Spectacular Kadidjiny Park Declared Open

Kadidjiny Park (pron: KAD-a-jin-ee) includes unique elements such as a whimsical tree with a hand-carved face, musical instruments, an undulating playscape, embankment slides, sand play equipment, barbeques, boardwalks, a wetland area, an amphitheatre-style seating area, exercise equipment, public artworks and walking paths.

Mayor Russell Aubrey said, “Kadidjiny is a Noongar word meaning ‘learning, thinking, listening’ and this is the perfect name because the site has a Noongar history and the park is located on the old Melville Primary School site and provides plenty of fun learning opportunities.

“This project took 18 months to construct and I think we can all celebrate that not only is this park stunningly beautiful it is both on time and on budget.

“I anticipate that Kadidjiny Park will become an all-time favourite among children. With its Dr Seuss-style playscape, striking artworks and rolling green lawns, this park offers something for everyone and is a gift to current and future generations.”

Federal Member for Fremantle Melissa Parke said, “This innovative park will be a focus point for the local and wider community for many years to come. Neighbourhood building facilities like this one work to bring people together, and to foster healthy outdoor activity for people of all ages. I congratulate the City of Melville on this fantastic achievement and look forward to a walk in the park myself.”

In 2006, the City of Melville purchased the 3.8 hectares of land from the Education Department for $5.5 million when Melville Primary School was relocated from the site. The City also contributed approximately $1.4 million towards construction of the park.

The Australian Federal Government provided $2.686 million for the project from its $1 billion Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program. This is part of the Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan which is supporting local jobs and injecting money directly into local economies around Australia.

“Without the Federal Government support the construction of Kadidjiny Park may not have been possible,” the Mayor said.

More than 45,000 individual plants and trees have been planted, including 80 different local plant species. The use of native plant species will provide both food and habitat refuge and encourage native fauna to live at the park.

Kadidjiny Park is located on the corner of Curtis and Kitchener Roads in Melvillle (next door to Melville Primary School).

Meaning behind the ‘Kadidjiny’ name

Long before there was a school on the Kadidjiny Park site, the land was located in the middle of some walking tracks that connected major campsites of the local Noongar people – the Beeliar people. Food was plentiful and, to make it easier to hunt and gather, the Beeliar people would carry out seasonal burning of the bushland. There were many emus in the area and it was known to be a large breeding ground.

The men hunted using spears, knives, fires and boomerangs, while the women gathered roots, berries, fruits, honey, insect larvae and turtle eggs. The children enjoyed games, kinship and adventure.

In honour of the Beeliar people – the traditional custodians of the site - the Noongar word ‘Kadidjiny’ was selected by Melville Council for the park. Appropriately, Kadidjiny means ‘learning, thinking, listening’ and this links the Aboriginal history of the land with the site’s past as a primary school.