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| As the population on the West End peninsula grows, how can we shape the future of Davies Park and make the most of its vibrant local culture for the current and future community?
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My name Is Stephen Morrisey Owner of Ride on bmx store on Boundary Street, Westend.
For years Brisbane city has been without an Updated Good Skatepark for use of the inner city people.
The Proposed Area in Davies park would be a Perfect place for such a Facility.
Some of the Wolrds Best Skateborders and Bmxers are From Brisbane and mostly have hat to retreat to the Suburbs
or the gold coast for use of such facilities.
It would be an amazing opportunity to bring a Quality facility into the Heart of Westend only a stone throw away from the City.
With the Demand put on the Youths and alike today to stay off the streets as per The New "Law prohibiting use of a skateboard"
at Nite on the streets. where are the Kids supposed to Go?
I have Been a Bmxer of All levels and Travelled the world over my 15 years of involvement in Bmx freestyle and can clearly see that this
would be an Amazing Asset to Not only Westend but also Brisbane City.
If you want to keep kids off the streets and not at home playing Video games then providing a quality Park Like Melboune/Sydney/Canberra even Cairns have them in the heart of the city
even The Gold Coast which has taken the opportunity to Invest in 4 new Million Dollar parks on the coast which has been nothing but a massive Success.
With Bmx and skateboarding being one of the Biggest youth activites that are a "Non TEAM" event that involves Exercise/Culture often in Urban dominated Enviroments it is one of the most Natural activities a youth or Individual could do in an area like the Westend/City enviroment.
Every Suburb has at cricket feild/football/pitch/basketball court.
i urge anyone to head to the closest skate Park of facitliy on a weekend or afternoon and compare it to the same football feild.
Even take Nerang Skatepark which the Gold Coast city council has Recently invested in and day at any time the Park is Alive with People. to be honest i have never been there when there is less than 20 kids or individuals.
I own a Bmx / Skate store in Boundary street and we have a Slew of Kids and alike that come into the area and one thing that they all agree on is the lack of Decent Facilities in Brisbane City. No one wants to see kids Trying to Ride or skate Private Property in the City but what options do they really have, is it fair that they have to retreat to the Suburbs to find one? and if the smaller suburbs can see the advantage and Support it then why would Brisbane City and Westend not be able to.
Anyone that has walked Down Boundary street or Westend on a weekend would agree the Urban Lifestyles are alive and kicking in this Sector of Brisbane City.
Should Kids and locals in the City Area really have to travel out to the suburbs to find a Facility?
Brisbane City is taking massive steps to Promote healthy Living and Cycling but they have forgotten a huge part of Cycling which is Bmx.
and its a known fact that alot of People live nearer to the City rely less on Cars to live, so this also Disadvantages them.
I am 29 have been riding for 15 years and at a Professional Level Traveling the World and both of these sports are definately "NOT" a kids only activity with an attraction to "trouble making" which sometimes it gets labeled unfairly.
Not every Kid wants to Play Football and not every Bike rider wants to Ride through the bush or along a Bike path or Road for motivation.
With one of the Strongest Cycleing scenes in Australia and with Skateboarding one of the most Popular Urban sports this would be a great opportunity to Give an amazing Facility to the Youth and area Of Westend and Brisbane.
there is a million Coffee shops / football feilds / Cycle paths / car parks / Bars / Pubs / Basketball courts / markets / BBQ areas
but Brisbane is the only City in Oz that has no Decent Skatepark.
Beenleigh has a five star park
Caloundra has a five star park
Nerang has a Five star park
Caboolture has a five star park
Capalaba has a five star park
Kuraby has a five star park
last time i looked Brisbane was the Heart of QLD?
Westend Has no park and the city has just outlawed skateboarding. lets give something positive to the area that will be used and give a great Asset to not only Westend but Brisbane City.
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I'm in total agreement with Steve.
I'm 17 years old and ride BMX, on weekends myself and my mates love to go riding and usually we have no choice but to travel all the way to Beenliegh or Kuraby etc. The thought of having a decent park that is nice and close is very exciting and it would be a great investment for local shops as well.
