Ipswich’s Million Dollar Parks & Playgrounds

Ever wondered what your local park and playground cost?

Was it $1 million, $2 million or $10 million?

Let’s find out.

Below you’ll find 19 that were more than $1 million at the time of build.

Please note: 

• These are figures from different years.
• Some are for entire park precincts, which include playgrounds, courts and buildings.

1. Springfield Central Sporting Complex — $56 million

Two playgrounds sit inside this huge sports complex. Kids can have a play while a brother or sister is at training, or while the rest of the family watches a game.

• Where: Springfield Central.
• What’s there: Two playgrounds, four sports fields, 16 netball courts and 8 tennis courts.
• Price: $56 million. Full precinct. 2019.
• What the price covers: The full 22.5-hectare sports complex. The figure includes the fields, courts, three clubhouses, playgrounds and parking.

This is the biggest figure on the list because it covers far more than the playgrounds.

2. Robelle Domain — $30 million

Robelle Domain covers 24 hectares in Springfield Central, with Mountain Creek running through the parklands. There are waterfalls, rainforest walks and big open lawns alongside the playground and water park.

• The Circle: A large grassed amphitheatre and stage for concerts, festivals and community events.
• Water park: A splash area with a 700-litre tipping bucket, water jets and spouts.
• Walking and riding: An 11 km path network, including the Rainforest Walk, raised boardwalks through the trees and bridges over the water.
• Play and picnics: An all-abilities playground with interactive play equipment, grass pyramids to climb, barbecues and picnic shelters.
• Price: $30 million. Original parklands development. 2011.
• What the price covers: The original park project, including play areas, water features, paths, landscaping and public spaces.

Orion Lagoon was added later as Stage 2. Its $16 million project cost has a separate entry below.

The park also hosts Robelle Domain parkrun, which welcomes walkers.

3. Orion Lagoon — $16 million

Orion Lagoon has shallow water play areas and larger swimming sections. It has terraced surrounds making it a popular day spot for Ipswich families.

• Where: Springfield Central.
• What’s there: Shallow water play, swimming areas, lawns and picnic space.
• Price: $16 million. Precinct Stage 2. 2015.
• What the price covers: Robelle Domain Stage 2, which delivered the lagoon, kiosk, pump room, two amenities buildings, gardens and open space.

The $16 million is the wider stage’s construction figure. It is more than the cost of the pool alone.

4. Silver Jubilee Park — $13 million

Silver Jubilee Park combines a playground trip with a place to kick a footy or shoot a few hoops. The adventure playground and toddler area sit alongside the sports grounds.

• Where: Spring Mountain.
• What’s there: An adventure playground, toddler play area, sports fields and six basketball and netball courts.
• Price: $13 million. Precinct build. 2023.
• What the price covers: The whole 14.4-hectare precinct, including its sports facilities, playgrounds, picnic areas, amenities and parking.

It opened in April 2023 on Russell Luhrs Way.

5. Redbank Plains Recreation Reserve — Estimated $10 million

This reserve has grown through several rounds of work. It brings together the children’s playground, toddler area, skate park, sports grounds and paths.

• Where: Redbank Plains.
• What’s there: Play areas for younger and older kids, a skate and youth area, open space and sports fields.
• Price: Estimated $10 million. Combined reserve upgrades.
• What the price covers: Three reported projects: the toddler playground extension, skate and youth area, and wetland and flood detention basin.

The card rounds $10.2 million in reported projects to $10 million. This is not a total for every dollar spent on the reserve.

6. Colleges Crossing Recreation Reserve — About $10 million

Colleges Crossing reopened in December 2024 after a major rebuild following the 2022 floods. The new playground is one part of a much bigger job across the riverside reserve.

• Where: Chuwar.
• What’s there: A playground, picnic and barbecue areas, riverside lawns, gardens and walking paths.
• Price: About $10 million. Park rebuild. 2024.
• What the price covers: The wider flood recovery project, including the playground, paths, amenities, planting and large areas of new turf.

The card rounds the almost $10 million figure used in the reopening announcements.

7. Bob Gamble Park — $8 million

Bob Gamble Park has water play, climbing equipment and a Discovery Forest beside the Bremer River. It opened as part of River Heart Parklands Stage 2 in October 2012.

• Where: Ipswich.
• What’s there: A zero-depth water play area, climbing net, 25-metre flying fox and nature play.
• Price: $8 million. Precinct Stage 2. 2012.
• What the price covers: The River Heart Stage 2 project. The published figure includes the park and riverside boardwalk connections.

River Heart’s connecting walkway is under repair as of October 2026. Check Council’s access updates before planning a walk along the whole riverside route.

8. Daybreak Park — $6.1 million

Daybreak Park has a tall play tower, a big patch of grass and places to ride, run and kick a ball. The park is part of the Dawn estate and opened in 2025.

