Jalunbu Splash Park, Port Douglas QLD

The Challenge

Port Douglas, in tropical North Queensland, sits on the doorstep of some of Australia’s most iconic natural landscapes - the Daintree Rainforest, Mossman Gorge and the Great Barrier Reef. Yet despite its extraordinary setting, local families had limited opportunities for safe water play, with stingers and crocodiles making natural waterways unsuitable for children.

Douglas Shire Council set out to change this, transforming a sparse, underutilised area with Jalunbu Park into a vibrant splash park shaped directly by community input. Feedback guided a design that was unmistakably place-based, celebrating the region’s rainforest, reef and river systems through form, materiality and colour.

The vision extended beyond a standard splash pad. The space needed to function as a full day-use destination, with integrated park seating, shade structures and picnic spaces that enabled parents to comfortably supervise children while also offering places to rest, gather and connect. Every element, from street furniture to park shelters, had to echo the surrounding natural environment, strengthening the sense of connection to Country.

Accessibility was essential. The entire site required full DDA compliance, and a mix of large and small shelters was needed to support different types of use: quiet nooks, group gathering spaces and open, flexible areas for families. The result is a welcoming, inclusive public space designed for all ages, inspired by the landscapes that make Port Douglas unique.

Material Requirements

Port Douglas sits in a region impacted by cyclones, heavy rainfall and salt-laden coastal air. This meant every built element needed to be exceptionally resilient. Shade structures had to be cyclone-rated for safety, while park furniture needed to withstand intense UV exposure, humidity and constant corrosion risk. The challenge was to deliver products that were durable, low-maintenance and fully accessible without compromising the cohesive, nature-inspired aesthetic that defined the park’s design vision.

The Solution

GX Outdoors supplied a complete suite of modular park furniture, shade shelters, public BBQs and urban seating that met both the functional requirements and the project’s place-based design intent. Two-post, cyclone-rated Riverside Cantilever shade structures provided strong protection while maintaining open sightlines for parents supervising water play. HYVE table settings and Frontier commercial BBQs with extended tops ensured full wheelchair accessibility and inclusive use across the site.

TimberImage finishes were chosen across the park seating range, giving a warm wood look but with the strength of aluminium, ideal for the coastal environment exposed to salt, humidity and heavy daily use.

Timberimage is a premium wood-look finish on aluminium, created through a five-step advanced sublimation process that delivers a wood-like finish, with the durability, low maintenance and longevity of aluminium. Available in a curated range of timber tones, with the option to develop custom finishes. 

Using GX Outdoors’ semi-customisation capability, the client incorporated a bespoke Melaleuca leaf motif, laser-cut and routed into seat ends and bin enclosures. This subtle detail echoed the local rainforest and reinforced the park’s identity without overwhelming the minimalist design.

The park has transformed from a sparse space into a vibrant community hub. Children can now enjoy safe, year-round water play, while families gather under a range of shade structures and relax on Australian-made park benches. Semi-customised details, inspired by local rainforest and reef landscapes, give the park a unique identity, creating a welcoming, functional, and resilient public space for all. 

Watch the design story for Splash Park below, and hear insights from Landscape Architect and Associate Director of Urbis, Luke Micali.