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Hi Stephen and Daniel,
Thanks for your interest in the Davies Park Master Plan process and thank you for your valuable suggestions. The project team will be sure to keep these suggestions on the agenda throughout the Master planning process. We encourage the community's diverse and creative input, however not all ideas, values and visions can be included in the final master plan. I would encourage you to come along to the community workshop on the Saturday 7th November at Souths Leagues Club 2-5pm with an optional pre-workshop park tour starting at 1pm at the river-side entry to Souths on-site in Davies Park.
Thanks again for your interest and I look forward to your continuing involvement in the Davies Park Master Planning process.
Regards,
Paul
Davies Park Master Plan Project Team
Community Facilities, Sport & Recreation
Brisbane City Council
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I agree with the other guys- Davies Park represents a perfect opportunity to answer the case for the unorganized masses of West End and the CBD to have a decent youth precinct!!! I have campaigned the Lord Mayor in the past for such a facility, suggesting under the new Hale St Bridge as an all weather option, and although I received a reply, it was not adopted. However, my reply from the Lord Mayor did say this:
'The research undertaken to develop the Skate Facility Strategy has identified a need for a facility within the CBD area' (letter reply dated 22 October 2008 signed by Campbell Newman, Office of the Lord Mayor).
I totally agree with Stephen, you'd be hard pushed to find another park facility that experiences as constant and regular use as a skate park. And, with most children owning a wheeled toy these days (scooter, BMX, roller blades and skateboards- with variations evolving daily), skate parks supply a forum for interesting and intensely active recreational pursuits. Obesity is growing, as the other guys state, this facility in this location would be an ideal incentive for kids as a great destination, being enmeshed into a major existing cycle path and footpath area. And research is showing that challenging and creative exercising multiplies the benefits of exercise- skating and similar activities are great for brain development as well as the muscles- the kids of Brisbane should not be denied!
While skate facilities do attract predominantly youth users, they are not exclusively for youth- I am in my 30's and only started skating 3 years ago- its much more fun than driving an hour to the beach to go surfing. Youth, different types of users, young kids, to old guys like me, learn important sharing skills and the kind of cooperation we all need to experience in the increasingly busy inner city. As for the negatives, the more users attracted to the facility the lower the incidents of anti social behaviours. The design is important, however, the problems associated with anti social behaviours can become greater without such places to go for active recreation.
The skate parks themselves are evolving as fast as non organized recreational pursuits themselves. There are Youth Plazas, such as the Redlands one at Capalaba that regularly host contests and music/cultural events. The same facility does not need to be exclusively used by skaters- it could be utilized by the markets on Saturdays if needed, skate park users are adaptable and are used to sharing space! It might not even look like a skate park with acres of concrete, it could be a large linear path with the odd robust features, such as benches and blocks, or a stage area etc.
So come on BCC, please listen! And I'm sure that for every person who writes in, there are heaps more who are out there looking for somewhere to ride, meet people and hang out together!! Davies Park is a great chance for a multi user, multi use, all purpose skatable community asset!!
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I am the father of a 5 yr old, who we took to his 1 st skate park probably 7 months ago, since then Jack his Mum and myself have been hooked, it gets us out of the house and we spend time together as a family, and the skills he has learnt are unbelievable. Has anyone ever seen how good it looks for a five year old to drop into a 5' bowl or jump out of a 6' bowl or clear a box, he has cleared a spine and done a transfer, all of this takes practice and lots of it, but it looks great and the kids love it when they do it for the first time, and they all high five each other and whistle and cheer when they achieve a new level of riding skills. My son has been helped by kids probably as young as 9 years old through to adults, it really brings a community together.
When he takes his helmet off, his head is drenched with sweet sometimes the sweet literally runs out of his helmet, and just last night when I picked his skirt up off the floor some 3 hours later is was still very damp from sweet, surely this must be healthy,I cannot tell you how much water he drinks, and I do wish someone would subsidize his food bills, and yet we hear all too often from Governments and medical professionals how kids are becoming obese and how we all need more exercise.
Surely it would be better to have Bikes, Skateboards and Scooters off the road and footpaths. I think the closest skate park to the city would be Fairfield and that would be a long way for kids to travel. Lots of people who are at these parks are too young to have a licence.
