When the City of Paramatta Council decided to upgrade a popular local park, creating a unique safari-themed playground was central to their vision. This exciting nature play area was designed to attract local families and encourage kids to enjoy active outdoor activities.
The new safari-themed playground was just one of many improvements installed at John Wearn Reserve in Carlingford, Sydney. The rejuvenated reserve launched in December 2020 with a range of new recreational facilities. These included a skate park, sports courts, amphitheatre, dog park, picnic shelters, and, of course, the new playground.
Why a safari-themed playground?
Kids love animals! From an early age, kids in countries like Australia or USA learn ‘E’ is for ‘Elephant’ and ‘G’ is for ‘Giraffe’, even though most English-speaking children live nowhere near a savanna or jungle! They might also learn about traits traditionally embodied in safari animals (such as a brave lion or cheeky monkey) as a way of communicating emotional concepts.
Safari animals showcase nature’s incredible diversity, from towering giraffes to huge hippos and stripey zebras. Learning about the distinctive features of safari animals (such as how the giraffe’s long neck lets it feed on tall trees) helps kids understand environmental adaptations and habitats. It makes them wonder about the world and encourages them to engage with nature.
It’s this educational aspect of nature play that inspires the team at Natureworks. Our mission is to turn kids onto the wonders of the natural world, to protect it for future generations. We know that interacting with 3D replicas of animals connects children with nature in a safe, explorative way. Nature play promotes a deep-rooted love of animals and nature.
Project scope – supplying animal sculptures
For this project, Natureworks supplied a set of animal sculptures suitable for the safari-themed playground. This was a supply-only project, as the Council managed the playground’s design and installation as part of the broader park upgrade project.
The realistic animal sculptures we supplied for the safari-themed playground include an elephant, zebra, lion, lion cub, hippo, monkey, and giraffe. All are life-sized with a realistic finish and are constructed to withstand the rigours of everyday play. Some have a few minor modifications to allow for interactive features, as described below.
Image gallery – Safari-themed playground
Natureworks supplied the following products from our Safari Animals collection:
Interactive play elements
The safari-themed playground at John Wearn Reserve is not just any old nature playground – it’s designed to reward interactive play. Some of the safari animals seem to come alive when you go near them! For example, when someone walks past the lion, it roars! Or when a child swings by the monkey hanging from a rope above, they hear it chattering playfully.
To allow for the installation of interactive features inside the animal statues, Natureworks modified some of our standard sculptures. These customisations to the animals’ legs or body enabled a sound technician to fit internal sound devices, sensor activators and cables.
The modifications included:
- Access doors in the back or belly of animal statues to allow for the fitting and maintenance of interactive elements
- Internal brackets and conduits to hold cables and sensors
- Elephant’s tusk rounded off slightly, so it would not be sharp if a child ran into it
- Extra heavy-duty construction of sculptures, suitable for outdoor playground use
"We knew this park upgrade was going to be good but it’s actually WAY better than good! The monkey, elephant, lion and hippopotamus greet approaching children with a roar, cackle and deep bellow!””
Customising sculptures for interactive features
Extra heavy-duty items for playground use
- Made of extra heavy-duty fibreglass
- Non-rust steel fixing plate on feet, welded to steel reinforcement for legs and braced strongly to the body
- Steel reinforcing in ears, necks, trunk, tusks, tails, etc
- 2-pack polyurethane paint system for added UV and weather protection.
A playground loved by local families
Feedback from visitors indicates the safari-themed playground is a popular, much-loved feature of John Wearn Reserve. Here is a selection of reviews from Google…
“Great playground for the kids with some interactive animal statues.”
“What an adorable park! Love the African theme with plenty of animals to climb and take photos with.”
“This playground is awesome for kids who love safari animals (or the Madagascar movies)! It has statues of different animals around the park (lion, giraffe, zebra, hippo etc).”
“The stunning natural playground resembles a mini zoo. Children can engage their creativity by riding on playful animals.”
Project details
| Client | City of Parramatta Council |
| Project | Safari-themed playground sculptures at John Wearn Reserve |
| Audience | Local families and visitors |
| Location | John Wearn Reserve, 161 Balaka Drive, Carlingford, NSW 2118 Australia (see map) |
| Date completed | 2020 |
| Related products | Safari animals, Big cats, Elephants, Giraffes, Hippos, Primates, Zebras |
| Related catalogues | Safari animals catalogue |
| Similar projects | Marine-themed playground, Playground at National Zoo, Taronga Western Plains Zoo ‘Waterhole’ |
Successful nature playground projects
Having implemented many playground and water play projects, Natureworks is highly experienced in this area. We understand the value of nature-based play and are on top of playground safety issues.
Whether you need ideas for a nature playground design or simply want to buy animal play sculptures or nature-themed climb & play items, we would love to help. Contact Natureworks now!
