Park upgrades boost local living in Darley

03/07/2025

A green and blue climbing frame, surrounded by a chequered safety mat. The top-right of the picture shows a blue slide and frame with a blue sunroof, with wooden play logs to the far right of the photo.

We've helped to provide Darley's kids, parents, guardians and carers with a place to gather and play at the newly opened Darly Park Play Space.

Backed by a $200,000 grant from RDV, the play space is the final project in a series designed to improve local living experiences in the Central Highlands.

Darley, and nearby Bacchus Marsh and Maddingley, are home to almost 700 people over the age of 55 who provide unpaid care for children. The area is also home to many families with children of all ages and abilities.

This meant there was a clear need for a modern play space to make it easier for people to care for children, while also socialising and building community ties.

Darley Park's new play space offers new and more accessible equipment, including swings, climbing frames, rockers, a Stand-Up Spinner and a sandpit.

It will create a better experience for children and make it easier for adults to provide supervision and keep their little ones safe and thriving.

The play space is one of several projects delivered through our Living Local Fund to boost liveability and economic growth in the region.

In Ballarat, we backed the creation of Perridak Arts. Established by the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC), the gallery showcases and sells local First Nations artworks. This provides an income for artists and helps them open doorways into Victoria's arts scene.

In Beaufort, we helped The Cyril Callister Foundation create the Cyril Callister Museum. The museum celebrates the local icon and his creation of Vegemite, while drawing visitors to experience the Pyrenees Shire.

Over in Tatyoon, we provided a grant for the Hawks Football and Netball Club to install power upgrades at their home grounds. This is helping the Hawks to expand their programs and get even more locals active and in the game.

These projects are part of our record $47 billion investment into rural and regional Victoria in just over a decade, demonstrating our commitment to making regions like the Central Highlands even better places to live, work, stay, experience, invest and study.