We spend a lot of time outdoors and there are plenty of parks around Brisbane and the southeast to have a BBQ or walk in, there are plenty of sporting fields for team sports such as football, but it is difficult to find skate parks and they are often so crowded it is hard for people to ride to their full potential.
So we really feel it would be an important consideration for Davies park to have a skate area.
JACK'S Dad
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I have been living in Brisbane for the past 17 years and have had some involvement over that time with several of the skate facilities that have been built. One of the greatest restrictions I have seen during that time on the design and development of parks has been the ward system that the council operates under. Every park that has been built has been built not with catering to the city of Brisbane in mind, but catering to the individual wards that the parks are being built in. Although this has resulted in a large number of facilities being built, they have all been impacted by budgetary restrictions, space allocation and the desire for the ward councillors to only cater to their constituency.
Although some kind of Skate Facility Strategy was developed and identified a need for a new CBD facility, no action has been taken to address that need. Suitable locations have never been identified although suggestions by members of the skateboarding community and most likely by the BMX community have been made. Upgrades to facilities such as Paddington have not been highly considered, even though Paddington itself is well past its use-by date.
A youth precinct at Davies Park would certainly fit the bill and considering the size Davies Park, the footprint for such a facility would be only a small percentage of the space that appears available. Being an active skateboarder with 3 children who are showing some interest in the sport, I am certainly keen to see something that completely addresses the growing needs of Brisbane's skateboarding community as well as those of the BMX community.
I strongly urge anyone who would like to see Brisbane with a world class skatepark to attend and express their interest.
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Brisbane lacks good skate parts in the inner city - given the population growth being planned for West End, Council need to provide a diverse range of recreational facilities - skating and BMX is a great outlet, especially for young people, and Davies Park would be a great location.
Tristan Peach
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A skate or BMX area for kids and young adults would be a fantastic addition. But lets not forget the older amoung us. I'd like to see an increase in multipurpose fitness circuits/stations like I've seen in Melbourne and Sydney parks. I've seen them do wonders in terms of patronage and user interaction with the parks.
Peter K
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| I agree with the comments above, Brisbane is in need of a Skate/BMX facility near the CBD. As it stands at the moment Brisbane does not have a Vert Ramp, the closest to skate is at Beenleigh or Morayfield. I would propose in addition to a skatepark that a World Class Competition type vert ramp be included in any plans. This could showcase talent from around the world and bring huge interest to the city of Brisbane. It would also provide a fantastic opportunity for Brisbane to nurture any potential for Vert skateboarding. Many of the "stars" of the sport are Vert skaters and it would be great to see a hometown hero representing us!
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I too agree that Davies Park would be a great place to centrally locate a 5 star skatepark.
I like the idea of a large, free to use facility that could accomodate international standard competition.
I certainly would take advantage of the facility. There is such a dire need, and with the negative move of banning of skateboarding in the CBD its only fair that some of the slack should be taken up this way. People will always skate the streets whether its legal or not, so this is a good, positive way to limit the use of the CBD streets by skaters/bladers/bikers.
One interesting idea could be a skateable art gallery. For a long time part of the creativity of the above sports has revolved around terrain and obstacle selection, in conjunction with trick selection, to create a unique combination or movement which expresses the individual. Some of the more interesting and unique sculptures around Brisbane make for great skateboarding terrain, so why not build a collection of pieces designed artistically that have a dual purpose of providing truly unique terrain. This may also aide in beautifying the space.
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| I agree with the guys a skate park in the city would be great for brisbane. with a skate park in the city the police and council won't have to chase skaters out of the city streets etc.... bring on the skate park! JP! www.jpsfreshbread.com
www.jpsfreshbread.com
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A really decent skatepark of international standard would not only give brisbane youth the opportunity to practise at this level it would attract international and national professional skateboarders to brisbane. The youth of brisbane need something like this to keep them occupied and striving to better themselves as sports people. Skating is a way for youth to express themselves and at the same time to burn some of that excess energy, it keeps them fit and active and therefore channels that energy into areas that will only benefit them. Otherwise youth will burn it off in any way they can, which includes doing silly and illegal things. A professional vert ramp will not only attract alot of youth attention it could possibly stimulate good international competions, which not only benefit the youth of brisbane but the whole west end community. I agree with a comment above that suggest art being incorporated into the skate park so it is expressive and creative, interactive and enjoyable for all to view.
