A West Australian outback shire battling entrenched social issues has embarked on a major revamp of sport and recreation facilities to curb youth crime and encourage workers to stay in the community.
Children have flocked to a new BMX pump track in Halls Creek as the WA government and the shire pour millions of dollars into a variety of projects aiming to give young people more activities and increase the remote town's appeal.
In the coming year the shire plans to transform the town's main sporting precinct by revamping the football oval with new lights and turf, building a skate park, and upgrading a basketball court.
A new community activities hub is due to open by the end of the year.
In Halls Creek, children continue to roam the streets at night breaking into homes and stealing cars, as school attendance rates remain stubbornly low.
Gija man and youth advocate Gaven Stretch runs a shire-funded mural project.
He said sport and art connected young people with their community and helped deter offending.
"These kids grew up loving their sports and it would make them proud and stop them from doing bad stuff," he said.
"I try and tell these kids ... just take it, give it a go, have a crack, don't be afraid."
Department of Sport, Local Government and Cultural Industries Kimberley regional manager Tom Chapman said feedback from children and residents had been sought so the wider sporting precinct could include elements of culture, art and language.
"We've had some fantastic ideas," he said.
"People want this to be a public green space, to cater for different age groups ... where people can enjoy what's going on."
Mr Chapman said as soon as machinery ceased work at the end of the day on the BMX track, it would become swamped with kids.
"We can't keep the kids off. It's an awesome sight," he said.
Broken bicycles were being repaired by children at the Halls Creek Police Station with skills group East Kimberley Job Pathways.
Youngsters Leon and Jaycee told the ABC they were keen to get on the track every day after school, and they hoped to see lights installed at the venue for night-time riding.
The pair admitted to some trepidation about the heights they could reach on their bikes but said the jumps were "cool".
Boost to 'stagnated' town
Shire president Malcolm Edwards said the town desperately needed a rejuvenated sport and recreation precinct.
"I think it's a great thing really. The town has stagnated in a sense. Nothing is happening," he said.
"It's a lift. The town's going to look a lot better."
Halls Creek Shire CEO Phillip Cassell said the council had diverted savings into sport and recreation facilities and programs, seeing them as crucial to addressing entrenched social issues.
"If we can alleviate some of the bad news stories and some of the social dysfunction that occurs in the town then we increase livability," he said.
"Once you increase livability, you increase the time that people stay in the town."
Shire sport and recreation manager Alex Lebron has spent recent months revamping the town's gym and said the number of members had more than tripled to 40.
"We have a very transient workforce in Halls Creek and I think that the gym being here, that will lower the worker turnover rate, not just for shire staff, but also for nurses and police," he said.
"There were a lot of people that were complaining saying, 'I don't want to stay in Halls Creek, because it doesn't have a gym'."
Halls Creek has produced an unusually high number of top-level footballers in recent years, prompting the state government and AFL to invest in unearthing new talent and boosting facilities and administration in the wider region.
