The two additional tree plantings in the design will help to achieve increased tree canopy coverage. Positioning trees on the western side of the playground will maximise the shade gains in the hottest times of the day.

We will be salvaging parts of the redundant play equipment to be used elsewhere and existing mulch of suitable condition will be reused. Much of the new play equipment will be made of timber which can easily be recycled and has a very low carbon footprint.

• Sensory play: Exploration of senses is an important part of young people’s development, by stimulating hearing, sight, smell, and touch and which engages movement and balance. Sensory features of the new playground include an interactive ‘Dodge ‘em Cars’ moveable play panel, a small tunnel for quiet play, a shop counter for imagination play, various materials including timber for engaging touch, bright colours for sight stimulation and various activities including movement and balance.

“Nature play...gets children active or thinking actively outdoors, ...building skills and ability to play without the need for parental or adult control.” - 16 July 2016, Nature Play Queensland.

Nature Play encourages children to use their environment to play, build and interact with in any way they want. Structured playgrounds make this difficult to achieve but the reserve itself lends toward nature play with surrounding trees, bark and sticks so the design complements the natural surrounds.

To combat the urban heat island effect, we are minimising rubber softfall use to high wear areas only. Our urban heat mapping study reveals rubber softfall is one of the hottest materials in our parks & reserves.