St Benedict’s Catholic Primary

A blank canvas is an exciting opportunity for a playground designer, and that is exactly what St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School gifted the team at Everything Outside. The brief was to create a prep playground like no other. A playground that could spark imaginations, reflect the local community whilst providing physical challenges. The result was our most creative play space to date.

The Challenge

There were many challenges with this playground and most of them came from mother nature. The playground was built during one of the wettest periods on record for South East Queensland, which also included a cyclone! Weather events aside, because this playground was so unique, the team at Everything Outside were problem solving on a daily basis. How do you build a replica Redcliffe jetty that can hold a ticket booth and groups of children? How do you build a fire station with enough room for stairs, a truck and a fireman’s pole?

The Solution

St Benedict’s prep playground is a beauty.

It features a beautifully painted powder-blue ticket booth with images of the original Redcliffe jetty inside to reflect local history. Once a student collects their ticket, they walk across a large wharf that ultimately leads on to a gangway and timber activity boat. On the boat there are fishing rods, binoculars and escape routes via a slide and climbing nets for upper body development.

The brick cladded Mango Hill fire station has a truck parked inside where students can use imaginative play to drive towards an emergency. There are stairs leading to a fireman’s pole exit as well.

A fruit market and herb garden offer opportunities for role playing, as other students following a surrounding sensory path or play hopscotch.

For more upper body strength development, there are monkey bars and a pyramid tower. Ample consideration has also been given to the flow of the playground, which means there is retained space for running and jumping on the trampoline.

There is a dry river bed with a water pump and wheel for STEM play, alongside a mini pod and indigenous inspired seating for quieter play.

Jaw-dropping Outcome

St Benedict’s prep playground is a sensation from every angle that you look at it. In fact, it is hard to know where to look first! The giant jetty and ticket booth are a stunning nod to the history of the area, the colours of the playground pop from afar and excite from within. This playground is a much talked about showpiece for the school who use the prep space as a starting tour point for prospective parents and students.