Play your way at Gartside Reserve!
An update on the Gartside Reserve playground upgrade, Dingley Village
Earlier this year, we consulted with the local community on our draft concept design for the playground upgrade at Gartside Reserve in Dingley Village. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback!
We have addressed your concerns and adjusted the design to better support your needs. Based on feedback received, we have updated the design to:
Remove the speaking tubes.
- Create an exciting agility course suitable for a wide range of ages.
- Changing the asparagus and tin rocker to animals.
- Expanded the Nature Play area to create more play opportunities.
The final design includes:
Upgrading the combination unit to a tower unit (incl. junior and senior tube slides)
- An agility obstacle course
- Cup spinner
- Two rockers – Lady Bird and Echidna
- Swing set (junior and senior)
- Pendulum social swing
- Nature play with rock balancing and steppers
- New picnic shelter (incl. accessible picnic tables)
- New bike racks, drinking fountain, bins, and accessible pathway.
- New tree planting and garden beds
The existing basketball half-court will be retained, having recently been updated with a new basketball tower and repainted.
Construction
We look forward to delivering this exciting project for the local community in mid-2026.
We’re excited to be planning for the upgraded playground at Gartside Reserve in Dingley Village! A draft design has been developed, and we would like to know your thoughts.
The new playground area has been designed to offer an inclusive experience and play environment for all. Highlights of the design include:
- Upgrading the combination unit to a tower unit (incl. junior and senior tube slides)
- An agility obstacle course
- Cup Spinner
- Two Rockers - Asparagus Rocker, Tin Rocker*
- Swing set (junior and senior)
- Pendulum social swing
- Speaking tubes
- Nature play with rock balancing and steppers
- New picnic shelter (incl. accessible picnic tables)
- New bike racks, drinking fountain, bins and accessible pathway
- New tree planting and garden beds
The existing basketball half-court will be retained, after recently being updated with a new tower and re-painted.
*These are to reference the Gartside Family who the reserve is named after. They operated a vegetable canning business.
View the draft playground design
Have your say
Share your thoughts on the draft design by completing the online survey below.
You can also make submissions by emailing info@kingston.vic.gov.au or mailing PO Box 1000, Mentone 3194.
This consultation closed on Friday 27 June 2025.
Designing your playground
In 2023, over 2,500 of our residents had their say about the future of play in Kingston - and it's clear: you love our playgrounds just as much as we do! Through a series of events and workshops, complemented by an interactive online survey and a playground design tool, we connected with a diverse range of our residents - from toddlers to seniors. Community feedback helped shape the Play Your Way Strategy - and our draft design for the upgraded playground at Gartside Reserve in Dingley Village!
Gartside Reserve playground is classified as a 'Local' play space in Council's endorsed Play Your Way Strategy. 'Local' play spaces are small but are of important play value. They generally service three or four neighbourhoods and should ideally be within a 10-minute walk from home without the need to cross a major road or railway line. Visits are still likely to be short in duration but may involve social interaction with others. They are often equipment-based play ‘spaces’ with some kind of personal fitness/active recreation option as well as support facilities such as seating, shelter and BBQ. There should also be surrounding open space for informal ball games, relaxation and social gathering. As such, the playground design has been developed in response to the 'Local' play space classification.
