The iconic red, yellow and blue rocket ship of Long Jetty has made a safe return to its launch pad in Lions Park, following an extensive overhaul, which included the addition of two new slides and a slick paint job.
The Long Jetty rocket ship is enshrined in the memories of generations of locals and tourists.
For decades, children have been climbing the stairs into the rocket then sliding down the gleaming metal slide, before growing up and then bringing their own children to the park.
The rocket has also been a familiar roadside landmark for cars driving along The Entrance Rd.
As one of the last of its types in NSW, it has a unique value to the Coast.
While the structure was still safe it needed a refresh to maintain its longevity for generations to come.
It was craned off-site where it was repainted in its original colours and had other work done to prolong its design life.
A community survey was undertaken online, attracting more than 3,646 comments, with an overwhelming 91 per cent voting to open up the top of the rocket for the first time in years, with the addition of two new slides for safety.
The rocket ship was originally inspired by the space race in the 1960s.
When Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong made history as the first person to take “one small step” onto the Moon’s surface in 1969, children were also stepping down from their very own rocket ships onto the grass and dirt of playgrounds around the world.
Rocket ships, like the one in Long Jetty, were first built in playgrounds from the USA to the then USSR.
Symbolic of the Cold War and the race to reach the Moon, these rocket ships were also about inspiring the imagination of the next generation to reach for the stars.
Similar structures began to spring up worldwide, with the first Australian playground rocket built at Blackheath during the early 1960s.
John Yeaman, a town engineer, was inspired to recreate the iconic climbing equipment and slide with the help of metal manufacturer, Dick West, after seeing them in playgrounds throughout the USA.
Almost 40 rocket ships were built in playgrounds across Australia in the following years, with the Long Jetty structure built in 1975.
While the Long Jetty rocket ship was not the first of its kind, it is one of the main examples remaining intact.
Many rocket ships over the decades fell into disrepair and were removed, while others were re-built entirely.
Source: Central Coast Council, Art Cotterell