Annettes Place

Annettes Place is a play space in Richmond, located between River Street and the Yarra River.

Location of Annettes Place. Image credit: City of Yarra.
Desire path between Annettes Place and nearby path leading to Main Yarra Trail. Image credit: Herschel Landes.

Upgrade

Yarra’s Play Space Strategy and Open Space Strategy identified Annette’s Place as a priority for upgrading. A concept design was prepared, and community engagement was conducted in February and March 2026.

Concept plan for community engagement. Image credit: Your Say Yarra.

One contentious item of feedback was a request for the removal of the new path linking the existing path from River Street to the Main Yarra Trail (the formalised goat track). The concern was in relation to people riding bikes through the park, and the conflict that may arise between different user groups if a new path was constructed. Officers considered the feedback, and recommended retaining the shared path to ensure that people of all ages and abilities could move between the play space and the Main Yarra Trail.

Officer recommendation to retain the shared path. Source: Agenda for 9 June 2026.
Concept plan after community engagement, retaining the shared path.

Cancellation of shared path

On 9 June 2026 Council resolved to remove the shared path from the upgrade, contravening the officer recommendation. Councillors sought to justify that decision as being safer for children and the elderly, because it would keep away high speed cyclists.

Shared path access cancelled for people with prams, older people with walkers, people in wheelchairs, young cyclists, or parents with cargo bikes.

Our view

Council should have retained the shared path connection. The path is guided away from the play space, and the concept included curves and texturing to encourage users to travel at low speeds. It is possible to deliver a low-speed space that can be shared and accessed by all.