Our Blog – Austek Play

INCLUSIVE PLAY – DESIGNING PLAY SPACES WHERE EVERYONE CAN PLAY

Written by Janine on August 17, 2022. Posted in Blog, Inclusive Play.

In a world that is constantly running at full pace, Austek Play is producing original concepts that are designed to cater for all abilities and to encourage a child’s development through their own independent way. No two children are the same. Inclusivity is giving everyone the chance to play in a sensory friendly environment regardless of their ability. However, inclusion is more than just accessibility, it’s about being part of something together. By creating an inclusive space, we are encouraging children to foster inclusive habits and play together. In this carefully created world, children can feel safe and secure as well as encouraged to challenge themselves and think outside the box with the changing world around them.

Eco Tall Tube Chimes

Austek Play is passionate about inclusive play and proudly offer a wide range of inclusive play items such as our sensory panels. Each panel has a unique design and theme to engage children and encourage them to learn about the movement and/or sounds the equipment makes just like the Eco Tall Tube Chimes.

Giant 4 In A Row Panel

A 2-player accessible panel that encourages children to play together. The panel has 48 movable red and yellow sliding discs that is a fun and entertaining game for children to play together. This product features sliding game pieces for a child to independently move and make their decision on where it goes as well as enhancing their sense of movement.

Tumble Ball Cog Panel

Children can turn the drive wheel on the Tumble Ball Cog Play Panel to see the tumble pins roll amongst the cogs. This is an all-accessible panel that allows children to interact with and encourage their sight and hearing senses making this piece of equipment sensory friendly for all children to discover.

Eco Station

Bikes, trikes, scooters and wheelchairs – it all needs to keep moving. Children can fuel up their wheels to continue around the track. This Eco Station is a great way to include all children in a fun and friendly racetrack that encourages role play and inclusive play.

Inclusive play is important for the development of every child with physical, cognitive and social benefits. A playground should challenge, stimulate, and reward a child through all stages of life no matter the ability of the user. Utilising sensory panels in a play space can help to enhance all these categories and development a child requires and promotes being a part of something together.

Austek Play believes the value of learning through play is essential to a healthy childhood development. Austek Plays structures are specifically designed for children of all abilities. Contact the team to discover how Austek Play can bring your next inclusive play space project to life.

Embrace Inclusivity with the Spinmee

Written by Janine on May 16, 2022. Posted in Blog, Inclusive Play, Product News.

At Austek Play, we understand that inclusive playground equipment and thoughtful play space design can create an accessible world for children of all abilities. We are passionate about inclusive play, and proudly offer a wide range of inclusive play items.

The Spinmee is an industry-leading inclusive and wheelchair accessible roundabout that caters for multiple users in seated, standing, and wheelchair accessible positions. Specially designed following consultation with specialists who work with disabled children and their families, the Spinmee was developed with an optimised design to make the roundabout inclusive for users of various abilities, including wheelchair users and those with other physical impairments.

The Spinmee offers multiple play values: accessibility, balancing, coordination, easy access, inclusivity, multi-generational, parent / carer friendly, social play, and spinning.

The design and features of the Spinmee allow children to enhance their balance and spatial awareness skills, with the pulling and pushing motions promote muscle strength development and cardio fitness. The multi-user nature of the Spinmee also allows for the development of empathy, collaboration, and verbal communication during social play with other children.

The Spinmee also provides some different forms of sensory stimulation:

Touch – allows the user to differentiate between textures, pressures, and traction.
Proprioception – the spinning and balancing involved with the Spinmee increases the users’ awareness of the position of their body and joints in relation to the space around them.
Vestibular – The spinning of the Spinmee also contribute to the users’ sense of balance and movement by challenging, stimulating, and developing their vestibular system. When children spin, different parts of their brains are stimulated simultaneously. The design of the Spinmee enables a child in a wheelchair to experience the spinning motion that stimulates their vestibular system without having to leave their wheelchair.

While the Spinmee might look simple, there are several key design features that make a considerable difference to the inclusivity of the overall product. These include:

Overall, the Spinmee roundabout offers inclusivity, functionality, and durability to the playground, without compromising on fun for children or carers. You can see why it’s among some of our most popular inclusive products.

Visit the Spinmee product page to learn more, or view our projects page to find completed projects where we have installed the Spinmee.

