Kuranda Skate Park Reopening Event Saturday, 7 December 2024

The highly anticipated reopening of the Kuranda Skate Park will be celebrated at a community event at 11:00 AM on Saturday, 7 December 2024, with a free BBQ, local skaters and BMX riders, and a live DJ.

“Mareeba Shire Council engaged TRACQS to undertake the upgrades to the Kuranda Skate Park, and they have done a wonderful job. This will be a great meeting place for the community, and the artwork captures the unique Kuranda spirit,” said Mareeba Shire Mayor Angela Toppin.

“The Kuranda Skate Park has been a fantastic project, and we are very excited to open the facility to Kuranda and the surrounding communities,” said Lance Starr, TRACQS Community Activity Manager.

“The project included 340 square metres of concrete laid around the existing skate bowl, two new shelters with seating, a water bubbler, a grinding bar for skaters, a rock retaining wall, new turf, and 50 bollards around the park,” explained Mr. Starr.

“We also removed the existing paint in preparation for the new mural and applied a protective coating,” added Mr. Starr.

“I would like to thank Mareeba Shire Council for their assistance, TRACQS Supervisors Jason Ball and Adric Rusch, as well as the TRACQS Community Assistance Workers, who were upskilled in concreting, painting, welding, machinery operation, landscaping, and general construction,” said Mr. Starr.

Cairns-based graffiti artist Jak Lilley (Paradox Creative) was excited to take a unique approach to the artwork to complement the structural design of the facility while representing the areas and communities featured in the space: Kuranda, Koah, Mantaka, Kowrowa, and Mona Mona.

“Coming from a skateboarding background, we aimed for the works to serve as a dynamic yet functional art piece. The placement of the artwork on the surfaces of the space was designed to enhance the skate park’s usability for patrons, intentionally fitting the skate park’s flowlines, curvatures, hips, bowl, and transition areas,” said Mr. Lilley.

All graphic elements featured in the artwork were chosen to represent the iconic natural diversity found within the local area and greater region.

“The Barron River serves as a key feature and functional design element, connecting and accentuating parts of the piece. Abstracted graphic representations of the Wet Tropics bioregion vegetation maps and textures sourced from local eucalypt species serve as a background feature for the works and a directional element throughout the space and the park’s structure,” explained Mr. Lilley.

Another element of interest in the artwork are the constellations, which can be viewed at night directly above the park. The typographic style chosen for each area title draws influence from 1980s skateboarding logos and aims to create a sense of pride for the communities represented.

“I am truly looking forward to the skate park’s opening and seeing the community enjoy the space and artwork,” concluded Mr. Lilley.

Find Jak Lilley on Instagram at paradox_creative_fnq for more artwork.

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