State’s ‘best’ playground about to get better? Plans to add two big slides to St Kilda Adventure Playground

A SPRAWLING suburban playground — dubbed the best in the state after a multi-million dollar upgrade — could be expanded even further as queues for some activities are so long.

St Kilda Wave Slide

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THE ST Kilda Adventure Playground would boast two massive steel slides on the volcano feature under a new plan by a local councillor to double the number of wave slides.

Salisbury Councillor Damien Pilkington has asked council staff to investigate the possibility of duplicating the slide at the playground in response to lengthy queues at the slide each day.

Cr Pilkington wanted staff to find out how much the additional slide would cost and whether there would be any risks associated with his plan. The report is due back in the coming months.

He said a number of residents had approached him about adding another slippery dip to the park.

Kids happily road test the upgraded St Kilda Adventure Playground ahead of its official opening last November. Picture: Dave Cronin

“Whenever I have been down to the St Kilda Adventure Playground, the most popular slide has always been the wave slide, particularly for families with young children because mums and dads can go down the slide with their nervous children, safely,” Cr Pilkington said.

“But one of the drawbacks of the feature is that there is always a long queue to ride the slide, and a lot of people have actually said that we need another one.”

The volcano wave slide was built during the initial construction of the playground in 1982.

Salisbury Council is planning to upgrade the slide in the new financial year, subject to elected members approval at the next full meeting. If approved, repairs would cost about $150,000.

Cr Pilkington said adding the slide at the same time as the upgrades was a no-brainer.

“I figure we are upgrading the slide anyway, so why not just expand it?,” he said.

“It will then reduce the queuing, which will increase the usage rate with more people using it.”

Salisbury brother-and-sister duo, Sheldon and Isis Buckley, regularly visit the playground with their parents and said making the slide bigger would be a great idea.

“It will be really cool because we can play on it and slide down a bigger slide,” Isis, 5, said.

“I love coming here to play. The slides are my favourite part. They’re so much fun.”

Sheldon, 4, said: “Yeah, it will be good. It’s really cool. I want to play on it right now.”

Salisbury Council spent about $600,000 last year upgrading the volcano with three extra slides and a plastic boardwalk, as part of an overall revamp of the site, totalling $3.55 million.

The feasibility report is due back to the council for consideration in the coming months.

TELL US BELOW: What do you think of the plan? Has your child had to wait in line to use the slide?