Gage Roads Freo Brewery

What’s better than sitting overlooking the iconic Fremantle port with a delicious golden beverage in hand? Knowing the kids are happily entertained (and safe!) in the playground nearby! Luckily, you can find both at Gage Roads Brewery located at A-Shed Fremantle.  

A popular hospitality venue for locals and tourists alike, the 1,500-capacity brewery opened in 2021 following a significant refurbishment project by our client, Good Drinks Co. Transformed from its previous life as the historic Fremantle Port A-Shed warehouse, Van Ryt Industries were engaged to design, supply and install an epic ‘kid zone’ play space located in the outdoor courtyard.

The brief was to deliver a custom playground design inspired by WA’s iconic coastal lifestyle. It’s hard to miss the main feature – an old 10m recycled Jarrah timber crayfishing boat, which had been converted into a fun and safe play structure. With its Perspex window over the engine bay and hidden treasure chest, to fireman’s pole, climbing walls and tunnels; there’s lots of opportunities for children to engage with and explore the boat.

All play equipment was custom designed to suit the theme and area, including a giant wahoo fish hanging from scales as the climbing wall. A stainless steel ‘fish cleaning table’ (custom sand play table) includes etched game inscribed into it, with hidden features throughout the space to create and engage activity.   

The project wasn’t without its challenges. The allocated ‘kid zone’ is situated directly on top of a steel sheet piling which holds up the wall of the river. This meant we had to ensure the modified crayfishing boat and associated play equipment didn’t impact the underground concrete slabs and services, and still complied with relevant Australian standards.

In addition, we worked closely with the structural engineer to add a large deck off the top level of the boat, which included fabricating a large steel cradle for it to sit on given we weren’t able to excavate deeper footings due to existing infrastructure.

The boat is also over 10m long, which meant transporting it to and from our factory was a logistical challenge. It was also complex trying to fit all the items within the designated play area to ensure the appropriate fall zones still worked. However, as usual, our team were creative in how we modified the design to install an iconic play space that is well loved by parents and the Gage Roads community.

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