Community sporting clubs in the Dandenong Ranges will soon be able to enjoy better facilities at the Olinda Recreation Reserve, with construction now underway to deliver new and improved netball courts and cricket practice nets.
The Olinda Recreation Reserve is a hub of activity for the community year-round. In the summer, locals look forward to long games of cricket beneath the tall trees that surround the oval, and the netball and footy bring a great atmosphere to the town in the chilly, shorter days of winter.
The works will refurbish the existing netball court, and build a new netball court, supporting infrastructure including lights and shelter, and four new cricket practice nets.
Pictured above: The existing netball court (above) will be refurbished, and a new netball court will be built at the Olinda Recreation Reserve.
Community sport provides wonderful opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to get outdoors, get active, and connect with each other. These new facilities will mean that more locals can get involved in community sport at the Reserve, which is home to the Olinda Ferny Creek Football Netball Club and Olinda Cricket Club.
The works are being completed as part of Stage 1 of the Olinda Precinct Project, which is delivering on the Olinda Precinct Plan developed in consultation with the community in 2017. Stage 1 works have been made possible thanks to a $7.6 million funding package from the Victorian Government.
Stage 1 of the project has already seen a nature-based playspace, toilets and picnic facilities completed in 2019, and a new sporting oval and the Olinda Green recreation area completed in 2020.
Pictured above: The Olinda Recreation Reserve is a community sporting hub nestled among beautiful bushland in the Dandenong Ranges.
Beyond the current works, planning is underway for Stage 2 of the Olinda Precinct Project, thanks to a further $3.4 million in funding from the Victorian Government. These works will see improvements to the carpark, drainage, pathways and access, and will replace the former Golf Clubhouse and Cafe with a new food and beverage offering.
In the neighbouring Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden, the Chelsea Australian Garden at Olinda will also be opening soon and is set to become a major tourism drawcard for the region.
Subject to on-ground and construction industry conditions, the netball and cricket facility upgrades are expected to be completed in late 2023.
