02/09/2026
🌳 From floodwaters to footprints 👣 Rebuilding parks, restoring smiles across Hinchinbrook 😊✨
For many families, the reopening of local parks and playgrounds in the Hinchinbrook Shire after the February 2025 flood means much more than repaired infrastructure.
It means children being able to play with their friends again.
It means grandparents watching from the sidelines. It means families gathering outdoors, creating memories and reconnecting with their community.
When floodwaters swept through the region in February, they left a trail of damage across homes, businesses, roads and community facilities.
Flood levels at Ingham peaked at 14.93 metres on 3 February, just shy of the town's 1967 record.
The Herbert River rose an extraordinary seven metres in just 24 hours, fuelled by intense rainfall and unprecedented inflows from the Stone River after 1,467mm of rain fell across the Paluma Range.
For many residents, it was one of the most significant flood events in decades.
Among the facilities impacted were some of Ingham’s most valued recreational spaces, including Ninja Park, Rotaract Park and Interact Park.
Playground surfaces were undermined, sand was washed away, infrastructure was damaged and access to some sites became difficult due to ongoing wet weather.
While residents saw the damage left behind, what many didn't see was the work taking place behind the scenes to bring these spaces back to life.
For months, Council's Public Spaces team worked steadily through the recovery effort, dedicating a combined 597 hours to restoring the three parks for the community.
Leading that effort was Public Spaces Coordinator Peter Larragan, who this year celebrates 27 years of service with Hinchinbrook Shire Council.
Having spent nearly three decades helping shape and maintain the Shire's public spaces, Peter understands just how important parks and playgrounds are to local families.
Following one of the most significant flood events in decades, he and his team were determined to restore these spaces so children could get back to playing, families could reconnect, and communities could once again enjoy the places that bring people together.
For Peter and his team, the work was never simply about fixing playgrounds.
Many of the crew have children, grandchildren, relatives, neighbours and friends who use these facilities themselves.
They understand that parks are more than swings, climbing frames and rubber surfaces.
They are places where children build confidence, where friendships are formed, where parents connect, and where families spend time together.
At Ninja Park, located within the popular TYTO Wetlands and Parklands precinct, flood currents damaged the specialised rubber soft-fall surface.
The restoration involved installing a new Colour Sealed Bonded Rubber surface incorporating recycled rubber materials and Aero Shockpads manufactured from recycled tyres.
The upgraded surface improves safety while also providing greater resilience to future wet weather and flooding events.
At Rotaract Park, floodwaters caused washouts, contaminated playground sand and displaced edging around the playground area. Council crews restored the site so local families could once again safely enjoy the long-standing recreational space.
Meanwhile, at Interact Park, one of the community's more flood-prone locations, floodwaters removed playground sand entirely and damaged playground infrastructure.
Rather than simply replacing what was lost, the opportunity was taken to improve the park through the installation of new flood-resistant play equipment, including an inclusive swing and play elements catering to children of different ages.
The project also involved replacing around 65 tonnes of soft-fall sand, equivalent to the weight of about 11 elephants, highlighting the scale of the recovery effort.
Together, the restoration works represented an investment of more than $157,000, with assistance provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) in association with Hinchinbrook Shire Council.
The projects were not without challenges. Persistent wet weather and difficult site conditions caused delays, with crews often working around flooded ground and limited site access.
Despite these setbacks, the team remained focused on returning the parks to the community as quickly and safely as possible.
Hinchinbrook Local Recovery Group Chair Cr Mary Brown said the reopening of the parks is another important milestone in Hinchinbrook's recovery journey.
"These parks are much more than recreational assets. They are places where families gather, children create memories and communities connect," Cr Brown said.
"Following the February flood, our community faced significant challenges. The restoration of these spaces is a reminder that recovery is not just about rebuilding infrastructure. It's about restoring the places and experiences that matter most to people."
"I would like to acknowledge Peter Larragan and the entire Public Spaces team for their outstanding commitment throughout this recovery effort. Their dedication, professionalism and community spirit have helped ensure local families can once again enjoy these important public spaces."
Today, the sounds of children laughing, climbing, swinging and exploring once again fill parks that only months ago were sitting damaged by floodwaters.
For many residents, that may seem like a simple thing.
But for a community that has worked hard to recover from one of the most significant flood events in decades, it is a powerful sign of progress.
Behind every restored playground, every tonne of replaced sand and every reopened gate are local people who showed up day after day, determined to rebuild spaces they knew their community needed.
Because they weren't just repairing parks.
They were helping restore a sense of normality, one playground at a time.
Queensland Reconstruction Authority | Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) | National Emergency Management Agency
