SunSmart Parks Project – Cancer Council SA & City of Onkaparinga Partnership
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer globally, making SunSmart practices and access to quality shade essential.
In response to community concerns about climate change and UV exposure, the City of Onkaparinga – South Australia’s largest metropolitan local government area – is improving shade across its reserves and playgrounds.
In partnership with Cancer Council SA, the council is also promoting SunSmart education to encourage positive behaviour change.
About the SunSmart Parks Project
The inaugural SunSmart Parks Project uses pavement stickers in selected parks and at entrances to community centres, to prompt sun-safe behaviours.
Featuring trusted Cancer Council SA branding and familiar SunSmart messaging, the stickers act as visual cues at the point of use, with QR codes linking to further UV and skin cancer prevention information.
As a low-cost initiative, pavement stickers share health-promoting messages without contributing to sign clutter and have proven effective in influencing behaviour – similar to floor decals used during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage social distancing.
Funding and partnerships
This project was delivered as a partnership between the City of Onkaparinga and Cancer Council SA, with both partners contributing through in-house services and covering associated costs.
The City of Onkaparinga led the project and was responsible for identifying suitable locations for sticker placement, with internal teams managing sticker production, carrying out the installation, and overseeing ongoing maintenance and replacement.
Cancer Council SA provided design expertise, developing creative concepts for the stickers and ensuring the visuals were engaging, clear, and effectively delivered sun protection messaging, while also assisting with site selection to ensure locations aligned with the project’s objectives.
Promotion and reach
The project was officially launched on 7 November 2025 with a media release and subsequent media attendance at Niipu-niipu Wama/Morton Park, Christie Downs, where the City of Onkaparinga CEO and the Cancer Council SA Chief Executive installed the final sticker.
The launch story was further amplified through social media channels and newsletter content, raising awareness of the initiative and its sun protection messaging.
The key audiences include local residents and families, as well as regular community centre program attendees and recreational visitors from outside the council area.
Through strategic placement in high-traffic areas, the stickers have the potential to reach hundreds of people, with continued visibility as residents and visitors move through the locations over time.
As the stickers remain in place, the initiative provides ongoing exposure to sun protection messaging beyond the initial launch and promotional period.
Key achievements
Pavement stickers have been installed across 12 parks and playgrounds and eight community centres, providing timely reminders to protect skin when the UV Index is 3 or above and reduce skin cancer risk.
Dynamic QR codes embedded in the designs enable tracking of user scans and website visits over time.
Positive impact on participants
City of Onkaparinga CEO Phu Nguyen said the SunSmart Parks Project would ensure thousands of residents and visitors receive vital, life-saving reminders when they need them most.
“We have 11 community centres and manage about 250 playgrounds with a policy guiding our shade provision. The new pavement stickers complement any shade onsite, providing expert, timely advice that supports healthy, thriving people.”
Cancer Council SA Chief Executive Kerry Rowlands said with two in three Australians diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime, Cancer Council SA is thrilled to partner with the City of Onkaparinga to help spread the SunSmart message to the local community.
“Not only is sun protection vital to reducing your own risk of skin cancer, but role modelling SunSmart behaviours for our children sets them up to take those practices into adulthood, reducing their risk too.”
Challenges and learnings
Collaboration between Cancer Council SA and the City of Onkaparinga was integral to identifying suitable locations for the installation of the pavement stickers.
Site selection was guided by key demand and usage factors, including high seasonal visitation, patterns of visitor traffic, availability of shade, and the presence of amenities that support SunSmart and other healthy lifestyle behaviours.
The process drew on the combined knowledge, skills and experience of both organisations.
A key challenge identified was the limitation in tracking engagement via the QR codes. While overall website visits could be monitored, it was not possible to determine the number of scans at individual sticker locations, with the system inaccurately reporting ‘top city’ locations rather than providing local suburbs or street-level view.
Capturing this level of detail would have required assigning unique QR codes to each sticker and recording their precise locations – a consideration for future projects to better evaluate site-specific impact.
Outcome
The SunSmart Parks project was a successful collaboration to promote SunSmart messages to encourage positive behaviour change.
The initiative aimed to provide visible reminders in parks that a combination of SunSmart behaviours is needed to protect against UV exposure, rather than encouraging reliance on council-provided shade alone. This includes:
- wearing sun-protective clothing
- applying sunscreen
- wearing a broad-brimmed hat
- seeking shade
- and using sunglasses.
While the initial project focused on parks and playgrounds, the City of Onkaparinga’s enthusiasm for the initiative led to a proposal to expand the project to community centres, demonstrating the potential for the project to evolve beyond its original scope.
Cancer Council SA is keen to support other councils in implementing similar initiatives and encourages those interested to get in touch to explore partnership opportunities for promoting sun protection in community spaces.
Find out more
Cancer Council SA in partnership with the City of Onkaparinga
Elysia Flavel, Prevention Programs Lead
Email: eflavel@cancersa.org.au
Phone: (08) 8291 4118