View Spinmee webpage

View Projects page

A Soothing Sensory Space for Southport State School

Written by Janine on May 9, 2022. Posted in Blog, Featured Projects, Inclusive Play.

Located in the heart of the Gold Coast, Austek Play has created an inclusive and sensory-friendly play space for the students at Southport State School.

Southport State School’s vision for the new play space was to create a quiet area where children with sensory sensitivities or other challenges can engage in play alongside their peers. They specified the desire for a soft welcoming ambience of the space, as well as the inclusion of multiple pieces of inclusive and wheelchair-accessible equipment. The design brief also identified a need for the area to be aesthetically pleasing, and for work to be done on the uneven ground to create multiple levels of play.

The school supplied a ‘concept poem’ to help demonstrate the atmosphere they envision for the play space:

Come and play said the koala to the animals

I want to be your friend

To get to know your favourite things

It’s time I want to spend.

I know a special place

Where everyone can be

Exactly who they are

Where imagination runs free.

Come to the Wattle Playground

There is something there for you

We cherish each other’s differences

Giving respect and kindness too.

Working collaboratively with Southport State School as a local supplier, Austek Play were able to make key design decisions in accordance with the school’s wants and needs for the space, while also supplying some of the most popular and proven inclusive equipment from our range.

The key feature of the play space is the Spinmee Inclusive Roundabout – an industry-leading inclusive and wheelchair-accessible carousel that caters for multiple (1-5) students in either seated, standing, or wheelchair-friendly positions. The Spinmee demonstrates the wonders that small details can have in building an inclusive play space – not only does it feature two areas that can securely accommodate wheelchairs, its rotating base is designed to be flush with the surrounding surfacing to allow for easy access and transition.

Complementing the Spinmee is the Omni Basket Swing. An inclusive take on the traditional playground swing, the Omni Basket Swing allows for use by individuals or multiple users, and caters to students of all ages and abilities. Placed alongside the Omni Basket Swing are the Flower Talk Tubes, which encourage social interaction, cooperative and imaginative play by allowing students to talk, sing, or whisper across the playground through the tubes.

Working with the needs of the school and the space available, Austek Play made strategic layout choices to best accommodate the undulating surface levels and to best allow for the creation of a level play space. Austek Play’s selection of the CSBR rubber surfacing used serves a dual purpose – it is a safety feature as its shock-absorbent nature reduces the likelihood of injury from falls, and alongside the other brightly-coloured equipment, creates a visually stimulating, and inviting space that simultaneously encourages creativity and independent play, while also creating a soothing, calm, and peaceful play environment. The use of rubber surfacing also ensures that all of the equipment is easily wheelchair accessible.

After liaising and collaborating with Southport State School, Austek Play was able to design, supply, and install a new play space that embraces the importance of sensory and inclusive play. You can view our inclusive play equipment range HERE, or contact us today for expert advice and help designing your new play space.

Working with Austek Play – Why We’re Different

Written by Janine on May 3, 2022. Posted in Blog.

Proud to be an Australian owned and operated business supporting the local economy and communities for over 20 years, Austek Play is an industry-leading commercial playground company. With suppliers from across Australia and internationally, our comprehensive playground and fitness equipment range is the largest in Australia. We design and create spaces and play experiences that inspire, motivate, and encourage children to play and thrive.

At Austek Play, we are committed to ensuring our playgrounds are designed, delivered, and installed to the highest possible standards. We are dedicated to achieving our customers’ vision and have refined our processes to be truly customer focused. We have a number of values and practices that set us apart as a commercial playground company and make working with us a unique and professional experience.

Our Values

Providing fun, safe, and exciting playgrounds for school and local communities
Continuous quality improvement in designs and functions
Championing inclusive play for all
Providing innovative and safe designs by ensuring our staff are fully trained in playground safety standards
Providing playgrounds that meet our clients’ needs by offering customisable equipment and delivering tailored designs that fit the space available
Providing reliable and high-quality playgrounds by offering continuous support and service throughout and after the sales process

Inclusive Play

At Austek Play we provide inclusive designs and equipment by default. We are fully committed to providing play spaces that can be enjoyed by everyone, and with our wealth of knowledge and experience, we can ensure our designs meet your inclusivity needs.

