Date

Wednesday, 28 September 2022

Release

Shellharbour City Council will officially open the highly anticipated new play space called ‘The Red Lamp’ at Reddall Reserve this week. 

The community is invited to join Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer on Thursday 29 September from 11am - 1pm in celebrating the opening of this colourful attraction. 

The new play space caters to a range of ages and abilities, allowing for young people in the Illawarra to have a vibrant, safe and inclusive space to enjoy. 

The upgraded equipment is part of the Reddall Reserve Master Plan, which also includes upgrades to the foreshore, kiosk, boat ramp and more. 

The play space follows the local story of ‘The Red Lamp’ by the late John Dorl, which tells of John as a young boy, prawning with his father at Windang. 

Prawners would mark their location on the shore with hurricane lamps but as prawning season became busier, John’s father got hold of a hurricane lantern with red glass, which made it much easier to distinguish theirs from the rest. 

‘The Red Lamp’ features multiple elements including: 
•    8m-high cube multi-tower with rope bridge connected to the ‘red lamp’ structure, which lights at night via solar panels
•    Various slides, tunnels and a wide slide
•    25m flying fox, with an accessible seat
•    Nature play and discovery area 
•    In-ground trampolines 
•    Swing sets including a nest swing 
•    Accessible carousel 
•    Sensory panels and more. 

The space incorporates the inclusive design principles in NSW Government’s Everyone Can Play guideline to enhance opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. 

Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said the play space was a wonderful addition for the city’s families, as well as being an impressive new destination for visitors. 

“‘The Red Lamp’ is an incredible new feature for our city that encourages people of all ages, abilities and cultures to come together,” he said. 

“I am especially pleased that Council worked hard to consult our community on the features they wanted to include. Their feedback and ideas have been incorporated into the design, which is fantastic,” Mayor Homer said. 

Creative Recreation Solutions (CRS) was awarded the contract to build the play space. 

Mayor Homer thanked the NSW Government for assisting with funding the project through the Stronger Country Communities Fund.

For more information: https://letschatshellharbour.com/playground-renewals/reddall-reserve-pla...

To find out more about the story of ‘The Red Lamp’: https://youtu.be/mCV4_ZoJqfg 

Media enquiries: Kelli Wells 0448 361 008
 

Last updated : Wed 5 Oct 2022