General News
11 November, 2026
Sweeter future for park
THE long-neglected Sugarworld playground and botanic gardens at Edmonton have been elevated to a list of Cairns Regional Council priorities.
Council has published its tier 2 priorities below its No.1 preferences which include the Mt Peter priority development area, a tourism levy, the university two reservoir at Smithfield and a women’s sport action plan.
On tier 2 is Sugarworld, as well as the Cairns mountain bike plan, Redlynch and Trinity Beach sporting and Smithfield leisure precincts and the botanic gardens interpretative nursery.
Cr Matthew Tickner (Div. 2) said Sugarworld was “the southern jewel in the Cairns crown – not to be mistaken for the water slides”.
“This is the fenced playground that resides within the gardens themselves and is seriously due for an upgrade,” he said.
“Opened 15 years ago, this playground and the surrounding gardens has been an absolute workhorse for the community in division two.
“We have seen significant growth in the south over those 15 years, and on any given day, this playground and the gardens opens its arms to hordes of families looking to escape the indoors and enjoy the cool shade and the park offers, while the kids get to burn off some energy in the playground and the footpaths that loop the gardens themselves.
“Now, on the surface, it’s an ideal idyllic image, but you dig a little deeper and you’ll find the adventure playground.
“Once the adorable and free little sister to the adjacent water slide park is beginning to morph into the ugly stepsister.”
Cr Tickner said children playing in the free adventure playground soon spotted “the shiny red superjet water slide”, which costs families to use, and was “now causing significant stress to exhausted parents throughout the division two community”.
“The original playground and surrounding infrastructure was a joint-funded project by council and the state government back in 2010-2011 when Curtis Pitt was the Member for Mulgrave.
“So, as we begin to form plans for the playground and the gardens upgrade, we look to rekindle that relationship with our state counterparts and walk hand in hand under the shade of the magnificent Sugar world rain trees to breathe new life into the park and the playground – and give division two the destination level park it deserves.”