Not only do we offer a large range of accessible and inclusive products, but we also have the expertise and understanding of the topic to educate our clients and to inform and create inclusive and cohesive play spaces.

The Spinmee Inclusive Roundabout at Tunkuwallin Oval

Qualified Staff

Working at Austek Play, we have a fully qualified in-house design team who are trained in the latest industry and safety standards and continue their education to stay up-to-date. Our designers can draw from their vast range of skills to deliver exciting and memorable play and fitness areas. Not only will our playground designs look great, but our designers also ensure they are functional, safe, and tailored to our clients’ space.

As part of our design and approval process, our designers can develop and deliver 2D site drawings and production plans that inform the installation, 3D renders that demonstrate what the finalised play space will look like, and detailed proposals for the project. Because this is all done in-house, we are able to provide timely updates and complete design representations quickly and efficiently.

Our in-house design team completing a render

Customisation

Austek Play has the knowledge and capabilities to provide our customers with new, refurbished, or fully customised playground designs and solutions. We will always consider the project’s location, available space, budget, users, and style and colour preferences to find a feasible playground design that makes the most of the available resources.

We offer the option to customise several of our standard units, or to create your own combination of elements like decks, panels, bridges, slides, and climbing nets to make a custom unit for your space. We also have the capability to design and construct bespoke timber equipment to match your play space vision.

The first and most important step in our design process is to gain a thorough understanding of our clients’ desires; we collaborate with and actively listen to our clients’ wants and needs for their new playground. When we feel we have gained a thorough understanding, we set about finding the best possible result for them and their space. We do this by developing an initial design to present for further discussion and consultation. If there are any changes needed, we will continue liaise further until we produce their perfect playground solution.

Custom Timber Pods built for Banora Point Public School

Project Management and After-Sales Service

Our expert playground specialists will plan the best way to approach the project and will address all components of the delivery and installation. Our project managers oversee the projects and make sure they run smoothly and efficiently, while keeping our customers updated on the progress of the project.

We work with our clients throughout the entire project process – we provide expert design input, collaborate with our suppliers and contractors, and communicate with the projects’ stakeholders, which offers our customers an easy and streamlined process.

Once the project has been completed and handover has been finalised, our after-sales service plays an important role in keeping your new playground in top condition. We can provide repairs, spare parts, maintenance, or just advice – our team is here to help at any stage.

Get In Touch

At Austek Play, we’re serious about fun, but we are also serious about providing high quality play equipment and offering exceptional service and support.

Contact Us

Age-Appropriate Play for Teenagers and Adolescents

Written by Janine on April 21, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

This week, we are continuing our “Age-appropriate play” blog series. In our previous instalments, we’ve established how to make a playground appropriate for different age groups of children. Although the importance and benefits of play for children are widely known, the importance of play for teenagers and adolescents are not as well-recognised, leaving a gap in playground equipment options that is suitable for their age group. In this blog post, we will explore how adolescents play, and what types of playground equipment can facilitate their development.

Teenagers are in an important transition stage of their life – they are undergoing cognitive, emotional, physical, and attitudinal changes. Although the nature and meaning of “play” may change for adolescents, recreational and social spaces are still important for the mental and physical wellbeing of this age group. While they may have grown out of traditional playground equipment, they still want and need to let out their energy and have fun.

Unfortunately, many people seem to assume that play is ‘done’ by the time children reach this age. Often, this can mean that teens and adolescents have very few options for play outside of organised sports and exercise. It can be argued that play doesn’t necessarily need a structure, but playgrounds can facilitate social interactions and encourage imaginative play.

While many people have known about and capitalised on the learning and developmental benefits of play for younger children for a long time, the benefits of play for teens and adolescents have been greatly underestimated. Being active and engaging in play is just as critically important for teens and adolescents as it is for younger children.

There are numerous benefits associated with play for this age group – play can have an impact on their physical health – the right play and fitness equipment can help teens and adolescents develop physical skills, test their balance, and promote flexibility, while also developing their social skills.

Play has also been connected with mental health – it has been found that a decline in play is associated with a rise in mental health disorders among teens and adolescents.

In addition to the cognitive and physical benefits of play, engaging in play allows teens and adolescents to get away from social anxiety-inducing environments and is proven to help counteract toxic stress in this age group by allowing them to practice positive stress coping skills.

