Ballam Park
Ballam Parkprovides a great day out for people of all ages, with two regional playground areas, 30 hectares of open areas and sporting fields including a premier athletics track, AFL, soccer and cricket.
Visit Ballam Park Bioretention System and Ornamental Lake for details about the project.
Highlights Include
- Barbecues with shaded areas (free - bookings not available)
- Basketball ring
- Dog free roam area.
- Public toilets
- Tennis wall
- Walking track
- Historical homestead
For more information on dog free roam areas, please see the free roam, on leash and prohibited areas for pets page.
The Park is also home to Ballam Park Homestead, an historic home and museum from the 1850s run by the Frankston Historical Society.
Ballam Park play space
The new $3 million play space at Ballam Park, Karingal, has been designed to complement and connect with the existing Ballam Bumps playground, improve accessibility, enhance amenities for families, and provide a different type of play for children from toddlers to 12-years-olds.
The play space features Frankston’s first water play as well as:
- Nature play including sand, pebbles, and sculpture play
- Giant basket swing
- Traditional swings
- Accessible carousel
- Sand play unit
- Four new BBQs with eight hotplates
- Three new shelters
- Ten picnic tables
- Bins
- Bike hoops
- Seats
- 100 new trees
- Drinking fountains
- Improved accessibility and connections to the public toilets and car park
In July 2024 we added a bespoke play area featuring opportunities to explore, climb, hide and slide with:
- A sway bridge with overhead ropes
- A basket swing accommodating up to eight children
- Balance beams
- A cubby house
- A leaf-design bridge with stones inside as a tactile experience
- Climbing rocks
- A junior slide
To make play time even more engaging, the play area features a range of materials, including recycled bridge timber, steel and river rocks.
Consultation
The new play space (stage 1 and 2) design was informed by feedback from the community during the development of Council’s Play Strategy and Ballam Park Precinct engagement in 2021 where the community told us that play for young children at Ballam Bumps was difficult due to the nature of play styles and equipment and the older age of children using Ballam Bumps.
Design
The overall design of the play space is focused on:
- Connecting the new play space with the older Ballam Bumps play space so that families with children of all ages can play safely at the same location
- Improving accessibility through new paths and accessible play equipment that allows children in wheelchairs to engage in play with other children
- Enhancing amenity for parents and carers who can stay at the park longer and enjoy the additional features including BBQ and picnic facilities, shade and bike hoops
- Providing a different type of play to the options available at Ballam Bumps.
The play space upgrade is funded by Council through the Victorian Government’s Community Infrastructure Loan Scheme.
Is the water used in the water jets safe to drink?
Yes, potable water is used.
What’s the frequency of the water play jets and are they on a timer?
The water play jets are activated by pressing the button on either of the two blue stands. Once the button is pressed, the water jets run through a four-minute cycle, regardless of how many time the buttons are subsequently pressed. Each cycle is designed to activate different jets and different times so that kids don’t know which jet will activate next.
Is the water play area on a timer and will it operate all year round?
The water jets will operate between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. during the summer season. Operating hours will change after daylight savings time ends. The water jets will operate year-round.
Where does the water from the water jets go?
The water play area drains into a creek that travels through the creek play area and on to passive irrigation of gardens and trees.
Ballam Park Dog Agility Park
The Dog Agility Park gives dogs a great way to exercise. They can weave, dodge, climb, balance, crawl and jump over hurdles until their hearts content.
The tennis court sized fully fenced dog park located along the rear fence line of Ballam Park features hurdles of differing heights, jump through hurdles, balance beams, a crawl tunnel, weave poles bridge and sit-stay platforms. There is also a grassed area with picnic facilities, seating and a drink tap with dog bowl.
The new park is an initiative of Council’s Domestic Animal Management Plan adopted in 2017, is made entirely of recycled material from local Carrum Downs business Replas and provides an ideal setting for dogs to socialise with other pets in a safe environment that allows off-leash exercise.
Ballam Park Athletics Track
Our local Little Aths community were thrilled to help officially open the Ballam Park Athletics Track in March 2023.
This track now complies with all current World Athletics Standards to ensure it can be used for athletics competitions in the region.
Feedback from Frankston Little Athletics Centre, Frankston Little Athletics, Frankston Athletics Centre and Peninsula Masters has been fantastic.
Thousands of primary and secondary school students also use this facility for school carnivals and it's exciting to see Frankston as the regional hub for athletics – along with many other sports.
In March 2024, work is expected to begin on upgrading our Athletic Pavilion at our Athletic track. These upgrades will include:
- Two fit-for-purpose change rooms and amenities;
- Accessible public amenities/toilet;
- Storage room;
- First aid room;
- Increased social area;
- Increased gym area;
- Kitchen re-flooring;
- Increased office/ /officials/meeting room;
- External undercover viewing area.
These upgrades are scheduled to be completed by October 2024, in time for the beginning of the 2024 athletic season.
This project is supported by the Council Plan and by the Council’s Active Leisure Strategy 2021-2029 & Sports Development Plan.
This project has been funded by the Council and the Victorian Government.
Ballam Park Homestead
Step back in time with a visit to the Ballam Park Homestead.
Frankston Historical Society | Cranbourne Road, Ballam Park, Frankston (frankstonhs.org.au)
Location
Ballam Park, Karingal 3199 View Map
-38.1528406,145.1584451
Ballam Park ,
Karingal 3199
Ballam Park ,
Karingal 3199
Ballam Park
Photo Gallery