Sport
24 March, 2026
The Maryborough Tennis Centre officially christen its $523,000 court upgrades
Years of advocacy and development planning have finally come to fruition for the Maryborough Tennis Centre, which officially christened its over $500,000 facility upgrades on Saturday.
The club’s emerging generation first experienced the fresh surface last weekend, with a healthy crowd of players for the regular weekend junior competition and Hot Shots program making the most of the five new synthetic courts, which replaced the centre’s last row of grass courts.
With the historic grass courts a constant and costly battle to maintain, which has been previously exacerbated by drought conditions and Corella damage, the centre’s redeveloped middle bay with new lighting aims to provide a safe playing area throughout the whole year.
The $523,000 project is largely funded by a $400,000 allocation from the State Government’s 2022/23 budget, with further contributions from the Central Goldfields Shire Council, Tennis Australia and the local tennis centre.
Saturday’s christening was an emotional moment for Maryborough Tennis Centre president Heather Carr, who’s been campaigning to improve the club’s facilities since 2015.
“I think for me personally, it’s just a pleasure to see all of these kids here, playing tennis on the new courts,” she said.
“The support we’ve had from the families who persevered and waited for the new courts has been wonderful, and to have safe, sustainable courts where we don't have to close down courts is the really important issue here.
“Tennis is a lifetime sport where you can play up into your 80s, and we’ve got three-year-olds coming here and starting their tennis.
“If you’ve got good facilities, people will come. To know that people are safe on a tennis court is paramount.
“It’s just lovely to see this come to fruition after 10 years and we’re still working on our stage three, which is our bay three hard court proposition, where we’re still advocating for funding for that.”
While the new courts are ready for play, final details, such as the installation of new lights and landscaping of the artificial grass turf at the end of the redeveloped bay, still need to be completed.
Expected to be installed in the coming weeks, Carr said the upgraded lighting will be a game-changer for the centre’s ability to accommodate all players.
“We haven’t had lights for four years. So this will allow us to provide nighttime tennis competitions,” she said.
“Also, Brian, our tennis coach, will be able to coach after hours in the winter months under lights. Previously, over the last four years, he hasn’t been able to offer those programs.
“It also captures those casual members that don’t want to be part of a competition and enables them to come and have a hit under lights any time.”
Member for Ripon Martha Haylett and several Central Goldfields Shire councillors were in attendance for the christening, which Haylett called an exciting win for sport in Maryborough.
“It’s such an asset to our community now. It’s been so many years in the making and I’m just so thankful to the tennis centre and to Heather and Brian Carr for all of the tireless advocacy and work to get this done,” she said.
“All the kids are loving it and it’s just going to make such a difference to the tennis centre for users of all ages.
“It’s such an uplift for this whole area as well, now that we’ve got new cricket facilities at Princes Park, we’ve got this, we’re working on getting a new netball court at Hedges Oval.
“There are some really good wins for sport in Maryborough now and we’ve needed that for many years. I’m just so proud to have helped to be a part of that.”
Central Goldfields Shire mayor Ben Green shared similar sentiments at the opening, saying he’s appreciative to see the new courts come to life.
“Congratulations to the Maryborough Tennis Centre for advocating so strongly for this project over many years. We thank them for their tireless efforts and are proud to have partnered with them to deliver this important infrastructure upgrade,” he said.
“We look forward to seeing these new facilities enjoyed by players of all ages for many years to come