A seaside park has received a $1.6 million makeover in time for the school holidays.
Lions and Norrie Job Park at Coolum Beach has been revamped following three rounds of community engagement and a locals-led new landscape plan.
This stage has included replacing the existing shelter, new barbecues and furniture, new fitness equipment and softfall, new pathways and a pedestrian bridge, inground services, electrical infrastructure, drainage works, landscape works and signage.
Sunshine Coast councillor Maria Suarez said she was delighted the first stage of works was completed.
“It’s exciting to see the landscape plan, which was designed with and for our people, now brought to life with these improvements that enhance all those things we already love about the park,” she said.
“I’m grateful to those in our community who gave feedback over the past seven years to help inform the final landscape plan.
“This has revitalised this popular outdoor space and made it more welcoming and accessible for everyone in our community.
“What you don’t see above ground is that to facilitate the park upgrade we had to install about 70m of culverts under the park, to improve the site’s functionality.”
The site is actually two parks, Coolum Lions Park and Norrie Job Park.
“Historically, they were divided by an open drain that traversed the site, and a significant amount of design and planning went into connecting the parcels to provide more open space for recreation,” Cr Suarez said.
“It’s now open for our community to enjoy, and the public amenities block is also open to use during daytime hours.”
State Member for Ninderry Dan Purdie welcomed the new-look park.
“When the upgrades are finished the park will be a terrific community asset,” he said.
“This project is a great example of how all three levels of government have come together to meet the needs of our growing and vibrant community.”
Sunshine Coast Council provided funding of more than $1 million and partnered with the Australian Government, which contributed $250,000 through its Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, and the Queensland Government, which provided $250,000 through its Minor Infrastructure Program.
The timing of stages two and three is still to be confirmed.
As part of the future stages and as one of the standout ideas from the landscape plan, council is planning a pump track.
“We listened to what our community wanted and we’ve drafted a concept plan for the pump track,” Cr Suarez said.
“It will be a fantastic addition.”
The pump track is set to kick off construction in mid to late 2025.
