The City of Yarra's push for more inclusive play spaces has helped unlock new state funding — with a long-awaited upgrade at George Knott Reserve now on the cards.
George Knott Reserve in Clifton Hill has landed a spot on the Victorian Government's latest round of Pick My Park funding, the statewide grants program for building and upgrading parks and playgrounds.
And this one isn't just about swapping out an old playground for a new one. The $250,000 upgrade includes more seating, better accessible paths, a wider mix of play elements and dedicated places for people to linger and meet — the kind of upgrades that matter in dense suburbs, where backyards are getting smaller and public space has to do more of the social heavy lifting.
Yarra City Council is also looking at whether the play space could be shifted closer to the reserve's existing sports facilities, to better link families in with a broader mix of recreation and complementary spaces.
The reserve is already a major local sporting site — described as Yarra's centre for athletics, catering to all ages and abilities — and the pitch is that a more welcoming play hub could bring sport, informal play and community life together in the one place.
Why Yarra has been pushing so hard for park upgrades
The politics of playgrounds can look small until you live in a "park-poor" neighbourhood — and council has been blunt about the pressures. Yarra has one of the lowest amounts of open space per person.
For residents, the result is expected to be straightforward: a more accessible, engaging places for kids to play — and a more comfortable place for adults to meet and chat.
For the council, it's also a small win in a bigger argument: that public space is infrastructure, and it deserves to be funded like it.
