Case Studies
Fairfield Adventure Park
Design Feature
Type of project
Playground
State
New South Wales
Location
Urban
The Fairfield Adventure precinct was designed to provide the community with an active recreation space within Fairfield City. This precinct addresses community needs, offering activities for a wide range of ages and abilities. There are diverse activities offered at the Fairfield Youth and Community Centre, Fairfield Leisure Centre, the Adventure Playground, Obstacle Course, and surrounding park. These give visitors a variety of opportunities to be physically active, connect with others, and enjoy a sense of wellbeing in a vibrant and stimulating environment.
An active recreation space
Opened in 2015, the Fairfield Adventure Park has become a much-loved precinct by residents and an iconic destination for visitors. Fairfield Adventure Park is more than just a playground, as its design caters to the broader community through the provision of recreational facilities that appeal to early teens and adults. It is connected to an existing playground suitable for young children and is next to the $8.5 million Fairfield Youth and Community Centre and Fairfield Leisure Centre.
People bring their children from far and wide to experience this unique family facility, which features an 11-metre-high giant climbing net, slides and sky bridge combination, one of the tallest of its kind in Australia, and a 33-metre-long double flying fox. The precinct also features a giant swing, trampoline, table tennis table, barbecues and picnic tables.
In 2016 an obstacle course was added, the first of its kind available in a public open space. The boot camp-style obstacle course is used for enjoyment as well as fitness training for residents and visitors, providing an opportunity to be healthy and active. Covering almost 7,500 square metres, the course has elements that include a tree top walk, featuring platforms and a rope bridge crossing, balance beams, hurdles, and monkey bars.
The design incorporates an educational element, with signs explaining the natural resources within the park, including the different types of trees. There is a mound designed to test physical strength and challenge all-round physical fitness with a tyre step climb, timber sleeper steps, rope climb and a challenging timber climb. There is also a junior circuit, allowing adults and juniors (15+ years old) to exercise together. The obstacle courses and playground form one of the most versatile recreation precincts in Western Sydney.
Project team
- Project Sponsored by Fairfield City Council, City Assets team
- Construction managed by Council’s Major Project Division
- Design by Playce Pty Ltd
Project cost
$1.4 Million
Health value
- Provides the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, which cater for all levels of fitness and ages, through the provision of a playground, basketball court, walking paths, climbing gear, and gentle and high intensity obstacle courses.
- Water fountains are available at the precinct.
- During the week, the park is utilised by fitness groups, such as the Gyms in Parks Program, walking groups and community members.
- The walking path is a shared path, which can also be used by children and adults on scooters and bikes, encouraging parents and visitors to be physically active alongside their children, in a safe and protected environment.
- The precinct is accessible via active and mixed mode transport.
- Fairfield Council collaborated with the New South Wales Department of Health’s ‘Make Healthy Normal’ campaign to place signage throughout the precinct to encourage visitors to drink more water and be more active.
Economic Value
- Fairfield Park Precinct is a popular, family-friendly recreational destination, which has become a regional icon that draws crowds from across Fairfield City to enjoy a day out. It is accessible by public transport, as it is less than ten minutes’ walk from Fairfield station and has ample car parking. This attraction boosts the local economy of the area.
- The visibility of the youth and leisure centres provide exposure to other recreation facilities and encourages visitors and community to use and hire out the facility.
Environmental Value
- As part of the rejuvenation of the park, approximately 5,000 native plants were planted to enhance the endangered vegetation communities that line the creek and soften the edges of the recreational areas.
- Existing trees were preserved and new trees were planted to provide additional shade.
Social Value
- Passive surveillance, a result of the popularity and regular usage of the precinct, creates a feeling of safety around the neighbourhood.
- Provides opportunities to engage in group play, though provision of amenities such as table tennis, a ‘human foosball’ court, giant swings and basketball courts.
- The free ‘Gyms in Parks’ Program provides the community with the opportunity to be active, while developing relationships with other residents and neighbours in a safe and supervised environment. Participants have reported that the program has helped them meet other residents and some participants have established regular social walks together.
- Shaded picnic and BBQ facilities, which have ample seating, provide public open space for residents and visitors to socialise and host gatherings.
Use Value
- Provides community members with a variety of opportunities to engage in active recreation and sport.
- Hosts activities such as organised fitness sessions, community events such as Grandparents Day and provides an informal meeting space for families and friends to gather.
- The co-location of the Fairfield Adventure Park with the playground, Fairfield Leisure Centre and Fairfield Youth and Community Centre provides residents with diverse community facilities in a single destination.
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