Light at the end of the tunnel as final design for the long-awaited Glenthorne National Park revealed
Maze, check. Tree tower, check. Obstacle course, check. It’s all part of a new $20m national park plan set to create an incredible space for kids, and parents alike to enjoy.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The final designs for what will be become one of Adelaide’s most Instagrammable play spaces have been unveiled.
Glenthorne Farm will become home to a multimillion-dollar landmark playground under a joint Marion Council and state government plan to transform the area into the “St Kilda of the south”.
The $3.2m Nature Play Precinct will be the centrepiece of Glenthorne National Park makeover which is expected to cost over $20m.
Speaking at Tuesday night’s council meeting, project manager Jarrod Eaton said the inclusive space would feel like a national park the moment you walk into it.
“Stage one of the precinct has a long entry road that really provides an entry experience for people coming into the precinct,” he said.
He said tree plantings and landscaping in the entryway will highlight the existing natural heritage.
There will be a number of play spaces within the site for children to enjoy, including a maze walk, a tree tower, and an obstacle course.
The precinct is designed for children of all ages, cultures and degrees of mobility to enjoy in imaginative and creative play in a natural setting.
Damian Schultz from architecture firm Taylor Cullity Lethlean said the space would have something for everyone – even parents.
“Our tunnels will be accessible to those in wheelchairs or people that are mobility impaired, so the experience of moving through this rocky escarpment, we anticipate this will be a space that will become an intergenerational learning space,” he said.
“There is an elevated tree tower that will allow children to make cubbies on their own right, you can just imagine the number of Instagram shots that will come through from something like that.”
In 2018, the government signed a memorandum of understanding with University of Adelaide to take over ownership of Glenthorne Farm.
Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said the concept images include a nature play area as well as plenty of green, open space for people to enjoy.
“In coming months and years the Glenthorne Precinct – a 1500-hectare network of open space
which includes Glenthorne National Park-Ityamaiitpinna Yarta, Marino Conservation Park, Hallett Cove Conservation Park, Happy Valley Reservoir, and areas of the Field River Valley – will be transformed into an environmental and recreational hub,” Minister Speirs said.
“Glenthorne is one of the jewels in the crown of our plan to provide South Australians with better access to green, open space and I look forward to seeing this site thrive for generations to come.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Light at the end of the tunnel as final design for the long-awaited Glenthorne National Park revealed
Join the conversation
‘World class’: SA-made Netflix series compared to world’s biggest shows
A new South Australian-made Netflix show has drawn comparisons to hit TV dramas days after its launch and the director will return to SA next year for a new instalment of a classic film also filmed in the state.
Read more
Crisafulli triumphs after rollercoaster night of shocks, heartbreak and history
David Crisafulli will become Queensland’s 41st premier after defeating Labor and scraping together a majority LNP government for the first time in a decade. Here’s how it happened.
Read more