The Bunyip community gathered to celebrate a special award and grand opening of a new playground recently.

Held at the new adventure playground, developed at the BMX track in Wattletree Rd, the day was a joint effort between Bunyip Renewables Action Group (BRAG) and Bunyip Connect Inc.
Attracting about 50 people from Bunyip and beyond, it also incorporated a "Clean Up Bunyip" event.
It followed BRAG winning the "Energy" category of the 2024 Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Towns Awards.
After the official ribbon-cutting at the playground by Bashir Keshtiar from Bunyip and District Community Bank, kids were active and entertained by Cardinia Leisure Street Team activities including hurdles, giant Jenga, basketball and footy. A sausage sizzle also was provided by Bunyip Primary School.
Kristy Neilson, one of the organisers, said the playground was made possible via the bank's generous funding and an impressive state government Tiny Towns grant.
Ms Neilson reported a fantastic turnout on the day, with many of the 50 attendees donning high-visibility vests to tackle Bunyip's litter "hot spots".
Bunyip Tennis Club gained a special mention for coordinating its working bee to coincide with the event, which included a clean-up of areas around the courts.
A total of 11 large bags of rubbish were collected during the event. They included six of waste for landfill, three of items for Cardinia Shire's yellow bins and two of containers to be recycled through the container deposit scheme. Cardinia Shire organised to pick up all rubbish.
Leading up to the opening, Bunyip Primary School and Columba Catholic Primary School students took active roles in tidying their schoolgrounds, with Columba's grade two "Lifesavers" extending their efforts to Koolangara Park. They even compiled a report on litter found at the park, which was shared with the community to help keep the town litter free.
BRAG and Bunyip Connect Inc thanked the local community groups and businesses for their invaluable support, including Bunyip Landcare.
"This community event shows what can be achieved when local groups, businesses and individuals come together to support their town," Ms Neilson said.