When designing a play space for teens and adolescents, it should give them a place to hang out and expend energy. There are four main elements that should be considered which have a large play impact – competition, socialization, physical activity, and challenge.

As they are in an older age bracket, teens and adolescents begin to enjoy more competitive games and sports with their peers, and therefore the play space should incorporate elements that promote healthy and friendly competition, such as fitness equipment or obstacle courses.

This age group also requires areas that foster social development by allowing them to socialise comfortably. Areas with park furniture such as benches and tables, as well as shaded areas, can encourage this by creating designated ‘hang out’ zones. Spaces like this can help create a space where teens and adolescents feel welcome and provides a common activity space – somewhere they can gather and socialize.

Creating a sport, fitness, and movement area provides teens and adolescents with a space and equipment to move around and use up energy. A play space dedicated to teens and adolescents can also provide opportunities for physical and mental challenges, through fitness equipment or obstacle courses, or active play equipment that provides cognitive challenges and development, with the potential for further socializing and friendly competition with peers. The inclusion of a fitness area help to encourage the preservation of a healthy lifestyle as they grow older.

Some equipment that would be great for teens and adolescents includes basket swings, bouldering or climbing equipment, and obstacle courses, as well as Multi-Use Game Arenas and a variety of fitness equipment.

Some of the equipment that we supply at Austek Play includes:

The Cantilever Swing

The Titan Bouldering Structure

The Champion Omni Warrior Course

The Denfit Gym Combi Multimax 4

At Austek Play, our playground specialists and massive selection of play and fitness equipment can help you create the perfect play space for teenagers and adolescents. Contact us today for some expert advice and help starting your new play space.

Broad St Reserve & Rosedale Reserve – Two Colourful New Play Spaces for Croydon Park

Written by Janine on April 19, 2022. Posted in Blog, Featured Projects.

Located in Croydon Park NSW, the play spaces at Broad Street Reserve and Rosedale Reserve have been refurbished and refreshed by Austek Play. From the vibrant rubber softfall to the deliberate choice of play equipment, each element in both playgrounds work together to provide a space for all abilities.

Canterbury Bankstown Council’s vision for the two play space upgrades was achieving quality, diverse, and accessible play experiences that cater to different age groups and ability levels. It was also important that the play spaces aligned with the “Everyone Can Play” guidelines. An Austek Play playground specialist, in consultation with our in-house designers, used strategic planning and inclusive design principles to ensure the concept design met those criteria – and after a successful tender process, Austek Play was awarded the project.

With Canterbury Bankstown Council wanting to improve the quality, condition, and safety of the play spaces, Austek Play proactively communicated and collaborated with Council in order to meet their expectations and objectives.

The “Everyone Can Play” guidelines were considered when designing these spaces, by incorporating engaging and inclusive playground equipment, and deliberately designing the layout of the space to incorporate inclusivity and accessibility. This is not solely limited to how children will use the equipment to play, but also extends to how parents and carers engage with the space as supervisors and spectators.

The colourful and vibrant TPV rubber surfacing used in both playgrounds creates an exciting and inviting visual impact for children, while also providing accessible surfacing to ensure easier access to equipment.

Broad Street Reserve

The inclusive play elements incorporated in Broad Street Reserve include the bright-green and grey coloured Roty; a worthy rival to the classic roundabout. Children can vary the speed at which the Roty spins by shifting their body weight on the leaning platform without having to push or pull. They can face in either direction, choosing to sit or stand, and lean over the rotation center and play with others on this ingeniously simple, yet head-spinning item

And the matching bright-green Vippy seesaw, which boasts easy-grip handles and provides children with a space to engage in positive interaction and communication during play.

In addition to the inclusive play equipment, Broad Street Reserve has the Omnitech Denny unit, which boasts a large number of play activities, including collaborative and rope play, and provides multiple modes of play for all ages, plus a one-bay OmniSwing – a classic playground staple with a strap seat and toddler seat.

There is also a small timber trail play section included in the play space, which allows children to develop their balance and coordination skills while they play, and can also double as informal seating.

Broad Street Reserve includes two pieces of fitness equipment – the Vitality and the Prime, which are both multi-use fitness stations.

Rosedale Reserve

The inclusive play component of Rosedale Reserve is the 1-bay OmniSwing with a basket seat – which provides core-body support, and allows children of all abilities to swing individually or with others.