Maria Hauff
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| I'd love a skate park in West End or South Brisbane but I also think we need to keep the open playing fields. When I visited the park on Sunday there were family groups playing touch football, soccer and another playing cricket. I think with the growing West End population it is vital to maintain as much green space as possible. The road through the park should go and be replaced by bike access. Montague Road needs a crossing. It would be great to remove the fences but who would then maintian the fields? The Davies Park soccer field had been vandalised before the weekend. My main concern is if you take away the fields they are gone forever and we will never be able to get that much open space back in West End.
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| PS How much space would a skate park require? Is there anyway of incorporating it and still maintaining two fields?
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| I have been playing soccer at Davies park for 5 years and it is the best example I have ever seen of a sport facilitating participation in community. As a woman I have never been particularly interested in team sports but I love the team, the community and the club. As a consequence of being in the club and having a home ground at Davies park for training and playing I feel extraordinarily connected to my community. I can't walk down the street without seeing someone I know and as a consequence attend other community events at the school (even though I don't have kids at the moment). Our team is extremely inclusive and includes homeless people (for whom it is a major motivation to go on living and their only opportunity to participate as an equal member of society), rich people, poor people, single mums and people with disabilities. The field is also accessed by other team sports, kids kicking a footy, frisbee players and people just grateful for a decent chunk of green space in an increasingly urbanised area. It would be a tragedy to the club to lose our field as we have spent years fundraising to build water tanks, lay turf and other field maintenance activities and I believe it would be a tragedy for the community at large as well as future generations. Soccer is the sport with the highest participation rates for girls and boys in Australia - these kids will want somewhere to play when they grow up and somewhere to take their kids to have a run around. Losing the soccer field in Davies park is just counter intuitive when you think that obesity is such a significant community health issue. All those people in high rises are going to need to run around somewhere....
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My name is Clint Millar & I own & run Australia's major BMX brand, Colony BMX. I have been a rider at professional level for many years now & have travelled the world far & wide riding my bike since 1988.
Australia has one of the best BMX scene's in the world & this is widely attributed to the Australian spirit to get things done. We also have some of the best BMX parks in the world, except here in Brisbane City.
I agree with Steve & the others above that West End should indeed become a leader in this & get a modern day BMX park for this area. This would definitely become a great asset to the youth of Brisbane for many years to come.
Many thanks,
Clint Millar - Colony BMX
www.colonybmx.com.au
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In response to Linda and Rickii,
I don't think the playing fields need to be affected at all, the beauty of a skatepark is it's versatility, it takes far less space than playing fields, needs little to no upkeep and can deliver more activity per person in terms of area than a game on a playing field and people don't have to wait an hour or more for someone to finish playing to have their go. this can be seen at many other skateparks around, such as Fairfield and the sporting fields next to it, Beenleigh and it's parks, Capalaba and their playing fields, the list goes on. What this area needs though is something world class, I like Matt's idea of utilizing art and sport in the one element in way of skateable objects of art, this really does sit well with the cultural aspects of West End. A World Class vert ramp would be well suited in this area, it would draw worldwide attention and attract many spectators to this beautiful corner of inner Brisbane.
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I completely agree with all of the riders / skaters that have put the ideas in for the skatepark. It is a fantastic idea and youths from all around Brisbane will enjoy it emmensly. I have been riding bmx for a couple years now and the CBD definetely does lack a skatepark, not only will it give us a decent place to ride, we won't have to result in trying to ride inner city and find ledges and gaps.
Dillon (Bmxer)
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| I totaly agree that a world class Skatepark facility would be good use of this public space in Brisbanes inner city area. I have lived in Brisbane for most of my life and prior to traveling overseas recently, I have lived in WestEnd for five years.I have had many good times and enjoyable Moments in Davies park from jogging to BBQ,s with friends and family.I feel that To build a high quality facility of this kind in this area would give a large section of brisbanes inner-city community access to free and acessibale recreational sporting activity.Not every one feels at home in a team sport like football or cricket. Skateparks provide a training area for serious and dedicated athletes and beginners alike to pursue some of the fastest growing sporting activities.
