The site is located on Crown land with the City of Whittlesea nominated as the committee of management of AF Walker and the Whittlesea Showgrounds and Recreation Reserves Committee of Management managing the remainder of the site. The master plan proposes for Council to become the committee of management for land west of Bruces Creek/ plenty River, where majority of the park infrastructure and Council assets are located. The Whittlesea Showgrounds and Recreation Reserves Committee of Management will continue to manage the remainder of the site.

Council maintains AF Walker and undertakes the mowing for all areas of the site except for River Street Reserve which is maintained by the Whittlesea Showgrounds and Recreation Reserves Committee of Management. Through the master planning process, Council is proposing to undertake full maintenance of all areas except for River Street Reserve.

The reserve has an area of approx. 25 hectares and is bound by Beech Street, River Street and Laurel Street. The park is divided by three watercourses, Bruces Creek, Plenty River and Scrubby Creek. Whittlesea Park is made up of an assemblage of smaller reserves including:

• Whittlesea Park
• AF Walker Reserve
• Whittlesea Lions Park
• River Street Reserve

Whittlesea Park is comprised of several facilities including AF Walker Reserve football/ cricket oval, playground, Whittlesea Dog Park, Whittlesea Tennis Club and Courts, C. McDonald Reserve Playground, Laurel St Kindergarten and Whittlesea Skate Park. Additionally, there are three third-party facilities, Lions Park and Playground, The George Sherwin Commemorative Bandstand and the CFA training grounds.

The prefabricated modular kindergarten building that was installed in Laurel Street in 2012 was part of the redevelopment of the Whittlesea Community Activity Centre. The original intent for this building was for a short-term use, however it has been used for education purposes until recently. This building is currently vacant and is being investigated for future use as part of Council’s 3-Year-Old Kindergarten Reform program. The draft master plan proposes the retention of the building and incorporated support infrastructure.

The paths proposed in the master plan will provide connection to the future Whittlesea Rail trail and Bruces Creek Shared path.

The City of Whittlesea and the State Government is continuing to deliver projects in and round Whittlesea Township, including the following:

• Whittlesea Skate Park
• Bruces Creek shared path
• Whittlesea- Yea Road Bridge rehabilitation
• Outdoor Activation Fund – replacing the temp timber furniture on Church Street with permanent public furniture.

Actions from the master plan will be delivered over a 5-10 year period. The feedback from this consultation will be used to assign a priority rating to each action item. Once the master plan is endorsed, projects will be placed in Council’s Capital Works Program. The master plan will also be used to seek grant funding and to partner with other authorities such as Melbourne Water and DEWLP.

The community has the opportunity to provide their details in order to stay up to date on this project. Council and the Whittlesea Showgrounds Recreation Reserve Committee of Management will continue to liaise with key stakeholder groups for the delivery of key master plan actions. The community will then have the opportunity to provide additional feedback through the implementation phases of the master plan.

If you have completed the online survey and would like to provide further feedback or speak to a Council Officer, you are able to meet with us in person at any of our upcoming pop-up sessions. If you are unable to make these sessions, you can contact us by email parks@whittlesea.vic.gov.au or phone 9217 2006.