Perth’s longest park gets opening date as Metronet’s eastern push comes to fruition

The Cook government’s bid to keep unsavoury characters from gathering under its new elevated rail line will open next month.

Students from East Victoria Park Primary school were enlisted to try out the equipment on Long Park – six hectares of park lands, skate parks and playgrounds under the Victoria Park to Canning elevated rail line – ahead of its official opening on October 12.

School children test out the new playground at Long Park, in Perth’s east.Credit: 9News Perth

The completion of the seven-kilometre park will mark the official end of the $1.54 billion level crossing removal project.

It will feature four new playgrounds; two nature playgrounds; basketball, futsal and netball courts; three skate parks; fitness areas; two dog parks; separated commuter and leisure bike paths; and pop up event spaces.

About 500,000 plants will be planted along the park.

Saffioti said Long Park would address concerns raised about the space under the elevated rail.

“As you can see, the public open space you create when you elevate rail means that you create community assets for generations to come,” she said.

The Cook government’s Metronet vision has so far failed to deliver huge injections of high density housing along rail routes but Saffioti said there were plenty of opportunities along the new Armadale line.

“[Planning Minister John Carey’s] working on plans on how we can uplift the amount of people living in the area, and basically looking at some of this soft, old commercial industrial area becoming more housing,” she said.

“There’s been a couple of development applications submitted for projects along this corridor.

“What we tend to see in particular in areas like this, is that new infrastructure brings with it new investment.“

The Victoria Park to Canning level crossing project was originally slated to cost $1 billion.