Alongside the swing at Rosedale Reserve, Austek Play installed an Omnitech Robin unit, which provides numerous types of play activities, and easy-access steps to allow younger children to access the slide; and the vibrant Pirouette is a freestanding spinning item, that mimics a miniature roundabout for more than one user – guaranteed to be a popular addition to any playground, providing hours of fun and excitement for all children. A bumblebee spring toy provides visual stimulation and excites the imagination of children during play.

With the addition of council-supplied seating and picnic tables installed by Austek Play in both play spaces, allowing for more comfortable rest and supervision under the shade of the nearby trees, Broad Street Reserve and Rosedale Reserve have both been transformed into play spaces that provide a positive, engaging, and fun experience that will flourish over time.

Here are a few of our favourite things… Part 4

Written by Janine on April 11, 2022. Posted in Blog, Product News.

This week, we have our final post of our Favourite Items blog series, this time hearing from Belinda, Andrew, and Benny about their favourite piece of equipment. Read on to learn about more of our favourite pieces and to be inspired for your next playground!

Belinda Williams: Office Manager

What is your favourite piece of equipment?
“My favourite piece is the Bonnie springer.”

Why?
“The Bonnie allows up to 9 children with a wide range of abilities to play together whilst encouraging creative play. Shhh don’t tell the kids…. But whilst they are having super fun, they are learning balance, coordination, gross motor skills, locomotor play, imagination and interactive play.”

Example project: You can try the Bonnie springer out for yourself at Ernie Organ Park, Hervey Bay QLD.

Andrew Torning: NSW State Manager

What is your favourite piece of equipment?
“I really like the Cantilever Swing.”

Why?
“It is the first piece of equipment I have taken my son on when he was 5 months old. I was able to sit in the swing with him on my lap moving the swing slowly around with my feet. It’s quite relaxing as an adult too swinging around whilst laying down and staring up at the sky! Every time I visit a playground there are children always playing on swing sets. They are interactive for parents to engage with their kids. Not many play spaces are designed without a swing set and it is the number 1 consistent request as a must have from our customers.”

Example project:
You can find another Cantilever Swing at Tunkuwallin Oval, NSW.

**See the Cantilever product page here**

Ben Pyers: Installer / Labourer

What is your favourite piece of equipment?
“My favourite playground item would have to be our Omnitech swings.”

Why?
“I just think that swings are a classic piece of playground equipment, and I think that our Omnitech swings look nice and clean and sturdy. Plus, they’re easy to install!”

Example project
You can see our Omnitech swings at Wallsend Pools in NSW.

**See the OmniSwing product webpage here**

If this blog series has inspired you and you would like more information or need some help planning your playground, contact Austek Play for some expert help and guidance.

Age-Appropriate Play for School-Aged Children (5-12 year age group)

Written by Janine on April 5, 2022. Posted in Blog.

This week, we are continuing our “Age-appropriate play” blog series. In our previous articles, we have established that for playgrounds to be age-appropriate, they need to accommodate differences in physical abilities, as well as cognitive and social skills with the right type, scale, layout, and difficulty of equipment. In this blog post, we will identify which elements need to be considered when designing a play space for school-aged children (5-12 year age group).

School-aged children aged between 5 and 12 years old will typically start to seek out bigger and more exciting physical challenges to keep them engaged and occupied as they grow. It can be useful for the play space to provide various opportunities for physical challenges, which in turn will keep them interested and entertained.

At this age, children are rapidly building and learning their fine motor skills, gross motor skills, coordination, balance, and strength. Therefore, it is important that the equipment selected for the play space creates opportunities for children to further grow these skills, plus help them develop their social skills and awareness, hand-eye coordination, and motor planning.

Between 5 and 12 years old, children are moving both physically and developmentally towards more complex types of play. When combined with this age group’s quickly evolving social skills, it becomes more important to consider the social aspects of the play space, and include both independent and collaborative play activities.

……

The growing social skills of this age group can cause school-aged children to become more competitive, which in turn can lead to them incorporating some play elements into competitions, or elaborate and imaginative social games. As a result, it can be valuable to include equipment that caters to this, promoting friendly competition.

