Client
Town of Victoria Park
Project
Kensington Bushland Play Trail
Trail publication date
19 September 2020
Background
Located in the Town of Victoria Park, Kensington Bushland is one of the best preserved remnant urban bushlands between the Swan and Canning Rivers and is home to an incredibly diverse range of flora and fauna.
To help activate the bushland and encourage more kids and families to visit the area, Nature Play WA worked closely with the Town of Victoria Park and the Friends of Jirdarup to develop the Kensington Bushland Play Trail.
*Photo credits: Town of Victoria Park, Friends of Jirdarup
About the Trail
Based on the information provided by the Town of Victoria Park, the Friends of Jirdarup and our own site visit, Nature Play WA pulled together a content plan for the trail.
The trail focuses on highlighting the rich biodiversity and ecosystems that can be found at Kensington Bushland. It includes eight locations in and around the bushland and is a 1km loop that would take around an hour to complete.
Each location includes a brief summary, scrolling images as well as an activity challenge. Apart from existing research and information about the area, the type of challenge chosen for each location is also determined by what is observed on site. For example, in the location titled ‘Remarkable Reptiles’, participants are required to look at the existing interpretative signage for a clue to answer the quiz question.
Other examples of what was taken into account when creating the challenges include:
- The types of sounds
- The patterns on the wildflowers
- The colours of the leaves/shrubs
...and many more!
This makes the trail a more fun and engaging one as it encourages participants to make use of their keen senses of observation and hearing.
Highlights
The trail was launched on 19 September 2020, as part of the Kensington Bushland Community Event. Despite inclement weather, the event went really well and there was a large turnout of around 150 people.
The event was hosted by the Friends of Jirdarup, in collaboration with the Town of Victoria Park, to mark the installation of the new interpretative signs and bird waterers in the bushland. The interpretive signage includes information about the unique flora and fauna in the bushland to encourage learning and wayfinding in the area. It also includes links to the Kensington Bushland Play Trail.
