With the population ageing, there are some great initiatives taking place.

Being physically active is great for your body and mind and exercise parks built specifically for seniors are increasing.

The latest Seniors Exercise Park, which supports gentle exercise and activity, is in Simmons Park, Lindisfarne, 6km from Hobart’s city centre in Tasmania.

The Seniors Exercise Park has been built and designed to enable seniors to build on and rediscover the joy of movement, the benefits of being outdoors, the positive impacts on mental health, and social connections. 

The equipment ranges from balance beams, stairs, pull up bars and core twisters through to finger stairs, pedal benches and basic step-up equipment. It is designed for strength, balance, co-ordination and functional, mobility and flexibility. 

This project was funded from a state government election commitment in 2021 and built in consultation and guidance from Clarence City Council’s Positive Ageing Working Group, formerly the Positive Ageing Advisory Committee (CPAAC).

Where are the Seniors Exercise Parks?

The majority are in Melbourne:

  • Andrew Pocket Park, Eltham, 20km northeast of the CBD;
  • Barry Road Community Activity Centre, Thomastown, 16km north of the CBD;
  • Bent Street Reserve, Westmeadows, 16km northwest of the CBD;
  • Carrington Seniors Exercise Park, Knoxfield, 27km east of the CBD;
  • Central Park Community Centre, Hoppers Crossing, 24km southeast of the CBD; Chittick Park, Seymour, 104km north of the CBD;
  • Coburg Senior Citizens Centre, Coburg, 8km north of the CBD;
  • Donald McLean Reserve, Spotswood, 7km southeast of the CBD;
  • The Elms Reserve, Kilmore, 65km north of the CBD;
  • Ivanhoe Park, Ivanhoe, 9km northeast of the CBD;
  • Liscombe House, St Helena, 21km northeast of the city;
  • Laurence Park, Lara, 18km northeast of the CBD;
  • Thomas Street Reserve, Hampton, 14km southeast of the CBD;
  • Victoria Park, Kew, 5km east of the city; and
  • Wingham Park, Frankston, 54km southeast of the CBD.

There are also two in Ballarat, the city 110km northwest of Melbourne’s CBD: Mount Pleasant Reserve and M R Power Reserve, Sebastopol.

There is one in NSW: Uniting War Memorial Hospital, Waverley, 7km east of Sydney’s CBD, and the one in Hobart, Tasmania.