However, this increased social awareness does mean that this age group can become subject to peer pressure, and therefore it is still important that they are supervised. When considering the need for supervision, it can be beneficial to include shade structures and park seating, which can allow parents, teachers, or caregivers to supervise more comfortably.

It can also be helpful to consider adding a separate quiet space, like the Quiet Grove (https://www.austekplay.com.au/product/quite-grove/) , for moments when children might be overwhelmed by the immense sensory input from the playground. A space like this can give children a safe space to rest and can help prevent playground meltdowns. Adding the Quiet Grove or other inclusive playground elements ensures that everyone can play together.

Overall, some of the best playground components for school-aged children include rope, chain, or rock type climbers, swings, spinners, overhead rings, slides, and linked play structures with decks and a variety of play activities. This age group can also benefit from sports and fitness equipment, and open spaces to run around or play ball games. Some of this age-range specific equipment that we offer at Austek Play is:

The Omniwarrior Champion Obstacle Course (https://www.austekplay.com.au/product/champion/)

The Monolith Bouldering unit (https://www.austekplay.com.au/product/monolith/)

Our MUGA (Multi-Use Games Arena) Range (https://www.austekplay.com.au/product-category/open-space-fitness/muga/)

Hags UniPlay Brann unit (https://www.austekplay.com.au/product/uniplay-brann/)

For more information and expert advice, plan your playground with Austek Play – call us or enquire online today.

⚓A Nautical-Themed Adventure at Spit West Park⚓

Written by Janine on March 28, 2022. Posted in Blog, Featured Projects, Uncategorized.

Located in a great spot overlooking the marina, Spit West Park in Mosman, NSW, has recently undergone a transformation, making the playground perfect for toddlers and children who love a boat-themed adventure.

With the existing playground at Spit West Park showing signs of age, Mosman Council needed an upgrade. After a successful tender process, Austek Play was awarded the project with our marine grade and nautical-themed playground concept.

In order to fit the park’s available space, Austek Play supplied a custom Omnitech Jamala unit, with additional nautical theming. This unit features a 2.4m high viewing tower, corkscrew tube slide, firepole, timber bridge, and new rubber softfall coloured to match the marine theme.

With the fun and inviting unit offering numerous play values for a range of ages, every aspect of traditional play is catered for. The playground’s layout was also carefully considered to embrace inclusivity and accessibility for all.

To view the Jamala product page, click here, or to see more of our Omnitech range, click here.

Here are a few of our favourite things… Part 3

Written by Janine on March 18, 2022. Posted in Blog, Product News.

This week, we have another post of our Favourite Items blog series, this time hearing about Glenn, Phoebe, and Maddy’s favourite equipment. Read on to learn about more of our favourite pieces and to be inspired for your next playground!

Glenn Williams: Managing Director

What is your favourite piece of equipment?
“My favourite piece of equipment is the Orbit.”

Why?
“I like that the design of this piece allows the user to operate this independently (the roundabout is operated by the users and does not require a third party to push it) and the way it encourages engagement of users with each other, as they are all facing one another. It is quite unique for a carousel to function in this way.

And, it heaps of fun!!”

Example project:

You can see the Orbit for yourself at Apex Park, Ormiston.

Apex Park, Ormiston – CLICK HERE to see more information on the Orbit

Phoebe: NSW Designer

What is your favourite piece of equipment?
“My favourite playground item is Omnitech’s Cantilever Swing.”

Why?
“I like how it can be swung from all angles and can allow more than one person to use it at one time. Its free movement makes it scary but exhilarating in a fun way.”

Example project:
You can find another Cantilever Swing in Riawena Park in Lake Macquarie.

Riawena Park, Lake Macquarie – CLICK HERE to see more information on the Cantilever Swing

Maddy Plant: Marketing Assistant

What is your favourite piece of equipment?
“My favourite playground item would have to be the Jamala Tower Unit.”

Why?
“I really like this unit because it’s got a really good combination of activities to appeal to different interests, plus it’s customisable, so it can be personalised to whatever space it’s installed in. I also think that visually, it just looks really nice as a unit.”

Example project
You can see customised and themed version of the Jamala unit at Spit West Park, Mosman, NSW.

Spit West Park, Mosman – CLICK HERE to see more information on the Jamala Unit

Keep checking back to our blog to see the last part of our Favourite Items blog series!