Elliot Goodger Memorial Park Master Plan

The Elliot Goodger Memorial Park is a large physical area in Willaston bounded by Kellys, Two Wells and Gawler River Roads and Holmes Street as highlighted below:

Elliot Goodger Memorial Park is a heavily utilised community asset for both structured sport, as well as unstructured active and passive recreation activities. The following community organisations have lease arrangements* with Council for areas within Elliot Goodger Memorial Park:

• Gawler BMX Club
• Gawler Dog Training Club
• Gawler Scouts
• Rotary Club of Gawler
• Rotary Club of Gawler Light
• Willaston Football Club – including Willaston Country Music, Cricket and Netball Clubs

*A portion of Crown Land is located within Elliot Goodger Memorial Park and is utilised by the 608 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets.

The Elliot Goodger Memorial Park Master Plan is a priority strategic planning project for Council to guide the provision and improvement of sporting, recreation, and community infrastructure for existing and future users. Council has undertaken a meaningful planning process, producing the Elliot Goodger Memorial Park Master Plan, a vision for the redevelopment of this key community sporting and recreational asset. The Plan provides for organised sport and active recreation, as well as an improved unstructured recreation offering for the broader Gawler community being incorporated within the site. The Plan’s creation also identified an opportunity for development of a new fit-for purpose compliant facility for the Gawler BMX Club to be incorporated within an updated Master Plan for Karbeethan Reserve.

The development of the Elliot Goodger Memorial Park Master Plan has been driven throughout by two key pillars:

1. The provision of compliant and fit for purpose sporting and active recreation infrastructure (includes playing surfaces, amenities) and appropriate associated supporting infrastructure (includes social facilities, carparking) for structured community sport and active recreation activities
2. Improved provision of, and safe access to, unstructured community recreation infrastructure within Elliot Goodger Memorial Park

The following three Key Design Principles have been nominated to respond to these pillars:

1. Community – Create a destination for the Gawler community with a variety of facilities for residents, visitors and leaseholders including:
   • Playgrounds and pump track
   • Passive recreation amenities including seating, shelter, trees, and dog exercise area
   • Community clubroom and event space
   • Sporting facilities and shared club amenities
   • Spectator seating and shelter
2. Sport – Provide sports courts, playing field and clubroom facilities of correct size and compliances. Ensure current requirements and future anticipated membership growth are taken into consideration
3. Connections – Improve connections from the lower level of the site to the upper level. Create designated pedestrian pathways and accessible movement opportunities throughout the site. Review opportunities for additional on-site parking

The Elliot Goodger Memorial Park Master Plan Final Report includes the project cost estimate for the implementation of the Master Plan as $43.1million.

Council’s financial capacity to undertake capital works towards incrementally implementing the Master Plan will be informed by future updates to the Long-Term Financial Plan, Council’s annual capital works budget deliberations, and consideration of the impact on Council’s core financial indicators.

The key to the timely implementation of the Elliot Goodger Memorial Park Master Plan is the ability to attract significant levels of funding from a range of external stakeholders and partners. Council has and will continue to identify and act upon suitable funding opportunities as they arise. It is important to note that local community and sporting organisations lease a significant number of facilities and sporting infrastructure from Council, with the responsibility to maintain and upgrade the infrastructure residing in many instances with the leaseholder – the community organisation. Council and leaseholder partnership opportunities will be proactively investigated and sought out to drive the implementation of the Master Plan in the coming years. These opportunities are likely to include instances of external funding that are only available to community organisations and others that are open to applications from local government only.

The Elliot Goodger Memorial Park Master Plan Final Report does not, as occurred with the two previous Master Plans (Karbeethan Reserve and Essex Park & Gawler Showgrounds), identify an implementation timeline. This aspect has not been considered within the isolated confines of this project, given Council’s direction to review its current Gawler Open Space, Sport & Recreation Plan. This review will have a significantly more targeted and refined scope, with the plan being focused solely on community sport and recreation facilities. The outcome of the review being the Gawler Sport & Community Recreation Facility Plan (commenced late 2024) that will include:

1. Updated (if/as required) Master Plans for Council’s current major community sport and recreation precincts (Elliot Goodger Memorial Park, Essex Park & Gawler Showgrounds and Karbeethan Reserve) as well as the future proposed Southern Sporting Precinct
2. Establishment of town wide community sport and recreation infrastructure philosophy and prioritisation methodology

Project Contact

If you have any questions or would like further information about the project, please contact Bryce Norton – Manager Strategy

Email: elliotgoodger.masterplan@gawler.sa.gov.au