Ararat Sport and Active Recreation Strategy Consultation

Ararat Rural City Council wants to support the community to take part in sport and active recreation activities to improve their health and wellbeing; make friends; learn new skills; and to have fun.

Sport and Active Recreation

Ararat Rural City Council recognises the important contribution that sport and active recreation makes to health, wellbeing, community connections and liveability.

Council is currently developing a Sport and Active Recreation Strategy which will identify the sport and active recreation facility, service and programming priorities in our community for the next 10 years.

We are keen to engage with members of our community, clubs and organisations to understand what types of facility upgrades or new facilities you would like to see and what sort of programs or services would encourage you to be more physically active both now and in the future. Your valuable input will help inform our new strategy and actions.

We encourage all community members to complete the survey below or to attend one of our drop-in sessions to enable us to plan and support improved sport and active recreation opportunities for all.

The survey will close at 5pm on Monday 30 June.

Whilst Council provides numerous sport and active recreation facilities, programs and services such as swimming pools, sports grounds, skate parks and walking tracks, it also recognises that there are many groups in the community that have an important role in delivering or supporting physical activity opportunities, including sport and recreation clubs, schools, gyms, health organisations, neighbourhood houses and state government bodies. We look forward to working in partnership with these groups into the future.

Some of the key areas we are seeking feedback about are:

• Places – we want to know which facilities may no longer effectively meet the needs of the community and what type of upgraded or new facilities may be required to support our diverse and growing community.

• Participation – we want to know what types of barriers people may experience which prevent them from being more physically active, and how we can address these barriers.

• Partnerships – we want to know how we can work in partnership with clubs and organisations to best support quality sport and active recreation facilities, services and programs in the municipality.

This Strategy will provide a road map to enable Council to best utilise its resources to strengthen and contribute significantly to the health, economic and social wellbeing of the residents of Ararat Rural City Council.

Community members are invited to attend community drop-in session to share their thoughts and ideas.

These sessions will be held in front of the following venues:

We are happy to accept written submissions.

Feel free to include any relevant information, photos or drawings to support your ideas (e.g. information about a physical activity program that might work well; a photo of a facility that you have seen in another town that you think should be considered, etc).

Submissions can be made via this website, or by writing to Ararat Rural City Council - PO Box 246, Ararat, VIC, 3377, or emailing [email protected].

Submissions are open until Monday 30 June 2025 at 5pm.