• Where: Walloon.
• What’s there: A playground tower, multi-purpose court, running track, outdoor gym and table tennis.
• Price: $6.1 million. New park. 2025.
• What the price covers: The district park project, including the playground, courts, lawns, paths, picnic areas, parking and amenities.

There are barbecues and shaded seats for a longer visit.

9. Mountain Park — Estimated $5 million

Mountain Park is the one with the giant rock-like play towers. Bridges, climbing frames and slides link the structures, with a separate play area for younger kids.

• Where: Spring Mountain.
• What’s there: 5 large play towers, twin slides, climbing nets, a flying fox and musical play.
• Price: Estimated $5 million. New park. 2024.
• What the price covers: Our rough estimate for the new park, including its custom playground, bridge, paths and landscaping.

The builder confirms the park opened in mid-2024. It does not publish a total cost, so $5 million is an estimate.

10. Splash ’n’ Play Adventure Park — $3.4 million

Splash ’n’ Play at Providence combines a large splash area with a dry adventure playground. Kids can move between the water sprays, rope bridge, skywalk and flying fox.

• Where: South Ripley.
• What’s there: Water play for toddlers and bigger kids, an elevated skywalk, rope bridge and flying fox.
• Price: $3.4 million. New park. 2016.
• What the price covers: The 22,400-square-metre park project. The published description includes both wet and dry play, seating and picnic areas.

This is a published $3.4 million figure from the 2016 project. Whiterock’s $2.4 million is a separate estimate.

11. Faye Carr Park — $3.1 million

The red rocket towers and green slides make Faye Carr Park easy to recognise. There is also room to kick a ball, practise riding and play a giant game of snakes and ladders.

• Where: Ripley.
• What’s there: Rocket towers, slides, a learn-to-ride track, courts and open grass.
• Price: $3.1 million. New park. 2018.
• What the price covers: Faye Carr Park’s development, including the wider recreation areas. The project case study lists nearby Pebbles Park separately at $800,000.

The park is named after respected local Elder Faye Carr. You might also know it as Ripley’s rocket park.

Faye Carr Park is also a meeting spot for Cursus Collective’s walks and runs.

12. Grande Park — Estimated $3 million

Grande Park has more than a playground. Courts, bike tracks, picnic shelters and open space spread across the park. A new mountain slide and timber stepping logs were added in the 2026 playground upgrade.

• Where: Springfield Lakes.
• What’s there: Playgrounds, courts, bike tracks, picnic areas and the new mountain slide.
• Price: Estimated $3 million. Park and upgrades. Built in 2007, with later upgrades.
• What the price covers: Our rough estimate for the park and later improvements. It is not the price of the 2026 slide replacement alone.

The original contractor describes a 3.5-hectare park. We found no published total for the park and its upgrades.

13. Cameron Park — $2.5 million

Cameron Park’s new playground takes its look from the old Queenslander houses around Booval. The upgrade added play towers, slides and equipment for children with different abilities.

• Where: Booval.
• What’s there: House-like play structures, slides, an in-ground trampoline, sensory play and an all-abilities swing.
• Price: $2.5 million. Playground upgrade. 2024.
• What the price covers: The playground upgrade and surrounding work completed in 2024. This is an upgrade to an existing park.

You’ll find it on Glebe Road at Booval, beside Easton Street.

14. Whiterock Adventure Park — Estimated $2.4 million

Whiterock Adventure Park has a tall climbing structure, slides and a splash pad. The park opened in September 2023, with picnic lawns and sheltered barbecue areas nearby.

• Where: White Rock.
• What’s there: The Play Curl climbing structure, slides, water play and nature play.
• Price: Estimated $2.4 million. New park. 2023.
• What the price covers: Our rough estimate for the adventure playground, splash pad and surrounding park work. It excludes the later sports precinct.

The developer describes a multi-million-dollar playground but gives no exact total. The $2.4 million is our estimate.

You may also see this park listed as White Rock Adventure Playground.

15. Torhaven Park — $2 million

Torhaven Park’s treehouse playground sits among gardens, lawns and wetlands. Rope bridges and climbing walls give kids a few different ways to get around the play area.

• Where: Deebing Heights.
• What’s there: Treehouse play, rope bridges, climbing walls, swings, a carousel and a slide.
• Price: $2 million. New park. 2019.
• What the price covers: The whole community park project, including the playground, gardens, wetlands, paths and picnic areas.

The park is on Andy Way, off Rawlings Road. It is open to the wider community.

16. Sutton Park — $1.7 million

Sutton Park makes the list through its skate and scooter area. The 2022 upgrade gave beginners and intermediate riders a new place to practise, with ramps, rails and ledges.

