The city’s first piste (court) is open on Pertobe Road.

Similar to lawn bowls and bocce, petanque sees teams score points by throwing their boules as close as possible to a target.

The piste was constructed from recycled plastic and has a sandstone base with a layer of quartz on the surface.

Warrnambool City Council mayor Tony Herbert said petanque was a great game.

“We all know the benefits that a more active lifestyle can have on both physical and mental health, and as a Council, we want to remove as many barriers as possible that may prevent people from being active,” he said. “Petanque is a fun, social game with no expensive equipment required. There aren’t too many sports that grandparents can play with grandkids, and I think this shows that petanque as much as anything is a game that people of all ages and athletic abilities can get involved in and enjoy together.”

An informal group has been playing regularly in Warrnambool since 2016, with member Alan Pritchard saying that he was very happy with the new facilities.

“It’s a magnificent piste. I’ve played on pistes all around the place and overseas and this is really good,” he said. “We’ve got three lanes so we can take up to 18 players at a time.”

The project was funded via the council’s Small Infrastructure Fund.

Anyone looking to join the Warrnambool petanque group is welcome to attend their social games on Thursdays at 2pm.