"Adventures in Play Space Design" Series

Nature play at Royal Park with Jeff Nelson

Nature Play at Royal Park

(The credit for the Natureplay photo is David Hannah)

Nature play at Royal Park was a partnership between City of Melbourne and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services to re-establish parkland on the former Royal Children’s Hospital site.  It opened in 2015 as a direct response to the community’s vision for the site of spaces for children, welcoming the whole community and celebrating the native character of Royal Park. The seven Wurundjeri seasons of Melbourne were central to the design, informing the structure, planting and play experiences. Nature play offers opportunities for challenging and explorative play and is encouraging children of all ages to reconnect with nature and each other. It has been widely embraced by the community, and has received a number of awards, including the title of Australia’s Best Playground by AILA in 2016.

Jeff Nelson: City of Melbourne

Jeff is a landscape architect with extensive experience in public space and city shaping, and is passionate about spaces that bring people together to connect with place. 

Having worked on a broad range of small and large public realm projects for the City of Melbourne over 20 years, he brings a depth of experience and understanding of what it takes to make public spaces work and adapt to the needs of the community.

Jeff has a particular passion for play space design, embedding early childhood development needs and playfulness into his design approach.

Date: Thursday  26th February 2026

Time: 1:00pm (DST- Sydney, Melbourne & Canberra)

Recommended for Local Government, Play Space designers and manufacturers, risk assessors and interested community members. 

This series will provide a forum for showcasing the work of our members and a vehicle for improving play space design in Australia.