History of Orange Adventure Playground as new build set to begin

Work on a $2.5 million replacement is due to begin this month.

The Adventure Playground was built by about 1000 volunteers over five days in late 2002.

More than two-million people are estimated to have visited the Botanic Gardens site since.

It features a wooden castle and boat, swings, climbing walls and slides.

Luke Wilkinson was a driving force behind the project.

"People warned me they didn't think Orange was that community-minded," he told the Central Western Daily earlier this year.

"They told me I'd find it difficult to pull off, but the build was fun seeing it go up."

The new design will feature a slide, splash park, climbing frame, inground trampoline, swings, and restoration of the existing wooden castle.

Construction will begin in May and is expected to take about four-months.

Mr Wilkinson believes it's the right time to refresh the site.

"My kids are grown up and moved on. I like the fact they're going through the renewal process now," he said.

"It's in need of some renewal and I'm sure it's in good hands. I hope it comes in on budget and is successful for the future of Orange."

The revamp is part of bigger plans for the Botanic Gardens, with a giant "free flight" bird aviary also proposed by council staff.