(19/7/2018) New pocket park in White Gum Valley

Families in White Gum Valley have made the most of the school holidays to enjoy the City of Fremantle’s latest pocket park.

The new park, on the corner of Minilya Avenue and Biddles Lane, was completed earlier this month.

It features a boat and birds nest swing to play on, as well as a timber deck overlooking an existing drainage basin, park benches, paths and native plants.

Local White Gum Valley dad Mark Taylor said the pocket park was a welcome addition to the area.

“It’s really cool to have these little parks that are walking distance from home, where there’s a selection and if you don’t like one you can walk on to the next one,” Mr Taylor said.

“The boat’s a nice theme for Freo, of course, and a bit of sand is good. Once the plants come up and give a feeling of enclosure that’ll be really nice too.”

Mr Taylor said, although it was small, the pocket park provided an excellent place to play, especially for young children.

“We’re lucky, we’re close to Boo Park as well but there are often a lot of dogs there. The good thing about these little parks is that people are unlikely to be running their dogs so it makes it a little bit friendlier for the kids,” he said.

“It’s good to have big parks and ovals of course, but I think we’ve got enough of those. We do really need these little accessible spaces.

“It’s great for peoples’ physical and mental health just to have an option where they can get out of the house, get into the open air and go to a nice public, but safe, space and have a play.”

The completion of the White Gum Valley pocket park follows the opening of a similar park in Hilton late last year.

Both parks were established in response to the City of Fremantle’s Greening Fremantle: Strategy 2020 which aims to provide a park or open space within walking distance of every resident and worker in Fremantle.

For more information visit the Greening Fremantle page on our website.