Community
2 April, 2025
Dajarra families upset by lack of playground in community
The council removed the playground for housing, but has yet to replace it after two years.
Nikki Major can remember being a youngster in Dajarra playing on the swing set and steel slide at Brett Dempsey Memorial Park.
But the park is now empty and a new playground sits languishing in a council depot
because qualified tradespeople cannot be found to assemble the equipment.
The young mum says there is no longer a playground in Dajarra after Cloncurry Shire Council removed it about two years ago as part of a land sale to make way for James Cook University student accommodation.
When it was decided to sell the land, the council assured locals the play equipment would be relocated near the skate park.
However, the ageing slide and swing set were damaged during the removal process and so the council told locals that a new playground would be constructed.
A public meeting was held and designs for the proposed playground were displayed.
Two years later, the new play equipment sits languishing in a Cloncurry depot because the council has been unable to find a suitably qualified person to assemble it.
Cloncurry mayor Greg Campbell said the council was unable to use its own workers to assemble the playground because all new equipment required tradespeople who held specific accreditation.
“(Brett Dempsey Memorial Park) was the only tenure available to build that student accommodation,” he said.
“The plan was to reuse the playground equipment but it was damaged beyond repair and we have been on the back foot since then.
“The first price we received to assemble the new equipment was exorbitant – you could build a four-bedroom house for that price.
“That’s why we have put it back out for tender to try to get a sensible price.
“It infuriates me because when it was just reassembling existing equipment our council staff was able to do it. But because it is new equipment it has to be certified and it has be a registered builder with all the specific tickets for playground construction.
“We understand the frustration that people feel in Dajarra and it infuriates me just as much. There are ridiculous bureaucratic rules we are having to comply with.”
Ms Major said the playground was just another basic service that was now lacking in Dajarra and it added to the boredom and restlessness of young people in the township.
“There is nowhere for the kids to go and run around and play,” she said.
“That means they usually end up with an electronic device in their hands.
“We should be able to have somewhere to bring your kids and watch them run around and exhaust themselves.”