Brisbane City Council is encouraging everyone to keep fit and active with around 30 new free outdoor gyms that will be coming or already opened in local parks including a multi-use games arena at Richlands.
“Council is committed to delivering more lifestyle and leisure opportunities across the city through free public outdoor gyms and multi-use games arenas in Brisbane parks,” Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said.
There are already around 20 parks that have been installed with fitness equipments, including large outdoor gyms, since 2016. These facilities are located at CJ Greenfield Park in Richlands, Grinstead Park in Alderley, Nixon Park in Moorooka, Robinson Park in Tingalpa, and Perrin Park in Toowong.
“With our enviable weather, it’s no wonder that people want to do more in the outdoors and Council’s outdoor gyms are providing an affordable and convenient alternative to traditional gym memberships,” LM Quirk said.
The Council is investing $5 million in “modern outdoor exercise equipment to help residents live healthy and active lifestyles.”
These outdoor gyms combine cardio and strength equipment suitable for any fitness-level to help people achieve their fitness goals. Equipment that residents can use include: cross-trainers, treadmills, hand bikes, lateral pull down, shoulder press equipment, leg press, and oblique equipment.
The courts, on the other hand, are fully fenced with line marking for five-a-side soccer, basketball, or netball. These multi-use games arenas were already built at Richlands, Alderley, Moorooka, Toowong and Tingalpa. Other parks to have these kind of facilities soon are Ferny Grove, Zillmere, Kangaroo Point, Runcorn, and Holland Park.
So far, more than 130 of Brisbane City Council parks have been installed with exercise equipment that are free to use. Facilities range from simple and static equipment to movable and interactive equipment for cardio and resistance training including rowing and stepping machines.
Cr Quirk said that fitness equipment will be installed at 10 more locations over the coming 18 months.