It's the whimsical details that make the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council's new $1.4 million playground at Bungendore, according to the mums who made it a reality.
A toadstool here, a snail here, all waiting for children to discover them.
A committee of local mums volunteered two years ago to revamp the playground, one of them just missing out on the official opening on Thursday only because she gave birth the day before.
Committee spokesperson Sally Hieatt said it was "pretty special" to see the new playground open and hear "the joy and the noise" as children enjoyed all the features, including play sculptures by Jungle Play.
"Those magical elements are really the feature of the park," she said.
"We were fortunate to be in a rural setting and there's some beautiful, established trees around it, so we had elements that money couldn't buy. It became the framework for the natural playscape."
The committee formed in June 2020 and had no money to fund the project. It was also looking at the amenity of the whole precinct, including connecting footpaths to the village.
"We went for every grant we possibly could," Ms Hieatt said.
They were motivated to act amid fears the existing 20-year-old playground may eventually be condemned without action.
The new playground is now being billed as another drawcard for Bungendore in its own right, not just a pitstop on the way to the coast.
"People will stop, have a coffee, have an experience in the town and also visit the playground," she said.
Ms Hieatt said the committee had been influenced by the success of the playground that had been built at Braidwood and opened in 2019.
"In Bungendore, people would go to Braidwood to go to the park," she said.
"They inspired us."
The playground was funded with grant money from the federal and NSW governments and contributions from Bendigo Bank, Rotary Club of Bungendore, Iberdrola Energy and the Veolia Mulwaree Trust. The grant money included a contribution from the Everyone Can Play program, which ensures children of all ages and abilities can use the facility.
"The big thing for us was it being multi-generational," Ms Hieatt said.
"There's an elevated area for grandparents or carers or anyone to sit and watch the activity but not be amongst it."
While they were guided by the council professionals, the committee of mums were the ones who pushed the project to fruition.
And they all brought a lot to the table.
"Amongst us we had people skilled in design and construction, grant process policy, marketing, teaching and well all had children. We just had the appropriate strengths and we just had really complementary skills," Ms Hieatt said.
"We were all meeting after hours because we're all working mums. It was that saying, 'If you want something done, ask a working mum'. We've all learnt something."
The Bungendore Playground Committee comprised mums Sally Hieatt, Meg Jeffreys, Sam Pate, Jade Catton, Eliza Walker, Lisa Atherton and Lauren Barker (the mum who gave birth this week) and Micky Howarth and Debbie Sibbick from Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council.
