Lancefield residents are celebrating the opening of Lancefield skate park – 20 years after the idea was rolled out.
The dream for a skate park in Lancefield was started by a youth group in the late 1990s. The group’s members washed cars to raise $11,000 for the park’s development.
After about 20 years of planning and negotiating, a skatepark has been constructed on the corner of Chauncey Street and Park Lane.
Skate park committee president Amy Bell, who has been dedicated to the project since becoming a Lancefield resident in 2011, said she was “really happy” with what had been achieved.
“It looks amazing,” Ms Bell said. “It’s highly functional but designed for all user groups.”
Located in the megafauna site of Lancefield Park, the ramps have been designed to sit below ground-height to mimic a swamp.
A life-size sculpture of a diprotodon, the largest marsupial to have ever lived, links the skate park to the site’s megafauna history.
Ms Bell said the design of the park, in line with the natural environment, was attracting more than just skaters to the area.
“Because it’s so beautiful to be in and around lots of parents are going as well,” she said.
But the skaters are definitely making the most of the long-awaited park.
“It’s crazy busy,” Ms Bell said. “During the day it’s full of men with younger children and after school it’s all primary and secondary students.
“And on the weekend it’s full of out-of-towners.”
Macedon Ranges council will host the park’s official opening from 10am-2pm on Saturday, September 23. The free community event will include skate demonstrations, prizes, a live band and a barbecue.
