Donnybrook looking to stay ahead of the pack with new look to iconic Apple Fun Park

Donnybrook Balingup Shire president Brian Piesse said the town was looking to “keep ahead of the pack” when it came to playground-based tourism as Bunbury anticipates the opening of its new Youth Precinct. Work has begun on Donnybrook’s new and improved Apple Fun Park, with Forrest MP Nola Marino visiting last week to turn the sod on the playground’s $1.5 million facelift. The centrepiece of the new park will be a huge apple crate tower as well as updated play equipment designed by South West company Active Discovery. Mr Piesse said while the park was already one of the biggest and best in the State, the council wanted to make sure it offered new and interesting experiences. “Without devaluing the work and passion of those that made the Apple Fun Park a tourism reality and a South West landmark, given recent media exposure to the Bunbury Youth Precinct as an attraction on a par with Donnybrook’s iconic Apple Fun Park, the foresight of council with the support of the Federal Government to keep ahead of the pack is both prudent and justified,” he said. “Thanks to the efforts and generosity of our proud local community, the Apple Fun Park has established itself as a premier playground in the South West and the State, and it is important that we reinvigorate this important community asset.” Mrs Marino said she was expecting the revitalised playground, which sees more than 50,000 visitors each year, to be both a boost for tourism and an exciting addition for local families. “It is projects such as this that make our regional communities even better places to live, work and raise a family,” she said. “Every time I come to the Fun Park, I see and hear the smiles and laughter from the children and families. “This playground also brings people from around the State to the town of Donnybrook and is a major tourism drawcard for the region.” The project was funded through the Federal Government’s Building Better Regions Fund and is expected to be completed in time for the September school holidays. The playground is set to form part of an exciting new community hub for the town, sitting just metres from the recently completed Donnybrook Heritage Goods Shed Interpretive Centre at the new Station Square.