We’re upgrading the playground at Norway Reserve in Canterbury due to its age and condition. 

Status

We’ll start building the new playground from Monday 5 January 2026. 

We plan to finish construction and reopen the playground by mid-2026 (subject to weather conditions).

Works will take place from Monday to Friday from 7 am to 4 pm (excluding public holidays). We may need to work on Saturdays. 

How construction may impact you

• The playground area will be closed and fenced off.
• You may hear construction noise.
• Access to the park will remain open.
• Pedestrian access to walking routes near the playground will be closed, with detours in place.
• Builder vehicles will occupy some parking spaces on Woodstock Street.

Nearby playgrounds

While construction is underway, we encourage you to explore other local playgrounds close by.

Sir William Angliss Reserve 

• Location: 95 Rathmines Road, Hawthorn East
• Distance: 13 minute walk or 3 minute drive (1 km away)

Reservoir Reserve 

• Location: 20 Grange Road, Kew
• Distance: 16 minute walk or 3 minute drive (1 km away)

Boroondara Park 

• Location: 66 Canterbury Road, Canterbury
• Distance: 15 minute walk or 3 minute drive (1.2 km away)

Deepdene Park 

• Location: 120 Whitehorse Road, Deepdene
• Distance: 17 minute walk or 3 minute drive  (1.4 km away)

About the upgrade

This playground upgrade aims to:

• build a playground which meets the needs of children and families into the future
• improve accessibility
• offer a range of fun play experiences that caters to a range of ages and abilities.

Key features of the new playground include: 

• a castle-themed play unit with a double slide, tube slide, fire pole and activity panels
• a basket swing, toddler swing and sling seat
• an accessible carousel
• an adventure trail with climbing ropes, monkey bars and balance activities
• a horse rocker.

Other features to be included in the wider playground space include:

• improved platform seating overlooking the playground
• a new picnic table setting
• accessible surfaces connecting the footpath to the playground.

Community consultation

We invited our community to share feedback to help guide the design for the new playground.

We received feedback over 2 rounds of consultation in late-2024 and early-2025. Thank you to everyone who had their say.

You can find out what our community told us and view the final design on our Norway Reserve playground upgrade page on Your Say Boroondara. 

Status 

Construction of the new playground is expected to start in January 2026.

We’ll update this page and keep our community informed when construction timelines are confirmed. 

Timeline

More information

To receive updates about all works, visit our Norway Reserve consultation page and select '‘Follow’at the top of the page.

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

Project status

The design for the pavilion is finalised and the building contract was awarded in December 2023.

The contractor set up the site in March 2024. Renewal works were completed in August 2025.

During construction

The renewal works to the existing pavilion building will happen over 2 stages.

Stage 1 involves building the new extension. During this stage: 

• the public toilet in the pavilion will be closed – you can find the closest public toilet using the map on the National Public Toilet Map website.   
• sports clubs will continue to use the existing pavilion building
• the oval can still be accessed from the Guildford Road entrance.   

Stage 2 involves refurbishing the existing pavilion building. During this stage: 

• the new public toilet will be open and available to use
• sports clubs will use the new pavilion extension  
• the entrance in front of the pavilion on Guildford Road will be closed, but the sportsground will be open and can be accessed from the entrances on Chatham Road, Croydon Road and further down Guildford Road. 

There will be no impact to car parking throughout the project. 

Community consultation

In April and May 2023, we asked our community and local sporting clubs for feedback on a draft design for the pavilion. We received mixed support from 24 community members who provided feedback.

You can find out what our community told us, how their feedback shaped the final design, and view the final design on our Canterbury Sports Ground pavilion upgrade consultation page.

About the project

We are upgrading the Canterbury Sports Ground pavilion to create a better experience for the community and local sports clubs, including:

• Canterbury Cricket Club
• Canterbury Football Club
• Canterbury Junior Football Club.

Upgrades to the existing pavilion include:

• a modern design to update the building’s look and feel
• new facilities to support the groups who use the pavilion, such a first aid room
• ramps for wheelchairs, prams and other mobility devices
• renewed pathways and better connections between the pavilion and key features of the park
• more inclusive changerooms and bathrooms, including adding cubicles.

These changerooms will have better facilities for women and are part of our efforts to support female sports teams and encourage female sports participation.

The upgrades are in line with our Development and Funding of Community Pavilions – Sport and Recreation Policy and our Boroondara Community Plan 2021–2031. 

Council has an allocated project budget of $2.85 million over the 2022/23 to 2024/25 financial years. Canterbury Cricket Club was successful in securing a $1.25 million grant from Sport and Recreation Victoria to support the renewal works.

The final design

In response to community feedback, we updated the design by:

• adding more native vegetation with a new landscaped area (grassy swale drain) along the Chatham Road entrance
• retaining the existing drinking tap
• adding a new pathway with landscaping, connecting Chatham Road to the pavilion. 

The updated design still features:

• 4 inclusive change rooms with amenities (2 new change rooms plus refurbishing the 2 existing change rooms)
• elevating the existing building by 42 cm to make it level with the sports ground, improving drainage and sight-line to the oval
• 2 new umpire rooms
• a first aid room to allow for better injury management on site
• a sheltered spectator decking area connecting to the multipurpose room
• ramps for better accessibility and wheelchair access
• improvements to the external building façade
• improvements to the kitchen and kiosk areas
• increased storage spaces
• upgraded external lighting for improved safety during night use of the pavilion and pavilion surrounds.

As part of our design we'll:

• use recycled brick cladding for the pavilion
• extend the pavilion on the southern end
• landscape the entry way
• create a ramp to create better access from the change rooms to the multipurpose room and kitchen
• create a new maintenance pathway for oval access
• add a new concrete path to connect the western side of the pavilion to car park.

We have carefully considered the design of the upgraded pavilion to make sure it:

• supports our sustainability efforts
• increases accessibility
• does not impact views of nearby residents
• does not require tree removal
• is a welcoming and useful place for the community.

Timeline

More information

To receive updates about this project, visit our Canterbury Sports Ground pavilion upgrade consultation page and select 'Follow' at the top of the page.

For more information about construction, contact our Sport and Recreation team on (03) 9278 4444 or [email protected].

In 2022, a vibrant artwork was installed on the Canterbury Road underpass near 202 Canterbury Road, in Canterbury.

The mural Hope is not cancelled, was designed by artist Nicole van Dijk and students from Strathcona Girls Grammar, was installed on the southern wall of the rail underpass, with support from Council.

The mural depicts the students’ feelings of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. The school engaged Nicole through its artist-in-residence program, and she worked directly with year 7 students to design the mural, which was installed in May.

The large flowing design and bold colours sweep across the wall and, if you look closely, you will see it incorporates the intricate symbols of hope that students said helped them through the lockdowns.

'Many things were cancelled because of the global pandemic. However, there were many things that couldn’t be cancelled,' says artist Nicole.

'Using illustration, collage and cut-outs, students created black-and-white symbols reflecting on themes of sunshine, spring, love, relationships, reading, naps, devotion, music, dancing, imagination, kindness, conversations and hope. The result is a collaborative artwork that represents hope and emerging from a difficult time.'

The long flowing motif of a river that you see in the mural symbolises Nicole’s daily walks along the Yarra River, and the flowing white tendrils represent the “sacred bushland” of inner suburbia.

Council will continue to support community efforts to enhance the Maling Road precinct with placemaking initiatives and with murals, adding colour and a local touch over the years.

Hope is not cancelled tells an important story of our communities’ experiences during the pandemic and contributes to the broader story of Maling Road, just as the new 80 Maling Road laneway mural celebrates our community, visitors and spaces.