Council & Business
9 May, 2025
Friday nights under lights locally
Central Goldfields Shire Council will be keeping the lights on to help locals stay active for longer on a Friday night.
A new initiative called ‘Light Up Your Friday Nights’ will see the lights on at Princes Park Oval, Princes Park Netball Courts, and Jubilee Oval throughout May, June and July.
Healthy Heart of Victoria’s 2019 Active Living Census (ALC) found that Princes Park was the second most used recreation facility in the Central Goldfields Shire.
The census also found lighting was the third most mentioned improvement that would encourage use of public facilities and open spaces — particularly in Maryborough.
Likely considering this data, the initiative is an effort to help keep local residents active on a Friday, between 5 and 9 pm, over the next three months.
Central Goldfields Shire mayor Grace La Vella hopes the initiative will improve the health and well-being of the shire’s residents.
“We hope to see families, groups of friends, and individuals of all ages coming down on a Friday night to enjoy these fantastic facilities under lights,” she said.
The ALC found while 57.2 percent of respondents wanted to be more active, 42 percent said being time poor prevented them from taking part in physical activities.
Healthy Loddon Campaspe coordinator healthy communities Alicia O’Brien said the initiative aims to create more opportunities for residents to remain active.
"We know how important it is for our community to have accessible spaces to keep moving and stay connected at a time that suits them, even when daylight hours are short,” she said.
The Friday lights are made possible thanks to the Victorian Government’s Healthy Loddon Campaspe initiative.