05. Pre 2000 Skate Park – Paddington Skatepark

Overview

The Paddington skate park has been the premier inner city skate park for almost a decade, being one of the first street style parks built. Over the years, it has had many additional extras added and been altered by those who skate it, as well as major changes, including the removal of the metal mini ramp and small metal spine that were key features of the park. In the current state, with the new obstacles, it includes a lumpy 6ft concrete half pipe, a fairly smooth 4ft bowl, various original quarters, banks, hips, ledges and the new block and rail combination.

Society

Paddington skatepark is a fairly prominent skatepark within the skateboarding community, however the park was designed out of view from the surrounding public parks to keep the skateboarders separate from the public park users. The skatepark is also coupled with the local swimming pool, play ground with ‘jungle gym’ equipment and dog park to create a multi-purpose activity grounds. In doing this there are a wide range of activities taking place in the one area, allowing families and teenagers to activate the area in a co-habitual relationship.

Culture

There is a very strong skate culture that surrounds the Paddington skatepark with large groups of friends congregating at the skatepark at multiple times of the day. When most of the skateboarders aren’t skating they are sitting and relaxing in the many break out spaces around the park. On the wall where the half pipe is a large mural has been painted as a memorial to a once promising Australian skateboarder, Shane Cross.

Planning

The skatepark is located below the main road that fronts the Suncorp Stadium and is also adjacent to the Hale Street off ramp. The skate park is within the same park as the play equipment, barbeques and off leash dog area, but it is however pushed to the most unfavourable section of the park, behind the public swimming pool. This is most likely due to the noise and risk of injury the skatepark poses on the rest of the park.

Environment

The Paddington skatepark is primarily a concrete skatepark with a variety of skateboarding styles catered for. A large half pip is located to one side of the skatepark with a street style section with fun boxes and rails between a four-sided bowl opposite. There is graffiti on many faces of the skate park and on the fall that houses the half pipe is where the Shane Cross memorial is located. The skatepark also has many trees across the site and also seating areas and grassed spaces for users of the park to utilise when not skateboarding.