For more than a year now, Alma Park East has felt eerily quiet. What was once a vibrant meeting point for local families- a place where kids played, neighbours chatted and barbecues sizzled- has been reduced to fenced-off disappointment.
At the heart of it all sits the ‘Snail Queen’.
Large sections of the Alma Park play space have been closed since late 2024, after the much-loved sculptural playground was abruptly fenced off. Families like mine were left completely in the dark. It took weeks for Council to explain that the playground had failed a safety audit, and weeks more before we were promised an “update in early 2026”.
Now we’re told works won’t even begin until June, with a planned September finish that is still “subject to weather and contractor availability”. For local parents juggling weekends, kids and community life, that vagueness feels like another let-down.
A park stalled – again
What makes this situation particularly frustrating is timing. The previous Alma Park East upgrade wrapped up in December 2023. The playground had barely been fully operational for a year before “safety issues” forced large sections of the park to close again.
Council’s website assures residents that playground safety audits are conducted every four weeks, with comprehensive inspections carried out annually. So how did this iconic structure deteriorate so badly that it required immediate and unexpected closure?
It’s hard not to ask: why wasn’t required maintenance identified and fixed during the previous upgrade? Why are families paying again- in both time and trust- for what appears to be poor planning?
In the meantime, ugly temporary fencing slices through the park, killing its relaxed community vibe. Instead of a tranquil green space, this corner of Alma Park once again feels like a construction site.
From adventure to sanitised
The Snail Queen was never just play equipment. It was the soul of the park.
Rustic and quirky, it blended art, play and landscape design in a way that felt genuinely special. It made clever use of reused materials- old tyres, mosaic tiles, mirrors, shells and glass beads- and rewarded imagination and exploration.
That creativity mattered. It set Alma Park apart.
The newly revealed design, however, tells a different story. Developed without community consultation, it is brighter, cleaner and more colourful, with modern rubber soft-fall surfacing. I’m sure it will be safer and more accessible- and those things are important- but whether it’s an improvement is a matter of opinion.
Many families fear the new brightly coloured mound will disrupt the landscape rather than blending into it. There’s a growing sense the replacement will feel more like an Ikea showroom than a place for adventure and imagination.
Families need transparency – and respect
No one disputes the importance of safety. Parents want playgrounds to be safe for our children. But this should be achieved through proper planning and maintenance, not abrupt unplanned closures.
Alma Park used to be where we ran into friends without planning it. Where kids learned to climb, balance and negotiate risk. Where community happened naturally. Now it’s fenced off and full of unanswered questions.
When the improvements are finally delivered, I’m sure families will appreciate being able to return. But the slow pace, lack of communication and loss of character have left many of us wondering whether the people making these decisions truly understood what the Snail Queen meant to this community.
Families deserve better than snail’s pace progress. We deserve a park – and a process – worthy of the community that loves it.
