Tamworth Regional Playground combines adventure, exercise, fun innovation and nature

Commissioned by Tamworth Regional Council, the recently opened Tamworth Regional Playground is providing youngsters and families with a remarkable range of activity and play experiences in a remarkable natural setting.

Opened in December, the $2.2 million playground offers a massive array of features including a Kompan Skywalk structure with 392 metre² of Rosehill TPV rubber surfacing installed by Synthetic Grass and Rubber Surfaces Australia, a splash pad, a mammoth swing, bicycle track, dual flying foxes, sandpit, a rhythm wall, touchwood totems, an embankment slide and a junior play zone.

Parents can sit back and relax in the alfresco area at Hopscotch Restaurant & Bar which has been created to bring together family and friends to enjoy great food and drinks in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. 

As the only playground in the Tamworth region with an on-site café/restaurant, the Hopscotch Restaurant & Bar has been designed to ensure ‘line of sight’ is available for playground supervision through much of its area.

The Playground is separated into zones to suit toddlers, junior and seniors also offers a picnic and BBQ to encourage families to celebrate the outdoors and take in intricate details that are placed throughout the playground.

Tamworth Region Mayor Col Murray said the equipment was selected to suit children of all abilities, explaining “when you take a walk through the playground, you can’t help but notice that any age or ability would be easily entertained.

“The playground features a wheelchair-accessible carousel which is amazing and even a mammoth swing where you can safely sit in the middle of the net and enjoy the swing.”

The site has been re-habilitated from an environmental perspective and now features significantly more natural infrastructure than before the build began. 

The Playground formed part of the region’s first ‘smart’ precinct, in a joint pilot project between the Council and Telstra, which sees the integration of technology to improve efficiencies and user experience for lighting, parking and waste monitoring. 

From a user experience perspective, the precinct offers visitors free Wi-Fi, smart lighting that moves into an ambient state with no activity then activates completely once motion is detected, a CCTV network and a duress button for user safety. 

Funding for the Tamworth Regional Playground came via a model unique to local government, through a successful ClubGrant application of $1.1 million, private donations to the value of $10,000, proceeds of the sale of a Council site worth over $910,000 and Section 94 developer funding to the value of $348,000. 

Key features of the playground include:

Skywalk: The first of its kind in regional Australia, the Skywalk measures over nine metres tall and boasts a whopping 13 metre slide. Featuring three giant slides and four towers, it is the biggest Skywalk in the Southern Hemisphere.

Outdoor Gym: Offering 13 stations to keep users fit and healthy. 

Bike Track: A safe area for children to ride their bikes and scooters. Emulating a tiny road, with signage and lanes, children can learn along the way while parents relax under the Plane Trees. 

Splash Pad: The Splash Pad shoots water at all angles, providing a visual and sensory experience and is timed so users don't have to worry about wasting water.

Mammoth Swing: Suitable for all ages. 

Carousel - Wheelchair Accessible: Ensuring the playground can be experienced by everyone, the Carousel allows wheelchairs to be locked in with no need to transfer and includes seating for up to four children. 

Senior Play Zone: A 3D climbing adventure to test children's strength and coordination. 

Sand Play: Perfect for toddlers, the Sand Play area has multiple spring rides that are ergonomically designed for maximum comfort, sand diggers providing a world of exploration and creation plus a Sand Factory 

Junior Play Zone: Featuring an arch swing which brings beauty and fun to the playground and a smart play area for children to explore. Designed to help children develop motor skills including balance, coordination and also cognitive skills such as problem solving, the Junior Play Zone will entertain young ones for hours. 

Flying Fox: Nestled above soft fall flooring, the seated Flying Fox is a safe way to experience a fast paced ride. 

Embankment Slide: The robust embankment slide brings children the fun of a slide while reducing the risk of a fall. 

Play Town: A miniature world where children can hide in the cubby house, ‘re-fill’ their bikes at the petrol station or drive through the 'Bank'. 

Café/Restaurant: Created to bring together family and friends to enjoy great food and drinks in a warm and welcoming atmosphere, Hopscotch Restaurant & Bar is perfectly situated amongst the playground.

For more information on the Tamworth Regional Playground go to www.destinationtamworth.com.au/Experiences/Family/tamworth-regional-playground

Click here to contact Synthetic Grass & Rubber Surfaces via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory. 

Click here to contact Kompan Australia via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory. 

Images courtesy of Andrew Pearson Photography.

Article amended 24th and 29th March 2016.

15th February 2016 - KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOURS AT NEW WATERLOO PLAYGROUND

11th August 2015 - NEW FACILITIES AT TAMWORTH MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK

6th July 2015 - WETPOUR RUBBER SURFACE BOOSTS SAFETY AT WET’N'WILD SYDNEY

10th April 2015 - KOMPAN TO STAGE ‘DAY OF PLAY’