Community welcomes new recreation facility as Dalyellup Skate Park opens to the public

It has been a long time coming, but young Dalyellup residents have a new place to burn off some energy after the opening of a new community facility.

Hundreds packed the new $1.4 million Dalyellup Skatepark on Friday afternoon as it was opened to the public for the first time.

There was plenty of action in the hours after the opening, with plenty of young people testing out the new facility.

The 1125sqm project includes a hybrid “plaza-style” skate area, with a California “flow” bowl design, and an elongated “snake run” style bowl, barbecue area, carpark and shade.

Capel Shire president Doug Kitchen thanked current and former staff along with designers Skate Sculpture and developers Convic for their work on the project.

“The skate park is but a piece of a much larger vision for this precinct,” he said.

“In the near future, we hope to add further buildings and facilities to this space.”

Some of the additional facilities the council is planning for the site include a BMX pump track, a nature play space and the proposed Dalyellup Multipurpose Community and Youth Centre, which will house the suburb’s library and other council services.

The council was assisted in funding the project with a $522,000 grant from Lotterywest and a $200,000 contribution from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

Bunbury MLA Don Punch said it was a very special day for the community.

“I’m sure a lot of people are going to remember it for a long time,” he said.

“It’s an incredible project and it’s great to see something that has been a vision for quite a while is actually here.”

Mr Punch invited Mr Kitchen to “have a go” on the proposed pump track with him once it was completed, which he agreed to.

Attendees were treated to demonstrations by Perth group Freestyle Now, skating workshops and a game of dodgeball, with the event continuing into the evening.

The skate park has taken more than four years to come to fruition, with the first design workshops for the project being held in April 2018.

Activation of the space will continue this week with a skateboarding workshop and mental health activities set for Friday.

Three more events will take place on November 4, November 18 and December 2.

The opening comes a week after the official opening of the Koolambidi Woola Youth Precinct in the Bunbury CBD.