Council is pleased to advise that the schedule for delivery of this project has been revised with Council and the Commonwealth Government. An update to the project timelines has been provided below.

Detailed Design complete – February 2023

Construction Contract Award – May 2023

Project Complete – September 2024

Community Consultation for the conceptual design was undertaken with six open sessions to discuss the plan, utilising an online survey and co-designed with students from Orbost Secondary College. Their brief was to “design, plan and pitch a proposal for the new Forest Park playground”.

This exciting initiative has been facilitated through the Broadening Horizons Program and will have playground elements suitable for ages 1-15 years.

The local Project Representative Group made up of local Orbost residents will now undertake the review of the detailed design phase.

During the detailed design phase the local Project Representative Group will be undertaking value management due to increasing budgetary pressures due to cost escalations seen throughout the economy. Any changes will be decided on in collaboration with the Project Representative Group and communicated to the wider community.

Council have revised the proposed concept plan due to the outcomes of the consultation sessions. This new plan along with other consultation material can be found in the documents section of this page.

Council Officers will be available in Orbost during the following times to discuss the revised plan:

10 am to 12 pm on 24 May at Ruskin Street Service Centre; and

11 am to 1 pm on 26 May at Nicholson Street, at the end of Lawson Street

Please come along and meet with Council Officers and discuss the proposed concept plans for this exciting upgrade!

Following a thorough community consultation period in 2021 and constructive feedback, Council has decided to heavily revise the initial concept for Forest Park, Orbost, which will revitalise and modernise the town’s premier recreation area, visitor rest-stop and gateway to its rail trail.

In response to this feedback, a new concept plan is being developed with public release to occur in the next two months.

The project will stimulate the local economy and provide significant community benefits to the town.

Council will reconvene a representative group from the community during this time to ensure our response to the feedback is appropriate. Once a new concept plan is developed, planning for procurement and construction will be able to commence.

Council would like to take this opportunity to thank the wider community of Orbost for their valuable input.

In person community consultation sessions and an online survey for feedback on the concept plan ended in June 2021. We thank everyone who took part in the consultation process and value all feedback received. Council are currently preparing responses to all feedback received, stay tuned for more information by October. After full consideration of the feedback received during the consultation process we are revising the current plan. An updated concept plan will be developed and released for feedback by the end of 2021.