The all abilities regional playscape at Long Beach, Lower Sandy Bay was completed by Hobart City Council in 2010. It complements the recent reconstruction of the Long Beach Promenade and draws hundreds of visitors each day.
The landscape architect’s design of the main play structure is completely customised. The journey through the main structure introduces children to many and varied experiences. It has been designed specifically for equal access usage, allowing children with disabilities to be fully included in the play experience.
The focal point is a light house tower that echoes the original blinking Billy lighthouse and acts as a lookout for children and also provides a highly visible landmark from the River Derwent. The playscape is an excellent example of the specialised skill of landscape architects in designing creative play spaces for children.
The landscape architect’s design of the main play structure is unique. The journey through the main structure introduces children to many and varied experiences. The design of the playscape also allows for children to invent their own games – they’re not obliged to follow any particular rules.
The design provides for both genders to express creative play and is aimed at the 4 to 12 year old age group. It has been designed specifically for equal access usage, allowing children with disabilities to be fully included in the play experience. The focal point is a light house tower that echoes the original Blinking Billy lighthouse and acts as a lookout for children and also provides a highly visible landmark from the River Derwent. The playscape also includes a boat theme which further enhances the sense of place and allows children to appreciate the seaside setting.
The main play structure is surrounded by selected play equipment that can be used by individuals or shared by groups of friends. One of the slides is a whale shape which fits with the maritime theme and the history of whaling on the River Derwent.
An old carousel structure has been retained and is provided with picnic furnishings and barbeque facilities further enhancing the usage of the foreshore area. The whole are is fenced and surrounded by lawns with shade trees making it a family friendly place. The colour scheme of the playground is very bold, with red white and blue creating a striking effect that children can relate to. The softfall used is sand which complies with Australian Standards and suits the beach side setting.
In such a complex, custom designed playscape, it was a challenging task to meet the strict requirements of Australian standards for playground safety, however this has been achieved admirably.
Landscape Architects: Architectural Projects Unit, Hobart City Council
Construction: Hobart City Council
Project Management: Architectural Projects Unit, Hobart City Council
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