20th August 2021
The new play space in Kings Square has been designed to bring fun to Freo’s civic heart.
Inspired by Fremantle’s industrial history and close links with nature, the new play space is an important part of the plan to make Kings Square a more vibrant, attractive and family-friendly place. Around 170 Fremantle kids and their parents were asked to help design the new play space through surveys and a series of workshops at local schools.
WA-based landscape architecture firm Seedesign Studio were selected via a competitive tender process to develop a concept based on the feedback from the kids.
The design includes features such as cranes, bridges, train tracks and shipping containers and incorporates natural elements like water and trees, as well as bold lighting treatments and tactile nature play elements.
The concept is for the play space to have zones which will appeal to a broad age range from toddlers through to primary school children, as well as being accessible for children with disabilities.
Programmable lighting elements will also highlight the play space features at night, creating a whole new look and feel after dark and making it a feature of the broader public space in Kings Square.
A focal point for the play space will be the new Moreton Bay fig tree that was spectacularly lifted into place last September. After more than a year of planning and preparation, the massive specimen weighing around 16 tonnes was transported through the streets of Fremantle on the back of a semi-trailer to its new home, where it was carefully lifted into position by crane.
The new Moreton Bay fig tree replaces the much-loved ‘Christmas Fig’, which had to be removed from Kings Square for safety reasons due to its deteriorating condition.
The play space has been partly funded through a $342,000 grant from Lotterywest.
This article was originally published in the City of Fremantle FRE-OH! magazine. Click here to read the article on page 13.
