The new Whitlam suburb in the Molonglo Valley is appreciating its very first playground with the official facility being opened as ‘Blue Poles’ park.
Unveiling the new play area, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development Yvette Berry said the name commemorated Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles artwork which was purchased by Australia in 1973 at the approval of the then Prime Minister, the eponymous Gough Whitlam.
“It’s fantastic to see a momentous artwork now come to life in a play setting, just ahead of the 50-year anniversary of its purchase by Australia,” Ms Berry said.
“Recreational areas in a suburb create a vital meeting point for the community,” she said.
“The new park will certainly be a place to connect and stay for extended play.”
Ms Berry said the playground wold be home to several sustainable features, including a waterplay area which would reuse its water by funnelling it into the root zones of trees within the playground.
She said Blue Poles park also featured 9,000 native shrubs and grasses and 350 native trees, while the natural rock boulders had been retrieved from other Whitlam sites during earthworks.
“Approximately 50 households currently reside in Whitlam,” the Minister said.
“As the suburb grows, it will eventually be home to around 2,100 families,” she said.
“The Blue Poles park will be a place for play and adventure for many years to come,” Ms Berry said.
