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Jeavons recently completed two playgrounds in Karratha, Western Australia. 
 
The first project, Bulgarra Public Open Space, was part of a Masterplan to improve the play facilities in the reserve. The playground added value to the existing sporting fields, tennis and netball courts. Custom designed play structures and cubbies were constructed by Earthcare, Living Iron and Forpark.
 
The second project is located in a new sub division and is tagged as the new outdoor space for locals. Baynton West Adventure Playground is located adjacent to a park with a running track, exercise equipment and ball courts. The accessible play space caters for all
ages and boasts a custom designed (near full sized) dump truck, artwork, sand  play areas, net structure, multi-directional swing and a 30m long double flying  fox. Planting will add character and shade to the play space over time, whilst  shade and communal areas are plentiful. The playground was officially opened by Regional Development and Lands Minister Brendon Grylls on October 7 2012. The playground has been officially called Mara Guthurra Adventure Playground. 

Jeavons designed and documented both play space designs and was well supported by Emerge &
Associates
during the construction period  on the Baynton West Project.

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The accessible dump truck and 'whirlwind' swing
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Artwork by indigenuous artist creates a focal gathering point in the junior play area
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Bulgarra Open Space Playground
 
 
Glenallen school have just celebrated the opening of their very special new playground. The school caters to students with a physical disability or health impairment and many of the students are in wheelchairs. The new playground has been custom designed by Jeavons to be accessible to all.  It is a place for learning and play with the aim that all students have the opportunity to experience fun & friendship.
The design is based around a story called “Let’s Play …” and features many different areas where children can let their imagine run wild – driving the train & pulling the whistle, inside the helicopter , exploring the cave, camping in a tee pee, at a beach or even flying to the moon.   
The school has pursued their vision for this project for many years so it was a great joy to see the students finally enjoying this wonderful space.
Interactive musical sculptures were created by Herb Jercher and quirky imaginative artworks by James Cattell including the interactive rocket ship. Customised play equipment was constructed by Allplay and the head contractor was Gemcan Constructions.
 
 
Do you feel like a journey through the storybook world of Bollygum, setting sail on a giant ship, climbing the back of a ‘Portosaurus’, or a visit to a Smurf village? These are just some of the adventures that children may experience at our playspaces.

Ian White from Melbourne Playgrounds has posted a collection of his favourite Jeavons playgrounds on Weekend Notes. We hope that the photos and descriptions may inspire you with some ideas for free & fun places to visit in Melbourne!
Check out the blog at Weekend notes
 
 
We had the pleasure of working very closely with Whites beach community as well as the team at Surf Coast Shire in creating this very unique playground.  The design team from Jeavons Landscape architects who collaborated closely with artists, community groups, Council and the Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation to create an accessible foreshore play space for children of all ages. 

The community embraced the project right from the start and were instrumental in bringing together the cultural heritage of the site, indigenous themes and the beauty of the existing landscape.

The playground has many layers of information expressed through beautiful art works created and designed by local artists and the community. In particular we would like to recognise YUM Design (Kirsty Manger and Lee Goller) who created all of the ceramic installations, Kyla Vinton for the mosaic installations and Glenn Romanis for the timber turtle and egg sculptures.

Take a trip to Torquay and try out the unique play elements as and explore the educational art trail. 

 
 
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It was fantastic to be involved in this project. Our job was to replace the timber fort. We needed to respect the children’s ideas; keep the essence of the previous much loved fort; keep the structure complex and multi-purpose but make it structurally sound and buildable under today’s requirements for play spaces. 

Children who use the playground drew pictures of the ideas they had for the new fort. We then worked with staff from the St Kilda Adventure Playground and the City of Port Phillip to work out how we could build all these great ideas.

Jeavons Landscape Architects did the design documentation and it was built by Simpson Constructions

 
 
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The new Oddies Creek Park Adventure Playspace is located in Albury, close to a bend in the Murray River, set amongst river redgums, with a unique design abstracted from paddle steamers and shearing sheds.

This accessible park and playground was designed by Jeavons for Albury City Council and caters for all ages and abilities. Features include a flying fox, huge basket swing, toilets, BBQ and picnic area, musical sculptures, sandpit and climbing walls.
 

Officially opened in 2011 the Playspace has already been a huge success and complements others in the region.
For more fun things to see and do in the Albury/Wodonga region check out 'Visit Albury/Wodonga - Fun things with kids'.
 
 
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Federal Reserve is a park that has a very natural feel, with its mature woodland and sensational birdlife. 
Jeavons Landscape Architects designed and documented the recent upgrade to the play space as part of a Council initiative to make more playgrounds accessible to children and adults with a disability.

It has been a rewarding project and it is always great to be part of the team that creates inclusive playspaces for children.

Hugh Delahunty, (Minister for Sport and Recreation) and City of Monash Mayor, Greg Male officially opened the playground in August 2011.
Monash City Council have more details about this playground on their website.
 
 
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Bicentennial Park Playground (Mount Chelsea) is the 2011 winner of the Parks and Leisure Australia, Victoria/Tasmania Regional and National Play Space Award of Excellence.

Bicentennial Park Playground was a joint effort with City of Kingston from start to finish. Steve Perumal from the City of Kingston and Leong Khoo from the Jeavons Team led the design and construction aspects for this project. 

They were ably supported by All Play, Urban Plumb & Scape, Nicholas Dunand, Herb Jercher, and Kompan. We also acknowledge the contributions from Scope Victoria during consultation and the many other parties that have been involved in this exciting project.

We are proud to receive this award together with the City of Kingston and strive to continue providing award winning designs!
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The Melbourne Playgrounds website is a free on line guide to thousands of activities, products and services in Melbourne for parents and kids. It also has reviews, ratings and photos of playgrounds in Melbourne. This huge endeavour, managed by volunteers, is a really useful tool for families.

Jeavons projects have been reviewed on numerous occasions and we appreciate the feedback on our work.

Pop by the Melbourne Playgrounds site www.melbourneplaygrounds.com.au and find out where your next play adventure can be!
 
 
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Congratulations to the Bollygum Park Committee of Management for over a decade of hard work. The Bollygum Park Committee of Management worked with Felicity Brown to develop the playground master plan which was inspired by the book BOLLYGUM by Gary Fleming.

The majority of construction has been completed by Naturform and looks sensational. Artists who have completed work on site to date include, Miriam Porter, Herb Jercher, James and Dorelle Cattell and Craig Macek. There will be other artworks installed in the next few weeks.

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