Perth Voice Interactive

THE popular but declining Maylands Waterland needs a facelift and Bayswater councillor Dan Bull wants the Barnett government and private investors to help bear the cost.

He told colleagues last week the 40-odd-year-old park is enjoyed by thousands who live outside the municipality, so ratepayers shouldn’t be expected to bear the cost themselves. “The state government should pitch in,” he said. “We have an argument to go to big business with this.”

Cr Sally Palmer suggested flogging naming rights, such as calling it ”Bunnings Park”.

Attendance has fallen: in 2013 there were 42,500 visitors. The following year it was 32,200. Over the past five years there have been 3000 fewer birthday parties.

Any upgrade to the pay-to-enter park will have to compete with free-to-use water play areas such as Forrest Chase in the CBD and Hyde Park.

“In addition, there has been a number of new large, exciting, privately operated water parks built across the metropolitan area,” a council report states.

“Recent new water parks include Outback Splash in Bullsbrook and the Xscape pop-up water park at Belmont Park. While these parks attract a reasonable entry fee, these parks offer families a major outing for children of all ages and offer substantially more exciting options for children.”

Voice photographer Matthew Dwyer visited the centre this week and found many kids from outside the district enjoying the dag end of summer.

by EMMIE DOWLING