This might just become the most awesome playground in Cairns

Council is planning to build a unique playground at Centenary Lakes where kids can experience the great outdoors in a whole new way.

Nature play spaces like this one in Melbourne teach kids new skills and get them active.

Imagine a playground in Cairns where kids can dig for dinosaurs, explore a tree fort, wriggle through a tunnel made from vines and jump from rock to rock.

And they’re having so much fun they don’t think about sitting down with a device or tablet shining back at them, not even for a seco

Location map of the proposed playground.

Cairns Regional Council is planning to build such a place at Centenary Lakes.

Following a period of community feedback that ended last Friday, council is planning to construct a nature play park that could include all of the features listed above to replace two existing old play structures.

The council hopes the new playground proposal will provide families with an outdoor play experience where children can immerse themselves in nature and even get a little dirty.

The nature play concept supports natural, irregular and challenging spaces which help kids learn to recognise, assess and negotiate risk and build confidence and competence, which has been shown to have a positive impact on children’s cognitive and physical development.

The council received dozens of responses from the community to the proposal, with overwhelming support for the new playground.

Olivia from Cairns said: “It's always exciting to see new spaces for children being developed in our community! What a fantastic idea and love the nod to nature play concepts.”

Some potential concepts for the nature play park.

Charlotte suggested: “Can there be an open space incorporated where natural materials like palm fronds and sheaths can be stockpiled from time to time for cubby house making, weaving etc and soil dumped for mud play?“

There have also been several potential issues identified by local residents in relation to the proposal.

Marika commenting online: “The ideas are great and definitely what Cairns needs for our kids, I just have major concerns over the sandfly and mozzie issues there”.

Cairns already has some hugely popular playgrounds but local resident Selina commented: “Great idea. More playgrounds are needed in cairns. Muddies and the Pirate Ship are just getting too overcrowded.”

The council will now consider all feedback and develop a formal plan before it is presented to councillors.