Olympic superstars praise new BMX facility

It’s official! Saya Sakakibara and Romain Mahieu, gold and bronze medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, have praised our soon-to-open $8.9m Malabar Park BMX Facility’s world-class design, which is perfect for riders of all skill levels.

These global superstars see Malabar Park as a launchpad for future champions, helping to nurture the next generation of BMX stars and elevating WA’s BMX community to new heights.  

And it's not just for BMX riders — Malabar Park is built for the whole community, with a brand-new multi-purpose facility, playground, and BBQ area for everyone to enjoy.  

The new facility officially opens to the public on 8 December 2024

Road upgrades due for completion mid-2025

The City is undertaking two key road projects to enhance traffic flow and safety. Both projects are due for completion by mid-2025: 

Rockingham Rd and Spearwood Ave intersection (Spearwood) 

Optimising traffic signals so right-turn lights activate in sync with traffic flow, enhancing pedestrian crossings, and creating cyclist-friendly intersection designs, all funded by the Australian Black Spot Program.

Carrington St and Forrest Rd intersection (Hamilton Hill) 

New traffic lights, safer pedestrian crossings, better street lighting and a speed-reducing raised platform. Fully funded by the Australian Black Spot Program. 

Bibra Lake Fun Run winners are grinners

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Bibra Lake Fun Run on Sunday 8 September 2024! Runners, walkers, pram-pushers — it was a fantastic morning for the whole community. 

A special shout-out to our overall winners: Julia Kets and Andrew Hellbusch, who completed the 12km in impressive times of 49:11 and 40:27 respectively. Congrats also to Lee Anne Flugel and Luke Shaw (6km), along with all the age category champions. A big well done to Gail James and Chelsea Macrae, who each won a six-month Cockburn ARC membership by finishing the run and completing our online survey! 

Wally Hagan Stadium spending deferred

At the 8 October Council meeting, Council resolved to defer further spending on the Wally Hagan Basketball Stadium redevelopment in Hamilton Hill, instead focusing on advocacy and securing funding through discussions with State Government and Federal Government. 

In the meantime, Council has asked the City to explore some short to mid-term upgrades to Wally Hagan stadium in the 2026 budget to support the Cockburn Basketball Association. 

Manning Park mountain bike trails

At the 8 October Council meeting, Council voted to support, in principle, trail reconciliation in the Manning Park upland area in Hamilton Hill. 

Council also decided to hold off on making any final decisions about the trails until the City completes a thorough trails audit, along with a detailed categorisation and mapping report, as well as a closure plan for certain trails. 

Once this work is done, the City will provide a report to Council with the findings, including a clear roadmap outlining the steps ahead. We’re aiming to have this report ready by mid to late 2025.