Kurrawa All Abilities Playground (Broadbeach)

Site background

Playground site: Kurrawa Pratten Parklands

Kurrawa Pratten Parkland is a popular hub for regional activities on the Gold Coast. The centrally-located parklands also enjoy strong patronage from local residents, which helps to reinforce its unique community identity.

Gold Coast City Council developed a master plan for Kurrawa Pratten in 2006 to upgrade facilities and encourage greater use of the park. Improving access is a major priority of the master plan.

The inclusion of an all abilities playground as part of the redevelopment will not only enhance access for children with a disability, but will also increase connectivity between the park's many features. This will result in even greater use and enjoyment of this much-treasured recreational space.

Planning and design

Children take part in Family Fun Day activities on the Gold Coast

Gold Coast City Council aimed to seek input from a wide cross-section of the Gold Coast community in the planning and design of the new play space. With a population of around half million, council engaged a consultant and embarked on a rigorous community engagement plan aimed at capturing local residents' ideas and visions.

A wide range of activities were held during the initial planning stage of the project, including:

• an online survey
• targeted workshops with school and special interest groups
• classroom activities and workbooks
• displays and surveying at local expos and community events
• a Family Fun Day in the park, attended by more than 1000 people.

As part of the school-based activities, the teachers and students of Broadbeach State School developed a curriculum unit around designing an all abilities playground. The resultant work was displayed in the Broadbeach Library and will inform the design of the new playground. The curriculum unit may also assist in the planning and design of other playgrounds in the future.

Also during the planning phase, council connected with Gold Coast-local Phia Damsma, from Sonokids Australia, to develop an accessible virtual playground which uses web and sound-based applications to meet the needs of children with a visual impairment. The online game will also enable children to visit (and revisit) the playground from anywhere in the world.

With the project now in its design phase, a Playground Committee consisting of families and representatives from local schools and service providers has been established to help lead the project into the future.

For more information, please contact Gold Coast City Council.