Officer District Park has gone viral on social media, surpassing expectations to attract 5,000 visitors on weekends during summertime, who flock to the epic playground on Melbourne’s semi-rural south-east fringe.
Papworth Design has created a vibrant community hub for Cardinia Shire Council on the 10-hectare site, including an adventure playground, parkour zone, fitness equipment, scenic lookout, off-leash dog park, picnic areas, walking paths and wetlands. Future stages are also planned.
The challenge of the very steep site has brought a unique experience to the playground and recreation areas, with both toddlers and teenagers eager to climb the large soft fall hill with two 20m-long tubed embankment slides, and families enjoying picnic areas that take advantage of views.
Director of Papworth Design, Brendan Papworth, said the park was incredibly well-received since opening in December 2024, “There were millions of views on TikTok from around the world, and the visitation is off the charts.”
Council is pleased with how the Linea range by Street Furniture Australia has withstood the high visitation numbers. Shane McGrath, Team Leader at Cardinia Shire Council, said, “I can’t remember one single incident where we’ve had anything loose or needing to be replaced – they’ve held up well to extreme use.”
Linea Platforms, Settings and Seats are used throughout the picnic and dog parks. Papworth chose the range for its simplicity and inclusivity, “Linea has a good selection for all-abilities picnic equipment, which was a consideration of the park,” Brendan said.
The Platform with its optional multifunctional ‘Hill’ has been embraced by the community, who can been seen using it as a back and arm rest, a laptop workspace and picnic table.
The furniture colour palette reflects the overall driving theme of the park derived from Cardinia Shire’s name, from the Kulin word ‘Kar-din-yarr’, meaning ‘look to the rising sun’. “The colour themes of the park were about the graduation of colour as the day progresses, ending with the spectacular views of the sunset to the West,” he added.
Linea’s strong stainless steel frames, which encapsulate the aluminium battens, are powder coated in Pale Eucalypt, Safety Yellow and Woodland Grey. McGrath said the materials perform well in the local temperate climate, “The material finish is fantastic. I was concerned that metal battens in direct sunlight would be hot to sit on through the warmer months, but this hasn’t been the case at all.”
The $9.07 million project was jointly funded by the Australian Government, Victorian Government and the Cardinia Shire Council with $2.2 million from the State’s Growing Suburbs Fund.
