Mount Oval

There isn't council estates up there. It has nothing to do with council estates.

This was a group of teenagers, some from the area, others not. Majority from middle class families living in 300k+ house.

No one to blame here but parents. We are supposed to be in the middle of a lockdown. These teenagers certainly were not practicing social distancing!

I'd also question where the guards were. They shouldn't have to be dealing with this (parents should have their children under control) but there were multiple phonecalls to inform them of the gathering and lack of social distancing. Even after the fight broke out they didn't show up for 20 minutes.

I've heard from multiple schools that these organised fights are a thing. And mainly from the "posh" schools. Alot has changed since my day.

I saw there were a few houses up for sale there 300K+ in Clonlea Mount Oval. Was there yesterday and saw a gang of around 10 teens hanging out. Shall I look somewhere else. Appreciate your input

I live near Maryborough Hill/Clarke's Hill and I'm there quite often on my runs so I know the area very well

There are some extremely nice parts of that area of the city and I'll explain why I think some are nice and some aren't. Firstly, the nice. Parks like Lissadell, Broadale, Landsborough and Foxwood feel exactly like that - a park. Other than the school in Foxwood and the shopping area in Broadale which is at the very front of the park, the only reason anyone ever has to go into any of these parks is if you live there. They're all extremely well maintained, nice and busy with just people who live in the park using the green areas, a mix of older people, grown families and young families, etc. The only one that feels like open to non residents is Broadale because of the shop, doctor, pharmacy, dentist, barbers and hairdressers. But again, it's right at the entrance so non residents using it don't really enter the park. In all my years living here I have never seen any hassle in any of these parks. Broadale had some for a very short while (and not even hassle, more of an escape route) because of people using the wooded area to get out of Mount Oval, however that has been completely blocked off and impassable for a few years now (funnily enough, on the Mount Oval side)

Mount Oval is the opposite. It's made to feel like a destination. Mount Oval village. Rather than just an extension of Maryborough/Garryduff/Moneygourney like the rest of that area of the city, it's supposed to feel like it's own area. It's also huge. You really don't realise how big it is until you walk around it. There are all types of houses in it. Big houses at the front that look like they could cost millions, ordinary detached and semi detached houses, terraced houses, duplexes, apartments. People of all ages and all different types of families. There are only two ways in and out, both far away from the central core of the park and almost hidden. While the other parks I mentioned feel close enough to walk between while being distinct, Mount Oval feels miles away from anything else in the area. Unlike Broadale, the main shopping area is in the very centre of the park. You have to pass through half of the park just to get to it. Rather than being just the buildings and some parking like Broadale, it is again made to feel like a destination - seating around a central clock tower, a large amount of parking, etc. There are also a lot of little service laneways that people can easily use to hide. Therefore, it attracts people, and because of the shop, often young people. While the other parks in the area listed (plus many more like Thornburry, Monswood, Upper Kensington, Mount Ovel, etc) feel like residential areas, this feels like a mix of residential and commercial. People from all over the south east of the city come here to gather

I'm not sure why the area attracts teens like the ones the other night. I have noticed this over the last few months too when I'm running or walking. I have two theories. One, as mentioned, is the shop and commercial area. It's so large that there are loads of places to hide and reason to hang out here. It's attractive right off the bat. Second of all, it's right by Garryduff Woods. I love this area during the day, especially in summer. It's beautiful and heavily used. At night, I wouldn't step foot in it. It's probably one of the only wooded areas of the city that isn't in the middle of nowhere or the greenbelt. It's extremely hidden from houses with no lighting and attracts young people drinking, smoking or whatever else they want to do. When they come out, they don't want to go to Foxwood or Broadale or Foxwarren - why would they, it's just houses, trees, etc. Mount Oval on the other hand, that becomes very attractive. Also, easily access from the Line for people from Mahon and Blackrock while not being as far up the hill as the other parks

I think if something is to be done apart this park, it has to be the entrance situation and the commercial area. The park is way too big to be something like Landsborough or Broadale, and so it needs to become more permeable like Maryborough Woods, another large park in the area. It has the 216 bus run through it so while it only has two entrances too, they feel more like a main road (like Maryborough Estate) and so there is constant surveillance and activity. I believe Mount Oval residents objected to the 216 going through their park? I think if it was to run through the park from Dewberry to Clarke's Wood and back onto the hill, that would help a lot with making the park feel more alive and less like a hiding spot for teens. As for the commercial area, close off the laneways and service alleys. Make it harder to sneak into and run out of, as well as hide in the dark corners. Remove the seating around the clock tower and make it feel more like a stop off point like Broadale rather than somewhere to go to to sit down

Sorry for the long post, I'd like to hear what the rest of you think of this analysis. I tried to make it more in depth and use my knowledge of the area rather than just saying "too many posh and social housing people!!"