Project Profile
Mermaid Waters Tavern
More Room for Play
Hospitality playspaces have an important job to do: deliver high engagement, increase dwell time and offer broad age appeal — all within a constrained, often tight footprint.
At Mermaid Waters Hotel, flexible design allowed the original custom structure developed by Third Place Design to be extended, increasing capacity and enriching the play experience whilst still maintaining original design intent.
Details
Location: Mermaid Waters, QLD
Opened: December 2025
Project Partners:
- Cayas + Ward, ALH Group – Client
- Third Place Design – Playspace Design Specialist
- PARX – Equipment Fabrication and Professional Installation
Project Budget: $300,000
Project Overview
Third Place Design collaborated with the team at Cayas + Ward to deliver a custom playspace as part of the first stage of renovations transforming the former Lonestar Tavern into the Mermaid Waters Hotel, completed in December 2024. The original structure was designed to support younger children while aligning with the updated venue architecture and interiors, quickly became popular with local families.
As the hotel settled into operation, demand on the playspace increased. The level of use and the range of ages engaging with the space began to exceed what it was originally designed to accommodate. Rather than replacing what was already working, a second play system was developed to sit directly behind the original structure. This addition significantly expanded the play experience while maintaining the existing footprint and integrating seamlessly with the surrounding architecture.
To minimise disruption to operations, the additional structure was fabricated in two sections off-site and craned into position over the building, allowing installation to be completed with precision and minimal impact to trading.
Design Process
The brief for the second stage of this project was defined by constraint and opportunity in equal measure. Rather than treating the original structure as a fixed asset, the Third Place Design team approached it as a base layer from which to build. The solution needed to work with what was already performing well, not override it.
The Play Box was developed as a vertical extension behind the existing structure. A stacked modular system, it increases playable volume without expanding the footprint of the original space. Two interconnected “L” shaped forms create a continuous loop of movement, allowing the experience to shift between climbing, crawling, sliding, observing and social interaction.
Access points were reconfigured and new connections introduced between the original structure and the expansion, allowing both stages to function as a single integrated play system rather than separate elements.
Within the structure, spaces were deliberately varied in scale and intensity from active circulation routes to quieter elevated areas for pause and social interaction. This balance allows the space to support a wider range of ages and play styles without separation or segmentation.
The Finished Space
The result is a play environment that feels embedded within the space, attractive to kids and families without undermining the elevated beach vibe and outdoor bistro. At ground level, younger children move through crawl tunnels, explore sensory panels and find quiet places to rest and recharge. Higher up, the eight-to-fifteen age group — children who so often age out of traditional playgrounds — find their place in elevated hangouts suspended 2.37 metres in the air, perfect for lounging and connecting with peers.
The transition between levels is continuous, with movement flowing through climbing routes, internal passageways and vertical connections that link the entire structure into one cohesive experience. From above and within, the structure remains visually open, allowing clear sightlines for parents, carers and families dining nearby.
With premium 2pac epoxy paint finishes, open weave nets and provision for active adult supervision (grown-ups can play too!) the PlayBox also allows for effective operational cleaning and safety checks.
The expanded system now accommodates approximately 40 users at a time, significantly increasing the capacity of the original playspace without expanding its footprint. It now better supports family use of the venue, extending dwell time and overall activity at Mermaid Waters Hotel.
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