An exciting new adventure playground featuring a giant slide, climbing tower, tunnels, nets and swings is the centrepiece of Green Square’s newest child-friendly park.
Located on Amelia Street near the corner of O’Dea Avenue in Waterloo, Wulaba Park is one of more than 15new parks and open spaces being built by the City of Sydney in the fast-growing Green Square area.
The park covers more than 4,000 square metres of outdoor space and features a landscaped picnic and barbecue area, bike racks, and handball and table tennis courts.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore will officially open the park with a community celebration on Saturday 2 April.
“Green Square is one of the fastest-growing precincts in NSW, with many young people and families moving in – we’re matching that growth with great community facilities and open spaces for locals and visitors,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Most of Green Square’s new residents will live in apartments without their own yards, so we’re building new parks with spaces for kids, adults and everyone in between to exercise, relax and play.
“With its challenging adventure playground, leafy picnic areas and purpose-built games facilities, Wulaba Park is a fantastic addition to the area where everyone can enjoy some downtime or playtime.
Wulaba Park has been created by the City in partnership with developer Meriton, as part of a voluntary planning agreement for its residential development at 54–60 O’Dea Avenue.
The park’s concept design was produced by Gallagher Ridenour Landscape Architecture and further developed by award-winning landscape architects Sturt Noble Associates.
Sydney artist Nuha Saad worked closely with the landscape architects to design the playground’s colourful equipment and soft-surface floors.
‘Wulaba’ is an Aboriginal word of the Gadigal people meaning ‘rock wallaby’. Rock wallabies were once a regular sight around Waterloo, which was home to the largest swamp in the district until it was replaced with development in the early 20th century.
Several parks in Green Square are named using Gadigal language to identify and describe fauna that used to live in the area. Other parks include Dyuralya Park (brolga), Mulgu Park (black swan), Buming Park (red bill or oyster catcher) and Biyanbing Park (quail).
Some of the streets surrounding Wulaba Park are also named after local historical features. Reed Street recognises Reed Paper Products – once the largest manufacturer of paper products in Australia, which at its peak employed 600 people in its two factories at Waterloo and Redfern.
Nearby Mystic Lane is named after the Mystic brand of playing cards produced by Reed Paper Products, while Hatbox Place recognises the hatboxes manufactured by the company in the 1930s.
The 278-hectare Green Square development area includes the suburbs of Beaconsfield and Zetland, and parts of Rosebery, Alexandria and Waterloo.
The area will eventually have 30,500 new dwellings, including about 10,000 now under assessment or construction. When fully completed, Green Square will have a population of up to 61,000 people, and provide around 21,000 permanent jobs.
Wulaba Park launch
When: 11am–1pm on Saturday 2 April Where: Amelia Street near the corner of O’Dea Avenue, Waterloo Featuring: A smoking ceremony and wallaby dance to officially open the park, along with live music, free refreshments, a craft activity for kids, and table tennis demonstrations
For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Media Adviser Keeley Irvin. Phone 0448 005 718 or email kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Matt Levinson. Phone 0499 319 385 or email mlevinson@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au