22 March 2009

Save the Weston Park railway?

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times is going in to bat for the operators of the Weston Park Miniature Railway and Kiosk.

Apparently it’s no longer in the ACT Government’s plans for the future of Weston Park, a subject of concern for the artfully photographed Mele family who have run it for the last 14 years.

Will you miss it if it’s gone?

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I know this is an old thread, but I am currently doing a project on weston park and trying to find out the more recent history of the park. Does anybody know of anywhere to find info about Weston Park since the 80s? I would love to see some photos of the treehouses and the maze and climbing playground equipment which was there originally.

In they turn it into the Weston Park VFT I’ll support it!

Comments on the Weston Park Final Draft Masterplan are due today (19/07/2009).

Please make your comments to support the Western Park Railway.

Here is the link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=6RijGeTkYOPwU_2bbhEyUURA_3d_3d+

^ Well couldn’t the ACT Govt. possibly negotiate with the proprietor to relocate the train and have that as well. I think Canberra is lacking family friendly places to eat where the kids can play (other than McDonald’s).

kobez_outlaw11:27 pm 23 Mar 09

Yeah all this landscape crap is stupid. When I was a kid I loved that train, the maze, the spider web thing and the tree houses. Now its pretty much all gone, it made me sad. I probably would prefer the place to be turned into a massive estate with residential towers, cafe’s, restaurants and clubs than some pathetic landscape parks that kids couldn’t give a toss about, at least it would be put into good use. But our government have no clue.

Has anybody tried to use the play equipment on Black Mt Peninsula, just across the lake from there? The modern plastic stuff is plain weird.

Many many years ago weston park was brilliant for yuong families. Then came the whinging parents and public liability and all the fun got ripped down and taken away. If the government were serious about attracting people to the park they would redevelop it in a way that keeps attractions like the train and restores playgrounds that are actually fun, not like the rubbish plastic stuff that exists in most playgrounds these days.

The Miniature railway in Kingston will be closed as part of the land for the new suburb of East Lake which will house about 9000 people.
If you look at Weston Park and the planning by protractor i.e. The Spatial Plan, this land should be developed. More people should be sqeezed into the 7km from the GPO. Maybe a few ten storey towers with penthouses.
Medium density housing,blocks of up-market flats, will make the land use more productive for the ACT Treasury.

Fun for kids is not an agenda item!

dosomethinguseful3:29 pm 23 Mar 09

Weston Park would be a fantastic cash injection for the local government if it sold of most of the land

Yes, but the govt have identified that the park is looking tired and are going to do it up. The question is should they refurb the train area as well, or should they just get rid of it for come more attractive shrubbery.

colourful sydney racing identity1:14 pm 23 Mar 09

Took my eldest there a few years ago and it was pathetic, the train barely made it around the track and there was rubish and broken “attractions” everywhere. It had all the ambience of a ‘broken down amusement fair’ from scooby doo

The owner didn’t spend money on a refurb, as they had no guarantee of retaining the railway.

I remember riding that train when I was a tyke, and going there a few months ago with my friend and his daughter. The place has not changed since that 80’s and by that I mean renovated as well.

It really could do with a refurbish and they could make a go of it, but I was really dissapointed when I went, because my memories of it were grand and awesome, and I got there and it was, like someone else said, pissweak world.

I too remember the water park, mouse house and tree houses of yesteryear weston park.

Apparently its blocked off at night now as well, due once again to what the government tells us is antisocial behaviour.

Weston Park railway. Wow, I remember it from when I was first in canberra in about 74 or so.

I can’t believe the ACT governmewnt wants to can it.

They have money for Al Grassby statues and bizarre GDE artworks, not to mention the monstrosity at the roundabout on Adelaide avenue, and yet can’t find any funding for what is now a Canberra icon?

ah, but the government didn’t run the railway, otherwise it would still be a peak attraction….

bizarre artworks can’t cause accidents, but a railway can, so they want to can it. might check out the facebook site and see what can be done.

They actually do seem to have some really good ideas for the district parks in Canberra. I’m quite excited about it. There’s a lot of emphasis on letting children interact with the landscape in conjunction with imaginative use of playground equipment which harmonises with the natural surroundings and character of the park.

I would suggest that we have a look at what the proposals are before we criticise them. The design team would have probably had to have a very good reason for not including the train as a feature in the design.

I would keep it. Kids couldn’t care less about landscaping, but they do like trains.
There’s plenty of landscaping all over the place anyway.

the answer is nope. wouldn’t miss Weston Creek either.

I’m sure we could find a couple of inspired retirees/pensioners to do it up?
Nice project to get the community involved in.

It has never been anything special, certainly not really worth spending any effort saving. Wonder how many public artworks they’ll fill the park with instead of things that are actually fun/interesting/useful?

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Will need a lot of fixing before it acheives even a basic acceptable standard. Want a train ride for the kids? Go to Kingston- much better. And the kiosk is expensive crap. With poor service.

wood, from memory.

What was the maze? Hedges?

I Can’t believe that the maze is gone. How many years ago did that happen?

Woody Mann-Caruso2:46 pm 22 Mar 09

Fix it. It was crap-ish when the maze and the forts were there. Now it’s like Pissweak World.

swamiOFswank1:54 pm 22 Mar 09

I took my 3yo nephew there last year, and he LOVED it. I thought it needed a bit of a makeover and some publicity (there was no-one there except for us), but otherwise the railway is the closest thing to a theme park canberra has. Let it stay!

My kids love the railway and the little kiosk makes good coffee. Yes its all a bit tired however its nothing some “economic stimulus” wouldn’t fix.

We would miss it.

Nope, maze is gone, bummer.

Surely the railway could almost pass pre-requistes for heritage listing !

I vote revamp !

Is the maze still there !?

Snap indeed! And work experience at the ABS, that’s not a bad analogy for what they’ve done to Weston Park.

Ha ha Ant, snap! 😀

Ummm, yes! It’s badly in need of a revamp but I am looking forward to the time when my bubs is old enough to ride. Perhaps if it were properly restored, more people would ride it??
After removing all the cool treehouses, dismantling the mouse house and not allowing water to flow through the ‘waterpark’, Weston Park will soon be about as exciting as a days work experience at the ABS(he he).
Please no…

I remember going on that when I was a kid, so it must have been there quite a long time. Weston Park used to be a thrilling place, first there were teh tree houses, then they added the water thing and the maze, and the train.

Now it’s just bland… fine if you’re an adult but it’s a shame today’s kids don’t get the exciting park we had.

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