of its civic centre in Tusmore.

The track, which can be assembled in a matter of hours, will be at the civic centre in Tusmore until June 15.

It will then be moved to Newland Reserve in Erindale until September 15, then to Miller Reserve in Linden Park until November 30 before a final stint at Kensington Park Reserve until February 22 next year.

The 12-month trial is aimed at measuring community support for a permanent skate park.

“This is a really good compromise for the people who want a permanent skate park but won’t be able to get it straight away,” Mrs Martin says.

“We want to be proactive and do this trial and get the kids involved and hopefully move forward with it.”

Six-year-old Beau, who was one of the first to trial the track, says it is “super awesome”.