Edible Entrance
An Australiana adventure playground
2019
LOCATION
DARKINJUNG COUNTRY, THE ENTRANCE
PHOTOGRAPHER
JAY MIERS
Fusing free spirited fun with education, this preschool play area transformation makes the bush as accessible as the classroom.
Designed to evoke wonder, imagination and interest, this outside learning environment stands being weathered against the steady pattering of little feet. Setting the scene for success in this busy oceanside location meant bringing in organic matter to create better soil ecology for plants to thrive, and screening the busy road for privacy and peace (before the lunch madness of course).
A variety of natives feature for their hardiness, weather tolerance and educational purposes. Dense lilly pilly, woolly bush and bottle brush provide visual and noise barriers. Fast-growing oldman saltbush will thrive despite curious hands picking treats, joining finger limes, lemon myrtle, samphire and warrigal greens as perfect examples of indigenous bush tucker.
By establishing Australiana in their backyard, preschoolers can spend their lunchtimes wandering along the winding path picking bush tucker, bravely jumping across the stepping logs onto the giant, Uluru-inspired boulder – the perfect place to search for their next adventure. Maybe it’s the mud kitchen to sculpt a masterpiece, or the pole-surrounded yarning circle, a spiral of tree stumps and hardwood sleepers, kindy-size. After all, this is children’s business – no grown ups allowed.
Created by nature. Designed by Moss Boss. Loved by The Entrance kindy kids.
Plant palette
Lilly pilly (syzygium smithii)
Woolly bush (adenanthos sericeus)
Bottle brush (callistemon spp.)
Oldman saltbush (atriplex nummularia)
Finger limes (citrus australasica)
Lemon myrtle (backhousia citriodora)
Samphire (salicornia europaea)
Warrigal greens (tetragonia tetragonioides)
Material palette
Hardwood sleepers
Tree stumps
Sandstone boulders
Decomposed granite