SPORTS vouchers are up for grabs as Douglas Shire Council seeks feedback about parks, trails, and public sporting facilities in Douglas Shire.
Council has started initial community consultation for the Active Douglas: Sports and Active Recreation Strategy, which will provide a roadmap for Council to invest in public sports and active recreational infrastructure.
Mountain bike trails, walking tracks, playgrounds, free fitness programs and other public exercise opportunities are just some ideas to be incorporated into the strategy.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said survey responses would help Council pinpoint areas it needs to focus its active recreational investment on.
“We want to get a deeper understanding of the barriers that prevent people from participating in sport and how Council can improve its active recreational offering to get our community more active,” he said.
“The Active8 Free Fitness program, which has seen a tremendous response from the community, is just one example of how Council can encourage more active lifestyles.”
“Many people love mountain biking on the Bump Track, walking along Flagstaff Hill and using our local playgrounds, so we want everyone to tell us how we can make these better and create new active experiences.”
The Active Douglas: Sports and Active Recreation Strategy follows the completion of a Masterplan for the Port Douglas Sports Complex and Mossman Showgrounds, which set out a vision for the Shire’s two main sporting precincts.
Council staff are also currently working on a project which includes mapping existing hiking and mountain bike tracks to be promoted via Council’s website.
A cycleway between Mossman and Cooya Beach is also in the pipeline with an upgrade to the Junction Creek Shared Pedestrian Bridge underway as part of the Principle Cycle Network.
Mayor Kerr said the strategy would shape the Council’s active recreational investment for the next 10 years.
“Douglas Shire is a fantastic place to get outdoors and be active,” he said.
“With our natural assets and adventure experiences, we are well-positioned to capitalise on our active recreational potential, particularly with the Wangetti Trail project underway.”
Council would like to hear from everyone including schools and business. The Active Douglas survey takes about five minutes to complete.
If you are a parent or carer, please feel free to also complete an additional survey or surveys which reflect the activities of the child/children in your care, or ask them to complete the survey themselves.
Please note the survey closes on Sunday, 21 February 2021.
To thank you for your time, everyone who completes this survey will go into the draw to win 1 x $100 voucher or 1 x $50 voucher for Port Douglas Sports Power.
Why do we need a Douglas Sport and Active Recreation Strategy?
Council’s role for the purpose of the strategy is to investigate participation, usage, clubs needs and infrastructure auditing for future development of infrastructure, programs and identify where support is required. Through a robust consultation plan, the community will be engaged to advise us of their sport and active recreation activity and to identify needs in the community. A strategy will be formed using statistics, trends and understanding value to the community for future direction till 2032.
The strategy considers two key areas: active recreation, and organised sport. Both elements are designed to engage in some type of physical activity.
Active Recreation
Physical activities that are non-competitive in nature such as walking, riding, playing, swimming, going to the gym, and health and wellbeing classes. Active Recreation can also be the ability to incorporate physical activity into our daily lives, including walking and cycling for short trips such as to and from school and work, and walking to the park and shops.
Organised Sport
Sporting activities that are run under the auspice of a peak governing body.
Complete the surveys at the links below:
Public survey – http://www.cprgroup.com.au/activedouglas
Business and schools survey http://www.cprgroup.com.au/activedouglas-sb
