A home away from home, layered with hidden discovery at every turn
Ellen Grove, QLD
Bask Early Learning
Ellen Grove, QLD
Early Learning Centre
Design, Construction
Bask Early Learning engaged Wearthy to create an outdoor environment for their Ellen Grove service that felt like a home away from home — safe, natural, and carrying a consistent brand identity across the Bask portfolio. The design was built from natural materials throughout: timber post-and-beam structures, climbing trellises, sandstone outdoor learning circles, water play channels, and highlights of the Bask signature colour on key elements.
The greatest challenge was designing for long, narrow spaces, ensuring clear destination points while maintaining a sense of layered depth and flow. What emerged is an environment full of discovery — hidden monkey bars, rope features, and play elements that children only find as they explore, timed to unlock as they become developmentally ready.
Giselle Rayward, Head of People & Culture, and Priscilla Farry, Leadership Support at Bask Early Learning Ellen Grove, share what it meant to bring this nature-inspired playscape to life from the ground up
"So watching the children actually curiously wander the way through the yards and actually discover things as they come through has been a really wonderful experience."Giselle Rayward Head of People & Culture, Bask Early Learning
"You go out into regular playgrounds these days and you don't see monkey bars, you don't see swings. The fact that we were able to put monkey bars in our environment that was hidden meant that when children were ready to explore that next phase of their development, it was already built in for that development. Our environment allows children to have that access every single day."Priscilla Farry Leadership Support, Bask Early Learning
"Working with Lukas and his design team, making sure that the vision and values that we have for Bask Early Learning was incorporated into every element was really important. We actually had one family whose child hadn't had access to nature-inspired environments like this before — it moved her to tears, knowing that this was an environment her child was now going to have access to."Giselle Rayward Head of People & Culture, Bask Early Learning
Play elements tucked throughout the yards reveal themselves gradually as children explore, timed to unlock as they become developmentally ready.
Natural sandstone gathering spaces that invite children to come together for group time, storytelling, and shared learning at the heart of the landscape.
A dedicated growing space with vegetable planters and a potting bench, giving children hands-on experience with planting, tending, and harvesting through the seasons.
Timber post-and-beam structures, climbing trellises, and ground covers form the backbone of the space, with the Bask signature colour woven through key elements for a finish that is unmistakably Bask.
A sandpit, babies cubby, and water play splash zone sit within a calm, naturally planted space designed specifically for the youngest children.
A centrepiece structure with stairs, rock climbing grips, hidden monkey bars, a large slide, and a bucket pulley system, offering children multiple ways to challenge themselves and play.
At Bask Early Learning Ellen Grove, we applied the Ecology of Play principles to design a home away from home — a layered landscape of natural materials and hidden discoveries that unfolds a little more each time a child explores it.
Spaces that allow children to simply be, without every moment managed or optimised.
Environments that support independent decision-making, even if choices lead to failure.
Spaces that whisper "what if?" instead of dictating "you must."
Book a discovery call to explore how we can design a bespoke play environment tailored to your community's unique needs.
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