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Hi,
Yes a skate/bike park somewhere in West End would be a good idea. If for one reason or another it could not be placed in Davies Pk, perhaps there is some other park that it could go to. Musgrave Pk, or perhaps some land the BCC (or interested parties in partnership with the BCC) could acquire. Quite a lot of the area earmarked for development in West End is industrial land situated away from residential dwellings.
The skate park at Fairfield is extremely well used which is surprising for one of the lowest density suburbs in Brisbane. Litter and safe crossing of roads is an issue at this location though.
Might be a worthwhile thing, especially if a shop or skate brand came on board as well to sponsor it and oversee its upkeep.
Just my 2c
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Highly support this initiative! Brisbane needs a quality skate park - a great outlet for the youth of Brisbane to enjoy a healthy activity.
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| I too agree with having a skatepark built at Davies park. Not only as im a Bmxer, but travelling 1/2 an hour to beenleigh in a car every week gets a bit annoying and expensive. I new skatepark at Davies park will give the kids/adults the chance to have a 5 star skatepark down the road not the highway. A skate park would offer a space for all ages, from primary kids to adults of all ages. And will Keep the skaters and Bikers off the street and getting in trouble. Not forgetting the huge popularity of Scooters these days. Regards, Dylan
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| Clearly the BMX/Skate society has ganged together to lobby this website for a park for them. Congrats on your organisation. Whether you get what you want or not, the one thing that MUST be taken into account is the current use of the park. Space should remain for the rowing clubs, the Souths League club, the West End Partisans, QLD Volleyball and the markets. These clubs/teams, etc. have a long standing history with this area and to lose or force them elsewhere would be a terrible loss. The ADDITION of a skate park could work, but to lose one of the existing users of the park would be a travesty. From the posts here, it looks like there is a need for a skate park somewhere. Surely there are other locations this could be located. Isn't there already a disused park in Paddington/Ashgrove that could be upgraded, or another location in West End? Whatever happens, any solution that will remove any of the current users of the park will be a big mistake and will affect the whole community.
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Hello my name is Jack Birtles.
I live in New farm brisbane, i have lived here all my life and have skated and rode BMX for most of my life.
I believe that a park in West end is ideal. There is vast majority of parks around Brisbane that spread far out, which cover the region quite well.
except for the city central area. Which seems to be forgotten about.
The only park that is rather central, is paddington and it is to be honest much to be desired compared to the standard of new parks.
The idea of a skate park in Davies park is a great idea and I will strongly support it, as i imagine the whole skateboarding and riding community will also.
thanks Jack
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| THE WEST END PARTISANS FOOTBALL CLUB grew out of the West End community, out of community tournaments and kickarounds until we formed ourown club 16 years ago. It is multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and transgenderal. We started with one team now we are 9, and we could be more with better facilities. We are the nearest soccer club this side ofYeronga, which given the population of the area is extradordinary. To further develop the club we need lights, and changing facilities for kids and other folk. The tower down the bottom of the hill is a gas stripping tower from the town I was born in in Yorkshire. As a founding member of the club I take great pride in where my heart is, West End.
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| Hi Jack. What is wrong with a major upgrade of the existing park you talk about? Surely this is a better option than the possibility of forcing out other existing users of Davies Park. At least the current users of an upgraded skate park would be rewarded with better facilities, those people who head out to Beenleigh would have closer facilities and nobody would lose out.
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| The comments below have been contributed by a member of the Davies Park Reference Group and local resident, Judy and have been posted with her permission. Highlighting a possible night life in the park not just the day time - Outdoor movies or even seasons of light Opera or mini jazz orchestras or gypsy dance bands with the stage at one end of that avenue of trees currently fenced and the audience sitting in the avenue - concert halls and avenues of trees can quickly become 'holy" places and I think that could easily be achieved at Davies Park.
