The Rotary Park Playground has been a popular feature within the local community for almost 30 years. The main focus of the original playground was a bright yellow spiral slide: a vast change from the standard straight slides seen at the time and was the second of its type in Tasmania. The unusual “twirly” slide quickly became a drawcard for families with many smiling faces (both young and old!) seen spiralling down the slide.
After many years of careful upkeep and preservation, the equipment started showing signs of wear and tear typical of its age and coastal environment. This was seen as a chance to expand the space into a thriving community hub that offered learning and enjoyment opportunities for future generations to come.
At the project’s core, Waratah Wynyard Council needed to build a space that felt like home whilst also offering innovation for their community.
The Rotary Park Playspace has been designed to provide appeal, fun and challenge to children of all ages and abilities. With castle theming the playspace provides a sense of adventure. It is divided into areas for different age groups with central elements bringing all children together. A key feature of the playspace is the Castle Tower. Apart from its significant presence, the Tower provides play value at every level and every turn. The elevated rope bridge helps children to build courage while providing visibility over the magnificent coastal surroundings, while the enormous yellow spiral tube slide provides nostalgic reference to a key feature of the previous playground.
The equipment has been designed and engineered to withstand extreme coastal conditions. Materials include hot dip galvanised steel coated with a specialty 2 pac paint finish, aluminium platforms and panels, and stainless steel fittings.
This is a playspace that is rooted deeply within the community and with its history came a passion that was somewhat unexpected. For these reasons it was vital that the upgraded park incorporated a sense of the local identity born from the feedback and values embedded within the community.
Waratah-Wynyard are proud to offer a new, vibrant and unique playspace for their community that is now four times the size of the old playground. The collaboration between the community, Council and a_space during the design phase has resulted in the delivery of a central community hub that is family friendly, inclusive and integrated. The playground has enabled a sense of place and identity; it is somewhere for our community to meet, socialise and learn in a world where technology can sometimes take precedence over human interaction. It is incredibly heart-warming and rewarding to see the smiles and sheer joy on our children’s faces – perhaps the most honest measurement of success.
