Summit Regional Adventure Play Space

Help shape the next adventure at the Summit!

Mount Barker is growing and the district needs recreation infrastructure that responds to a larger and increasingly diverse community.

The Summit Precinct, located off Bald Hills Road, provides an opportunity to create a regional-scale adventure play destination alongside the Summit Aquatic and Leisure Centre, Summit Sport and Recreation Park and the Laratinga Wetlands environment.

This will not simply be another local playground.

The ambition is to develop an iconic regional adventure play space that encourages exploration, imagination, challenge and active play and attracts families from across the district and beyond.

Before the concept is finalised, Council wants future users – particularly children, young people and families – to help shape it.

The design will respond to its unique location, including its environmental setting, connections with Laratinga Wetlands, heritage barns and cultural stories.

Come and tell us what would make an adventure play space worth visiting.

There will be three stages of engagement to develop the design, they include:

1. Visioning and information gathering (happening now)
2. Concept planning (November 2026 - February 2027)
3. Final design (February - March 2027)

Stage 1 - Visioning and Information Gathering

The first stage will focus on understanding the community’s vision for the space and identifying the types of play, activities and experiences the community would like to see.

Engagement will include a visioning and information-gathering workshop with the Family Reference Group, as well as initial internal workshops, a community drop-in session, community survey and school workbooks.

You are invited to the complete this community survey and provide your input into the visioning and information gathering stage.

Stage 2 - Concept Planning

Using the themes and feedback gathered during Stage 1, the design consultants will develop draft concept options for the space.

This stage will also include high-level technical investigations to help determine the most appropriate location and arrangement of elements. Considerations will include pedestrian and vehicle movement, maintenance requirements, environmental protection, flood mitigation and indicative project costs.

Further engagement will be undertaken with the Family Reference Group and other key stakeholders, including Council staff and Executive, to review the draft concepts and help refine the designs.

Stage 3 - Final Concept Design

The final stage will bring together the feedback received during Stage 2 and use it to develop a final concept design for both scenarios.

Once a preferred design has been sufficiently developed and supported by key internal and external stakeholders, including the Family Reference Group, the broader community will have an opportunity to provide final feedback.

This will include a community drop-in session and community-wide survey to seek comments on the final design before the project progresses.