For generations of Byron kids, a trip to Main Beach has meant sand, waves, ice cream and, if they were lucky, a quick assault on the playground.
Now Council has revealed its first detailed vision for what comes next, and it is considerably more ambitious than a couple of swings and some monkey bars.
Draft concept plans for new playspaces at Apex and Dening parks show water jets, climbing boulders, trampolines, rope scrambles, timber towers, giant swings and an ‘under the sea’ play structure inspired by Nguthungulli, local marine life and Arakwal stories.
The plans were unanimously endorsed by Byron Council’s Arts Advisory Committee on August 27 and are now on public exhibition until September 14. Council says the two sites, about 350 metres apart and linked by a shared path, are designed to complement each other rather than duplicate the same experience.
Apex Park is aimed mainly at younger children and families, with a sculptural ocean canopy, suspended ‘fishing nets’ and buoy-style climbing equipment, swings, a slide and crawl tunnel, picnic lawn and a water-play zone featuring sandstone boulders, pebble channels and low-volume jets.
Dening Park, meanwhile, would be roughly double the size and pitched at older children and young teenagers, with junior and senior timber towers, a tall slide, boulder-and-net scramble, monkey and chin-up bars, log stacks, trampolines, an inclusive spinner and a large single-point swing.
The images provide the clearest look yet at the scale of Council’s planned rethink of play along the Main Beach foreshore.
The existing Apex playground was removed in 2023 after Council said the 2007 structure had deteriorated beyond economical repair. What was initially expected to be a relatively straightforward replacement grew into something more ambitious after community consultation called for a bespoke playground befitting one of Byron’s most prominent public spaces.
That redevelopment was subsequently folded into the wider Byron Bay Foreshore Concept Plan, adopted unanimously by Council in May last year.
Council says the new playgrounds will also provide opportunities for local artists to design bespoke elements during the detailed-design stage.
The committee report describes the spaces as both playgrounds and ‘creative spaces’, with detailed design scheduled for the first half of 2027.
There is, however, one fairly substantial hurdle between the glossy renders and a horde of wet, sandy children putting them to the test: money.
Council has funded the concept-design stage, but says detailed design and construction will depend on securing external grants.
Community feedback on the designs closes September 14, with the final concepts expected to return to Council before the end of the year.
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