General News
1 May, 2026
Lights to improve user safety
THIS winter, South West Sport and Warrnambool City Council are lighting up Brierly Reserve during the early mornings and evenings to help create a brighter and safer space for women and girls to be active at times when it’s usually dark.
By improving lighting and visibility, the ‘Light the Night’ initiative aims to support women and girls to feel more confident walking, running, exercising, or participating in activities.
It will also create a welcoming space for the broader community to stay active during the colder and darker months.
South West Sport executive officer Will Jamison said that the idea stemmed from their Women and Girls Strategy and aligns with council’s Active Warrnambool Strategy.
“It’s a really exciting opportunity where we’re collaborating with Warrnambool City Council and looking at how we can develop better access for women and girls, and make the opportunity to do their recreation and their sport a lot more accessible,” Mr Jamison said.
“This is the initial pilot, and we’re doing a survey as well to find out what sort of access women and girls want.”
Warrnambool mayor Cr Ben Blain agreed, encouraging anyone interested in the program to take a short survey to help determine the days and times the initiative will run, and also whether they would be interested in other aspects like fitness classes or a coffee van.
“Do you want to see the lights on in the morning? Do you want to see the lights on at night? Go to the survey and let us know what you think,” he said.
“This is a really important initiative to make sure we are getting maximum utilisation of our facilities.
“We want to have a safe space for everyone.”
Cr Blain said this initiative also highlighted the desperate need for a sports and community hub at Brierly, including accessible, female-friendly facilities.
Council is currently lobbying for state and federal funding to make this hub a reality.
“It’s a really important facility and we are seeing more utilisation of the Brierly Reserve, and without that hub, we’re not quite there,” he said.
“We need somewhere that’s safe for women to be able to get changed safely.
“It also highlights the need for a Community Infrastructure Fund across councils to be able to deliver these critical facilities as well.”
To take the survey visit www.yoursaywarrnambool.com.au
