The north and south oval at Dorothy Laver Reserve West is now open following much-needed surface renewal works.

Status

Stage 2 works are now complete.

About the project  

Stage 1 works involved resurfacing and relevelling the 2 playing fields as well as adding new drainage lines to maintain and enhance drainage before the new sand surface and natural turf is installed.

We are pleased to deliver these works to support the continued use of the reserve by local sporting clubs and community members for sport and recreation activities.

Turf reinforcement 

Stage 2 works reinforced the turf in high-use areas on both ovals, particularly goal areas, penalty spots, corner arcs and centre spots on both fields.

This work involved stitching a hybrid turf into a combined area of approximately 10% of the playing fields, as well as some of the high-use areas between the pavilion and playing fields. The hybrid turf being used is a 95% natural grass surface with high performance polyethylene fibres inserted into the surface, reducing wear in high-use areas and supporting turf recovery. 

This is consistent with the practice across a number of grounds in Boroondara. As the hybrid turf fibres are stitched into the surface, there should be no impact on the surrounding natural environment.

During stage 2 works

The playing fields were accessible during stage 2 works. During these works, machinery accessed the reserve and turf reinforcement works occurred in high-use areas of the playing field. There was minimal disruption to the use of the reserve during turf reinforcement.

Timeline

Contact us

If you have any questions about these works, please contact the Sport and Recreation team on [email protected] or phone (03) 9278 4444.

We installed 4 solar lights along the car park entry and northern car park at Burwood Reserve. We did this to:

• provide safer access to and from the sports facilities in the evening and after dark
• give people more opportunities to use the oval for sport and recreation activities
• encourage people of all genders to participate in sport (this forms part of our Diversity, Inclusion and Participation Program).

About the project

Our final design included 4 light solar lights instead of 6. We found that this:

• is more efficient
• can achieve the same lighting levels needed along the car park to meet Australian Standards.

Key features of the lighting include:

• targeted light to minimise impact on wildlife and surrounding neighbourhood
• energy-efficient LED lighting generated by solar power
• controlled timing from dusk, with the lights switched off by 11:45 pm Monday to Saturday and 9 pm Sunday and public holidays. This may change slightly in accordance with the sporting clubs allocated times at Burwood Reserve.

Timeline

Works were finalised in mid-May and took 4 weeks to complete.

More information

For more information about the project, please contact our Landscape and Design team on (03) 9278 4444 or [email protected]. 
 

Sportsground schedule

The summer season runs from 1 October 2025 to 30 March 2026.

Below is the schedule for the summer season at Dorothy Laver Reserve West.

* Our Organised Sport Seasonal Allocation Policy allows for night matches during the summer season at pre-approved sportsgrounds, including this one. There may be some night matches during the season. Matches will end by 9:30 pm (9:00 pm on Sundays). To find out more, please call our Sport and Recreation Team on (03) 9278 4797 or email [email protected].