- Really featuring the trees for example as they are often featured at Woodford, special lighting from the ground up or even either permanently or occasionally particular projections into the trees. The man who lights the trees for Woodford use to live locally I believe. Also, Craig Walsh a local Brisbane artist specialising in public and festival art use to fly all over the world projecting images into trees for festivals and it can be extremely beautiful and thought provoking - a human body or face projected into a tree at night - A wonderful esoteric reminder of the relationship between all living things. And so Davies Park could become a magnet for people to picnic or be entertained together at night even as New Farm Park attracts people of a day with the rose garden. It would also be potentially one hell of a look over the river to Toowong/Milton when driving down Coro Drive.
- Another idea taken from Woodford is the beautiful way they use outdoor light fittings to define their laneways and the entire festival site. I actually asked a friend and public Artist, Julia Bell to design some light fittings for the winding path through Davies Park which she did inspired by the Cordaline - big marooned leaf, sub-tropical plant which appears all over Brisbane and made from steel and clips and wires used on yachts but sadly the prototype was never built and the order never filled. They sure would look great on that laneway which winds through the park. and the designs are still in her sketch book.
- All these lighting ideas are so good for safety related issues too.
- As you drive out of Davies Park on to Montague Road, if you look to the right hand side (I think it is the side of the building which BCC is thinking of buying), you will see three walls - very square which recede backwards three times - so each wall is a meter or so further back than the one before. It seemed possible that we could do some installation projection art there. maybe three projectors installed off those walls so that when a car drives by or people walk by they are triggered and send a stream of three images down that receding wall - or it could be words - poetry or just single words. Maybe "Surviving & thriving in the 21st Century" or "PEACE, HOPE, JOY". Or "Clean Water, Fresh Air and Local Food" etc etc etc. Or I am sure a public artist will have something more challenging or poetic.
- In an old fantasy for the park, show business and specifically LIVE MUSIC featured heavily in my plans. I saw a big neon sign on Montague saying LIVE MUSIC with an Arrow to the old club;
- In that same fantasy the building on Montague road became a show biz head Office and semi trailers with great production gear and sets could drive in and unload there in preparation for Festivals in the park or big gigs at the old club and/or some of the Montague Road building facilitated hospitality and entertainment too.
- It seems the old Clubs days are numbered but personally I have to say I love it for its complete unpretentiousness or lack of calculated design - kind of refreshing in this world in some ways. It seems a shame that it has never really had serious hospitality managers with money in there and given the upstairs room's fantastic potential for boutique live music gigs with that absolutely fabulous deck under the trees and hidden away from the world.....? What a party space. I had a whole plan for re-vamping the old club house and a promotions and marketing plan too if by some long chance it ever became possible.
- In 2002, I remember a company group booking the deck for a drunken lunch away from general public view where they spent a couple of thousand dollars on Greek banquets and vino. Also that year we produced two, three week seasons of a single cabaret show presented and marketed like theatre - in a three week season. one was Barbara Fordham singing tom Waits with the Trevor Hart Quartet and the other Barbara Fordham as part of the Brisbane Festival singing Besse Smith (30's US blues) We averaged 80 people per night - with no advertising dollars just a flyer and gig listings - four nights per week and the kitchen and bars hummed all night. and people found us because we had a draw card local act and even overcame the confusing disaster of road works and building sites chaos right at the Jane Street entrance as the rowing sheds were installed.
- I have seen the old club house work as a lunch venue during the week and attract reasonable patronage on week nights too in 2002, though, eventually inconsistent management drove away their own business.
- Maybe there should be some discussion with Brisbane Major Festivals group too about there need or desire for venues and how they could use Davies Park.
- The final idea is some sort of public art and possibly educational installation featuring all of the small animals who would have once lived on the bank of the river down there - imagine the birds- multi coloured parrots, butterflies, fish, possums? wombats? water rats? mud crabs, snakes, lizards etc etc. A sad reminder of what lived there once and of what is still to be protected and looked after in Australia today.
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Forum Member
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Last Login: Yesterday @ 10:56 AM
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| As much as I would like to see a local skate park, I strongly agree with brisnick and would hate to see the existing community users forced out of Davies Park. Moving the soccer pitch away from West End would certainly bring an end to the club.
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