Outdoor fitness equipment in Boroondara

During consultation for our Boroondara Community Plan, we heard that outdoor fitness equipment is highly valued in the community. It provides a free and fun alternative to indoor training for a wide range of people.

We had 8 locations in Boroondara with outdoor fitness equipment. We proposed 4 new locations where we could install more outdoor fitness equipment.

Proposed locations

Our proposed locations for new outdoor exercise equipment are:

Ashburton Park, Ashburton
Highfield Park, Camberwell
Sir William Angliss Reserve, Hawthorn East
Hays Paddock, Kew East.

We decided on these locations based on:

previous feedback we received from the community, including through consultation for the Boroondara Community Plan
a review of the existing outdoor fitness equipment locations
the existing character and services in the parks

the landscape suitability to install the fitness equipment.

Community consultation

In March and April 2022, we asked our community if they support the proposed installation of outdoor exercise equipment at 4 new locations in Boroondara. The surveys to gather community feedback for each of the proposed locations closed on Sunday 3 April 2022.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their feedback on the proposals. We heard from 310 people in total through our 4 online surveys for the locations.

What you told us

The vast majority of people who completed the surveys supported new outdoor fitness equipment being installed at each of the 4 locations. A key theme we heard from the feedback was to also include static Chin-up bars or other upper body strength pieces.

While most people supported the proposals, between 8% to 12% of respondents were not supportive, or weren’t sure about the new equipment at the 4 locations. Common reasons for the lack of support we heard from this group included:

the loss of open space, or the location being already used by residents for something else
that they would rather this outdoor fitness equipment be located further away from, or closer to various other facilities. This includes facilities such as car parks, playgrounds, and shade.
that they would prefer the equipment to be located in a different park.

What we will deliver

Based on the strong support we received for the new equipment during community consultation, we moved forward with the proposals.

The design of the equipment aims to include the community’s most popular requests. Based on community feedback, we added Chin-up bars or similar upper body strength pieces to the equipment at Highfield Park, Hays Paddock and Ashburton Park.

We considered the concerns we heard from some community members about the proposals during consultation. There are many factors we carefully considered when selecting the best placement of the equipment, including:

the closeness to trees and maintaining tree health and stability
the risk of balls flying from sporting activities on the ovals
the ability to provide a wheelchair accessible path to the proposed equipment, while considering existing slopes in the parks
the closeness to other existing hazards, such as the body of water at Hays Paddock.

Due to these and other factors, there were no other suitable locations at each of the parks for the equipment.

We carefully designed the equipment with the aim that it:

does not intrude on, and instead blends in with the natural environment and surroundings
minimises any disruption to nearby recreational activities
suits a range of ages and abilities to provide enjoyment for all.

More detailed information on the survey results for each of the proposed locations and what we delivered at each of these locations is available on our: