Waterparks whet appetite for summer holidays

Image courtesy of Water Features by Design

Waterparks whet appetite

for summer holidays

By Grantlee Kieza, Industry Reporter

As Australian accommodation providers gear up for the coming post-COVID holiday bonanza, many are splashing out on water features and aqua playgrounds, whetting the appetite of kids and adults alike for a summer of sun and fun.

According to Tony Jones, who runs Water Features by Design, a company based appropriately in Waterford, WA, even properties with a tight budget and limited space can install a water feature to provide “the resort-style ambience that comes with the sound of gently trickling water at a fraction of the cost to install a waterplay facility”. to turn their waterplay ideas into a flood of excitement.

The Big4 Tweed Billabong Holiday Park at Tweed Heads, for instance, has three waterplay areas including a series of waterslides that emerge from a model volcano.

At the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, there are giant inflatable slides and jumping pillows plus jetpack

adventures on a private lagoon.

Some of Australia’s other top waterplay facilities include Sammy’s Adventure Lagoon at the Big4 North Star Holiday Resort at Hastings Point in northern NSW, Shipwreck Island that is constructed around a genuine reclaimed ship at the Big4 South West Rocks, NSW,

Discovery Park Barossa Valley, in South Australia, that has five splash zones, two slides and hundreds of jets and sprays, and the Oaks Oasis Resort, on the Sunshine Coast, that has slides, fountains, splash zones and interactive activities for under-12s as well as an outdoor space with a cafe and shaded relaxation area for parents.

Mr Jones, whose company installs waterplay features around Australia, recently oversaw the installation of a 40-metre waterslide at the Mudgee Pool in NSW.

He said a good waterplay facility would offer a range of different features to appeal to patrons of all ages from toddlers to teens.

Slides were popular to promote family fun while splash pads meant there was no standing water and no need for parents to get nervous about child safety.

“Ground sprays, adjustable mushrooms and spouting animals are popular with the younger patrons while dumper buckets, water cannons and slides appeal to older kids and even adults,” he said.

“Aquatic attractions can include small waterslides off various height platforms, a variety of water sprayers including patterns of ground sprayers, water cannons, water features such as spilling cones, tipping cones, giant overhead showers, tipping buckets and spinning water wheels.

“You can keep it simple with a splash pad comprising a series of randomly sequenced ground sprays or choose a more elaborate design with a combination of slides, overhead showering features in the shape of flowers, birds or insects, dumper buckets, waterfalls, tunnels, weirs and cannons.”

Mr Jones tried to use existing infrastructure when installing waterplay facilities to save money but said accommodation providers wanting to make a big splash were only limited by the area available and budget constraints.

“A waterpark and waterplay features create increased bookings and attract families as guests,” he said.

“Water walls with a series of graduated ponds connected by spillways are a popular choice for lobbies and poolside features along with fountains and fishponds. Mosaic water walls and stone-clad features are a timeless addition to any hotel facility and add an immediate air of class and sophistication. Maintenance is relatively simple and depending on the design, a water feature can multi-task as another seating option around pools and restaurant tables with bull-nosed capping and walls built to standard seating height.”

Fountains, he said, were often relatively inexpensive but highly decorative features to promote hotels. His company installed four with great success at the Cable Beach Club Resort in Broome along with other waterplay facilities there.

Mr Jones said safety was a priority when designing a waterplay area especially if it was being used by small children. Splash pads meant there was no standing water that could be hazardous while the splashing still created enormous enjoyment.

“Shade structures over the pool are essential to protect the children from the sun and should be extended over a hob wall that retains the splash-out and doubles as a seat around the area. It provides seating for parents or carers of the smaller children facing their child at play.

“Interaction with water is the best play tool on a hot day … water sprayers and splashing ponds add to the fun.”

He said features such as waterslides could be added to existing pools as an extra attraction for properties.

The maintenance of water features and small slide structures was “largely dependent upon the quality of the product purchased”.

“There are poor quality imported products on the market,” he said, “that do not stand up to the harsh environment of a waterpark with chlorinated water and UV exposure. Buyer beware.”

Water playgrounds

add appeal

For families travelling with children, the appeal of accommodation that off ers a safe water play facility is hard to beat.

Water playgrounds and splash pads provide hours of entertainment with the lure of tipping dumper buckets, duelling water cannons, showering arches, spouting animals, ground sprays, cascading mushrooms, waterfalls and more. Parents and carers can relax comfortably on the sidelines while their kids play happily in the water, secure in the knowledge that there’s no chance of drowning.

The addition of a water slide adds to the excitement with many diff erent heights, lengths and colours to choose from and no pool necessary.

If you’re keen to off er a more interactive experience for patrons, the inclusion of a bilge pump and weirs that allow children to direct the fl ow and volume of water down a series of terraced streams is a popular choice. The structure can be formed from rocks or hand carved concrete to help form a series of gullies down which kids can channel or dam the water. When used on previous water park projects, clients have reported the pump and weirs as the most popular att raction among children of all the features installed.

Depending on the space and budget available, we can design and construct a fully fi tt ed

splash pad or playground with a combination of ground sprays, pole features, dumpers and cannons or simply install any of our standard or custom-made componentry in an existing pool or aquatic facility as a standalone feature. Whether it’s a cascading mushroom added to a hotel toddler pool, a giant overhead dumper bucket or an entire splashpad with randomly sequenced ground sprays, we can tailor an option to suit.

If installed beside a pool, a splash pad or water playground can existing pumping and fi ltration system which helps cut costs and maintenance requirements.

Water Features by Design (WFBD) is a recognised leader in the design and construction of interactive water parks and the only Australian-owned and operated company that designs, manufactures and constructs its water park projects from start to fi nish.

Over the past 15 years WFBD has installed 33 major parks throughout the country. We manufacture our water park features locally which helps keep costs down and provides far greater fl exibility in terms of design and layout for each project.

WFBD is renowned for providing exceptional value for money and designing unique and aesthetically pleasing water playgrounds absolutely packed with custom-made interactive features which are all Australian-made.

Unlike other off erings on the market, WFBD water playground components are locally manufactured here in Australia to the highest standards, which helps make us highly competitive in price and extremely fl exible in our ability to individually design and create each playground to specifi c client needs and health department regulations. Each water park is individually designed to suit client needs with a number of standard features included such as:

no standing water

completely random sequencing for all water features via pumps and solenoids

fully recycled and automatically treated water

unlimited choice of colour schemes, themes be designed to tie in with the

and layout design

touch pad activation

the fl exibility of custom design

close liaison with relevant Health Department authorities to ensure project compliance

We’ve worked extensively throughout WA and the Eastern States under some of the harshest climatic and geographic conditions possible with all major water park projects completed on time and on budget.

This experience has helped forge a water park design and installation process built to withstand extremes in temperature, climate and geographic locations.

The design possibilities are endless and we pride ourselves on being able to off er a truly unique and purpose-built application for each client.

Contact Water Features by Design for more information on 0403 805 229 or visit www.wfb d.com.au for design inspiration.