RIVERSIDE PARK ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND

Riverside Park in Swan Hill has been upgraded with an exciting adventure playground for children of all ages. A central feature of the new active playspace is Proludic’s staggering 8.7-metre-high Kanopé Tree Tower – the first of its kind in Victoria – that incorporates custom-designed artwork from a local indigenous artist.

The project brief was to provide a large, eye-catching play tower that is challenging and unique. The tower was to incorporate earthy tones and materials to complement the existing natural landscape and to feature local indigenous artwork. Proludic worked in collaboration with Thomson Hay Landscape Architects and provided the perfect solution to meet the client’s design aspirations with a custom-designed Kanopé Tree Tower.

The giant Kanopé Tree Tower, from Proludic’s award-winning Kanopé range of nature-inspired play equipment, boasts enhanced play features that engage children from five-years-old in fun, imaginative and active play. Children can climb a challenging rope staircase to reach asymmetric play houses perched high at the top of the tower – giving them great views of the park and river. The large spiral tube slide guarantees a thrilling ride all the way back down!

The tower also includes a Kayak open slide allowing children to experience more speed sensations, a climbing wall and a Fireman’s pole.

The design of the tower allows children to self-manage the level of challenge they are comfortable with while providing opportunities for further adventure as they develop their climbing skills and confidence.

To help strengthen the community’s connection with the playground, Swan Hill-born indigenous artist Sandra Kropinyeri designed artwork for the play tower and other features of the park. Proludic’s expertise with its award-winning Grafic Games technique was then employed to create the artwork on the Kanopé play tower which connects with the local environment and encourages imaginative play.

The artwork shares traditional stories of the Swan Hill region. Sandra Kropinyeri’s artwork tells a story of local animals, starting with the ground-dwelling and flightless creatures featured on the panel of the lower-level playhouse of the tower, through to climbing marsupials and reptiles on the playhouse above, then small birds and insects, finishing with cockatoos and kookaburras displayed on the highest playhouse.

A customised colour palette of earthy tones was designed for the Tower to complement the landscape character of the local environment of the Swan Hill region.

Proludic also provided a two-bay swing set (J496), which comprises an inclusive Pod seat, a toddler’s seat and junior flat seat, enabling children of different ages to enjoy the fun sensation of swinging together.

The playground features other play equipment including a double flying fox, sandpit, natural play elements, as well as a barbecue shelter and furniture.

Swan Hill Rural City Council Mayor Bill Moar said, “The playground was an exciting addition to the growing list of attractions at Riverside Park…This adventure playground will be a real highlight”.

CLICK HERE to find out more about this exciting project.

Site Riverside Park, Monash Drive, Swan Hill, Victoria 3585

Client Swan Hill Rural City Council / Landscape Architect Thomson Hay Landscape Architects

Age Range from 1 year old

Opened December 2019