Mossman All Abilities Playground

Site background

Playground site: George Davis Park or Budu KinKari

The site proposed for the Mossman All Abilities Playground is George Davis Park or 'Budu KinKari', overlooking the Daintree. Lined with rain trees that are over 100 years old, the site has both Indigenous and European significance. Local Indigenous people were recently invited to share the name of the park in their language — co-naming the park 'Bubu KinKari', meaning playground.

Mossman is located in the heart of the Douglas region, which also covers the areas of Port Douglas, Mossman Gorge, Newell Beach, Wonga Beach, Cooya Beach, Daintree and Cape Tribulation. It is the only area in the world where two World Heritage-listed locations meet — the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Daintree National Park.

With such a dispersed population, the creation of an all abilities playground centrally in Mossman will enhance play opportunities available to the region's children with and without a disability, and their families.

Planning and design

Ideas and designs realised during community workshop in Mossman

A community working group was formed in the early stages of the project to oversee the project and provide individual expertise where appropriate. The group included representatives from council, Disability Services and the local community.

A comprehensive participation strategy was subsequently developed and implemented during the May-June period in 2008. Activities undertaken included:

• display boards at prominent locations
• media coverage and advertisements in the local newspaper
• a community workshop
• 'street-talk' held on the esplanade in Port Douglas
• activity packs for local schools
• face-to-face and phone discussions
• community surveys.

Approximately 60 adults, 150 children and two schools directly participated in the planning phase of the project. Information provided by these participants was analysed and presented in a community design profile, which helped inform the design of the play space.

Community members continue to play a lead role in the ongoing development and refinement of the playground's concept design in 2009, through various forums and engagement activities, including a family sausage sizzle on-site on Saturday 31 October.

For more information, contact Cairns Regional Council.