"We are not the Gold Coast": Latrobe split on Traralgon Victory Park water playground

Those who supported cutting the size of the park pointed to cost and limited months of use.

Jacob Wallace
June 02, 2026

A new water playground planned for Victory Park in Traralgon has been scaled back after Latrobe City Mayor, Sharon Gibson, used her casting vote at a meeting last week.

What happened: The council published the Victory Park Master Plan for community consultation late last year. The plan included the development of a new aqua play zone in the middle of the Traraglon park.

Part of the proposal was to build a water play area where children could use manual pumps, buckets and channels to transport and move water around.

A map of the Newman Park Playspace in the Victory Park Master Plan.

At a council meeting last Monday, Councillor Adele Pugsley moved an alternative motion to remove the northern part of the play area, which would have sat next to the northernmost picnic pavilion, citing concerns about cost and water usage.

Councillor Dale Harriman also supported the scaling back, pointing to maintenance costs and existing water play facilities at the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre, about 1km away.

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Bring on the water works

Councillor Leanne Potter opposed the change, as did Councillor Joanne Campbell, who said: "I can't see why we're making this water park smaller when we've got a growing population."

The vote

The vote was 4-4, with Gibson using her casting vote to trim the water park.