• Where: Brassall.
• What’s there: A 750-square-metre skate area with 20 features, including a quarter pipe, ramps and rails.
• Price: $1.7 million. Skate park upgrade. 2022.
• What the price covers: The skate park upgrade and related work, including toilets, shelters, seats, wider paths and cameras.

The reported contributions were $1.23 million from the State and $453,000 from Council. That is $1.683 million, rounded to $1.7 million on the card.

17. Orion Mega Playground — $1.5 million

The tall tower at Orion Springfield Central is hard to miss. This is the dry playground near the shopping centre, with climbing, slides and play equipment for a range of ages.

• Where: Springfield Central.
• What’s there: An 11-metre tower, 16-metre connecting bridge, trampolines, swings and an inclusive merry-go-round.
• Price: $1.5 million. New playground. 2019.
• What the price covers: The new playground built in 2019. This is a separate project from Orion Lagoon.

Its price is for a playground build, so the scope is much smaller than the parklands and sports precincts near the top of this list.

18. R J Richardson Park — $1.5 million

The paddle steamer playground at R J Richardson Park gives a nod to the boats that once carried goods along the Brisbane River. A carved timber canoe also recognises the river’s long connection with Traditional Owners.

• Where: Goodna.
• What’s there: A paddle steamer play structure, nature play, a flying fox and outdoor fitness equipment.
• Price: $1.5 million. Playground upgrade. 2024.
• What the price covers: The 2024 upgrade, including play and fitness equipment, lighting, landscaping and improvements to toilets, shelters, seats and barbecues.

The park is off Brisbane Terrace near Goodna’s boat ramp.

19. Tucker Family Park — $1.4 million

Tucker Family Park has a 9.2-metre play tower at the heart of the Brentwood Forest estate. The park is named after the Tucker family, who once ran a dairy farm on the land.

• Where: Bellbird Park.
• What’s there: A tall adventure tower, outdoor gym and fenced dog park.
• Price: $1.4 million. New park. 2018.
• What the price covers: The new park development. The separately reported $1.2 million Brentwood Forest trail is not included in this figure.

It is the smallest project figure on this list, with a much smaller scope than the full sports precincts.

How we chose the parks and worked out the prices

This is a selection of Ipswich parks and playgrounds with published costs.

We have not priced every park in Ipswich. A park missing from this list may have cost more than one included here.

What the labels mean

• New park or new playground: The cost of that build. A new park figure can also include paths, landscaping, toilets and other facilities.
• Precinct: A larger project that includes play areas alongside other work, such as sports fields, courts or riverside paths.
• Upgrade or rebuild: A particular round of work at an existing park. It does not tell us everything ever spent there.
• Estimated: A rough figure chosen by Ipswich Insider. It is not a confirmed budget, quote or final account.

Where the published figures came from

• Council reports
• Government announcements
• Developer updates
• Project reports from designers, builders and suppliers.

The prices are in Australian dollars. Published figures stay in the dollars of their project year. We have not adjusted them for inflation or added routine maintenance costs. The source may describe a budget, contract or reported project value. It will not always be the final amount paid.

Robelle Domain’s original parklands and Orion Lagoon’s later Stage 2 are listed separately. The lagoon figure covers that later project.

Colleges Crossing: Council’s reopening report describes the rebuild as almost $10 million. The Queensland Reconstruction Authority describes almost $10 million in recovery funding and also refers to Council investment. We use “about $10 million” as the rounded reported figure.

Sutton Park: The two reported funding contributions add to $1.683 million. We rounded this to $1.7 million.

How we made the 4 estimates

Each estimate uses one price so it can be shown on a card. These are rough comparisons based on the work described in the sources.

• Redbank Plains Recreation Reserve, $10 million: The $2 million toddler playground project, $3.9 million skate and youth area, and $4.3 million wetland and flood detention basin add to $10.2 million. We rounded that to $10 million on the card. The figure covers those three reported projects. It excludes other spending across the reserve, including the separate road upgrade and later sports field works.
• Mountain Park, $5 million: We used Daybreak Park’s published $6.1 million as a rough guide, then allowed a lower total for Mountain Park. Its custom towers, play areas, bridge and landscaping informed that choice. We found no published total for Mountain Park. The $5 million is our judgement, not a builder’s price.
• Grande Park, $3 million: This is a broad allowance for the 3.5-hectare park and its later improvements. The original work included playgrounds, courts, tracks, shelters and a stage. We found no published total for all that work. The 2026 playground upgrade is only one part of the park.
• Whiterock Adventure Park, $2.4 million: The developer describes a multi-million-dollar playground but does not give an exact cost. We chose $2.4 million as a rough estimate for the adventure play, splash pad and surrounding park work. The later sports precinct is excluded. Splash ’n’ Play’s published $3.4 million is a comparison, not proof of Whiterock’s cost.