Tue, 29 May 2012 16:50:00 +1000

Pialba's Seafront All Abilities Playground aimed to offer a complete play experience for all children by providing a wide range of fun, accessible and challenging play options, including the first wheelchair-accessible carousel installed in Australia.

Playground facts

Name: Seafront All Abilities Playground

Size: 4000m2

Officially opened: Friday 26 November 2010

Main play elements: A wheelchair-accessible carousel and a range of swings, including a basket swing and swings with supportive seating, plus a look-out, kick-about area, custom-designed shipwreck, elevated sand table, an interactive musical turtle with sounds, a hand pump, totems marking the Southern Cross and a Vortex Maze, featuring explanatory panels, tactile poles and a movement-activated sound installation.

Facilities: Sheltered barbecue and picnic areas, an accessible drinking fountain, disabled carparking, and extensive rubberised softfall and concrete surfacing.

Toilet facilities: A new, accessible amenities block is located next to the playground.

Address: Seafront Oval, Charlton Esplanade, Pialba, Hervey Bay.

Funding partners:

Fraser Coast Regional Council ($597,323)
Queensland Government ($300,000 Queensland All Abilities Playground Project).

For more information: Contact council on 1300 79 49 29.

Project summary

The playground project aimed to build on the Hervey Bay region's reputation for accessibility. With the Pialba community structured around a network of parks, walkways and cycle paths, Seafront Oval – located on the Pialba foreshore – was considered an ideal location for an all abilities playground.

The Seafront precinct was also a community hub, playing host to numerous community activities and featuring areas significant to the Indigenous community, including a traditional gathering area and a memorial to the Butchulla people.

To ensure the new play space's design reflected the desires of the community, a comprehensive community engagement program was developed and implemented with the support of consultants engaged by council.

A range of engagement activities were deployed throughout the planning and design phase, including:

focus groups and one-to-one interviews with key stakeholders
school workshops, involving more than 70 students from Pialba Primary School's Special Education Unit, Hervey Bay Special School and Kawungan State Primary School's Special Education Unit
dedicated workshops for target groups, including service provider, Indigenous, seniors, playgroup, and teacher and parent groups
My Playground Design surveys, developed by the department
SpeakOut, a family fun day held on-site in September 2008, where community members were encouraged to have their say on concept design plans
a dedicated design workshop, attended by key stakeholders, aimed at refining design plans in line with community feedback.

A community reference group, led by local resident Joanne Argyle, was also established to assist the project team in the implementation of these engagement activities and to provide feedback on an ongoing basis.

The playground's design emerged inspired by the surrounding seaside environment, culture and history. Custom-made totems, for example, marked the Southern Cross, enabling children to ‘navigate by the stars' and locate the South Pole.

Also included were a number of playground innovations, including a wheelchair accessible carousel – the first to be installed in Australia – and a custom-made shipwreck sand play area featuring an elevated sand table designed for wheelchair access.

Importantly, a wide concrete path connected all play areas and facilities, from the main entrance onto a lookout, where children can experience a sense of elevation, take in the view and contemplate the next play adventure.

- Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services

Playground facts

Project summary