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Synergy Parkland

Features

The Parkland is a physical representation of Synergy's commitment to the environment and community. Synergy recognises the parkland is a place for all Western Australians to use as a recreation area, and is an exciting and challenging area for children to explore, discover, play and simply enjoy being outdoors.

The Parkland features a 75m-long elevated walkway, a two-tiered island fort, large-scaled replicas of local dinosaurs, a timber boardwalk and an interactive water misting forest.

Children can run headlong into the millennia-old past, follow the footprints of giant dinosaurs and discover ancient fossils.

The Synergy Parkland is Synergy's largest community partnership

Wind Your Way Through the Windy Walk

Arthur Fairall's exciting vision influenced the use of recycled materials to construct the amazing 'Windy Walkway' - 75 metres long and up to 2.5 metres above ground.

It is a dramatic new lease of life for the 30-year-old elevated platform that had been the focus of the old playground.

The name, 'Windy Walk', arose from the height of the structure and the art work in the railings depicting the evolution of birds from flightless animals to those which could fly.

A special feature of the Windy Walk is the representation of an event which some experts say had the biggest impact of any single event in the earth's history - the K-T Impact Crater. The Crater illustrates the way a meteorite, 10km wide, hit earth 65 million years ago and blasted a hole 100km across and 12km deep in the Caribbean Sea. This massive impact caused earthquakes, wild fires, world-wide darkness and may have led to the extinction of dinosaurs.

Megafauna for Mega-Fun

Children can journey through prehistoric Perth on the shoulders of one of the dinosaurs that roamed on plains millions of years ago.

The Muttaburrasaurus was a reptile that relied on the energy of the sun to warm its body and give it the energy to forage for food. Today it makes a spectacular return to provide a life-sized history lesson to astound and inspire children of all ages.

Imagination will take flight further along the discovery pathway at the nesting site of the largest bird ever to inhabit the Earth. The Bullockornis, ancestor of the Cape Baron Goose and inhabitant of Perth 30 million years ago, has set up home with a clutch of chicks in the Parkland.

Great care has been taken to ensure the authenticity of the models with materials guaranteed to withstand the constant wear and tear of climbing hands and feet.

Choosing which dinosaurs from Western Australia's history would be included in the Parkland was left to Dr Steve Hopper, former Chief Executive Officer of the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority and the Western Australian Museum's Dr John Long.

Since both Muttaburrasaurus and Bullockornis had lived in Australia and exhibited features suitable for artwork that children can safely climb, they were the ideal Parkland dinosaurs.

Facilities in the Parkland

More than anything the Synergy Parkland is a recreation area for the entire family. The Parkland has eight free electric barbeques, public toilets and fantastic grassed areas where children can run as wild as their imagination.

If you wish to bring a portable barbecue to the Parkland you must obtain written permission from the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority. For further information please phone 9480 3659.

The Synergy Parkland is a smoke-free zone and no skateboards or scooters are allowed.

Cross Ancient Waters into a Wonderland of Imagination

On the central lake sits Lycopod Island and its Island Fort. A ring of ancient lycopods, replicas of the world's first trees that originated some 1200 million years ago, surround the fort.

The trees are made from towering wooden poles that are intricately carved to resemble the rough texture of lycopod trunks, and have fronds cut from stainless steel.

And if you are really observant, you will see a giant dragonfly hiding amongst the lycopod fronds.

Western Australian artist and creator of the dragonfly, Nick Compton, wasn't completely confident that he could pull off the difficult task of sculpting something that has stainless steel wings over a metre in length and suspend it ten metres from the ground.

"I was originally asked to carve the dragonfly into the timber railings of the Island Fort, but this changed when the railings were made from steel," said Nick.

"But looking at it now, the dragonfly is bound to create a squeal from children when they see this huge insect flying above them."

The Island Fort showcases many of Nick's sculptures including carvings of dragonfly larvae in the timber of the Fort.

New to Lycopod Island is the Calamite Forest. The Forest has a cleverly disguised water misting system that is activated by children as they wander through the replica calamites.

Calamites were small fern-like trees that grew in wet swampy forests millions of years ago. Over time, calamites and lycopods were buried alive by volcanic ash and mud. Today, this fossil fuel provides fuel to make electricity for us to use.

The Health Department approved system uses drinkable water and is run by photovoltaic cells located on replica stromatolites in the lake. The water used is scheme water. Each jet has its own sensor and will only operate when children are playing in the Forest. The water drains into the lake and is used in conjunction with bore water to top up the lake.

Ancient Stromatolites

New to the Parkland in 2004 was the fantastic timber boardwalk connecting Lycopod Island to the picnic area.

On either side of the boardwalk, people can view the replica stromatolites. Stromatolites are lumpy, layered living rocks that are built by slimy, microscopic life forms. Once found in oceans, lakes and swamps with enough light, today stromatolites only occur in bays and lakes with a rich supply of limestone.

The first living stromatolites were discovered in Hamelin Bay, Shark Bay, Western Australia in 1954.

Visit the stromatolites at the Synergy Parkland to discover more of their interesting history.

Standing Beside Ancient Plants

The majority of plants in and around the Playground can be found throughout Perth's woodlands, grasslands and coastal areas. Others were sourced from the eastern states, including some exotic plants that do not appear in present day Western Australia.

Eucalypts, grasstrees, wattles, peppermint trees, melaleucas and casuarinas are some of the well-known and more easily recognised flora.

There is also the unfamiliar yet unique Wollemi Pine from Sydney. The Wollemi Pine is a living fossil only recently discovered in a gully in the Blue Mountains, and is fenced for protection from damage.

Then there is the ancient and beautiful Ginkgo biloba, a maidenhair tree from China, which is reputed to be "the last of a species that ages before the time of man". It occupies a prominent position in the world's flora. Experts who have studied its remarkable history maintain that it has survived in a natural state from the time of dinosaurs and that through the activities of man, has been re-established in many of its ancient haunts.

Two male Ginkgo trees have been planted in the Playground - one near the Muttaburrasaurus dinosaur and the other near the lake. Female trees were not used because they produce an orange fleshy fruit that has an awful smell when squashed - although Chinese people love the nut inside the fruit and consider it to be a delicacy.

Education

School bookings for the Synergy Parkland must be made through the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority.

To find more about the education programs,The Ancient and The Unusual, and Mathematics Self Guided Trail click the following link, www.bgpa.wa.gov.au