This unique playground has been placed right at the heart of a new park in Harcourt, Victoria. The local community has been eagerly involved in watching the iconic structure take shape. You’ll be able to enjoy the process much more quickly, however, thanks to our amazing time-lapse presentation below.
About the play equipment design
If you think there is something slightly familiar about the design of this custom playground, this is because it’s crafted with a nod of appreciation towards Harcourt’s rich fruit-growing history. In fact, the inspiration for the play equipment design is traditional apple crates! The stack is over six metres tall, and also incorporates, amongst a range of challenging play activities, a terrific ten-metre slide.
The reaction to the design, as it grew, was so positive from those who have been watching the project progress. As Cath Olive, the Manager of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities at Mount Alexander Shire Council commented: “We’re really excited about this play space, and the important role that residents and our local Indigenous community have had in the design process.”
Incidentally, at the top of the tower, there’s an excellent viewing platform to enjoy views of Mount Alexander and the surrounding area.
About the construction process
Thanks to adventure+‘s tried and tested modular system, the construction took only three days to complete. This process allows virtually all the fabrication to be completed even before installation begins on-site. As well as saving time, this also greatly reduces the overall cost when compared to custom-built, bespoke playgrounds.
Now, if you’d like to see three days’ work in under two minutes, check out our time-lapse.
Unique production and installation features
Apart from the design itself, the production and installation process also saw the addition of some features unique to the Stanley Park North playground and tower. Also, as the custom playground is located within an indigenous heritage area, non-destructive excavation was required for all play equipment footings.
One of the unique features saw the creation of custom engraved timber panels at our Melbourne facility using specialist CNC machinery, as specified by the landscape architects.
The adventure+ project manager was Peter Kelsey. He noted that there were many unique components to this project, which he says always adds a touch of extra interest for the project manager. However, he said: “The play tower and other equipment installation was completed smoothly. Our 35 years of experience in this field, the use of a safe and innovative Australian-manufactured modular system, plus the choice of experienced contractors, are all key elements of our successful and efficient play equipment installations.”
He added that the methodology aims to minimise the time that is spent on-site – in this case around 3 days. Peter also emphasised that “It was great working with the Mount Alexander Council and landscape architects throughout the whole process.”
This terrific new play area in Stanley Park North at Harcourt, Victoria, is scheduled to open in December 2020. Look out for completed project photos and videos which will be posted in due course.
