newy.com.au – City of Newcastle has launched a competition for children under 12 to help name a new cubby house being built as part of the Foreshore Park inclusive playspace and waterplay project on Newcastle’s harbourfront.
The competition is the latest piece of community involvement tied to the Harbour Foreshore Masterplan, with the council saying it has been consulting since 2020 on upgrades to one of the city’s biggest parks and events spaces.
Children are being asked to colour in a picture of the “nuts and bolts” tower structure and submit a suggested name for the cubby house, which will sit underneath the elevated boardwalk at the new playspace.
City of Newcastle Asset Advisory Committee chair Cr Declan Clausen said the council had “been engaging with the community to seek their feedback, collaborate on the design and develop a shared vision for our premier city park and major events space”. He said the newly opened accessible amenities building and the Sunnyboy Park kiosk were the first project delivered under the masterplan.
“The cubby house naming competition is a wonderful way to involve our youngest residents in this project and build anticipation for when they can explore the city’s largest playground for themselves,” Clausen said.
The Foreshore Park projects have been supported by funding from the NSW Government’s Everyone Can Play program, Variety the Children’s Charity, the Touched by Olivia Foundation and the Newcastle Port Community Contribution Fund.
NSW Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said it was “fantastic to see new accessible facilities now open for families to enjoy”, describing the works as focused on making sure “every child and every family feels welcome, included and able to enjoy our beautiful foreshore”. Catley said she was looking forward to the inclusive playspace being completed later this year.
Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said the upgrades would help more people use the park for both major events and everyday visits, adding that the new amenities would provide “high quality, accessible public infrastructure for all Novocastrians to use”. He also welcomed the kiosk being taken on by local operators.
City of Newcastle interim executive director of city infrastructure Rob Dudgeon said construction of the playspace and waterplay area remained on track for completion late this year, with major concrete pours under way for the waterplay areas and footings being built ahead of the elevated play structure’s installation. He said sandstone seating and retaining walls had started across the site, with footpaths and pathway lighting expected to begin soon.
The council is directing families to its Foreshore Park project page and the cubby house competition page for entry details and the colouring in sheet, as further construction updates are shared throughout the year.
