School playgrounds for Far North Queensland
Getting three quotes for a playground is hard this far north. Of the 13 suppliers holding a Far North Queensland allocation on DET 86552 PQP, only 2 are actually based in the region — the rest quote from Brisbane or New South Wales and add the trip north to your price.
We design, manufacture and install commercial playgrounds to AS 4685, with AS 4422 softfall — and we hand your principal a siting approval pack that's ready to submit rather than a pile of documents to chase.
Fifteen completed departmental projects, with the numbers
If you're building a budget submission, this is the most useful table on the page. The median project came in at $116,700 ex GST.
| School | Cost (ex GST) | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Prospect Creek SS | $25,000 | Nature playground (school-delivered) |
| Jambin SS | $39,000 | Nature playground (school-delivered) |
| Wowan SS | $61,400 | New Kindy–Year 2 playground |
| Taranganba SS | $67,500 | Middle-years playground upgrade |
| Denison SS | $73,200 | Rubber softfall replacement only — no equipment |
| Emerald SS | $76,000 | New upper-school playground |
| Bororen SS | $90,700 | Create early-years playground |
| Mackay North SS | $116,700 | Upgrade junior playground |
| Biloela SS | $180,000 | Replace senior playground |
| Ambrose SS | $190,300 | Upgrade playground (QBuild-delivered) |
| Emu Park SS | $219,000 | Equipment repairs across three playgrounds |
| Thangool SS | $293,000 | Prep–Year 6 playground (PM: GHD) |
| St Lawrence SS | $451,700 | Playground upgrade (QBuild / Play Poles) |
| Homebush SS | $480,900 | Adventure playground + hard shade structure |
| Marian SS | $570,900 | Three playgrounds, Prep–Year 6 (PM: RP Infrastructure) |
All figures ex GST, published by the Department of Education. These are whole-project costs — design, siting approval, demolition and disposal of the old equipment, drainage and landscaping, compliant softfall, shade and certification — not equipment prices. Denison State School is the one to look at: $73,200 for rubber softfall alone, with no equipment in it at all.
If our number looks low, here's why
A quote well under the figures above usually means one of two things: the supplier has priced a narrower scope, or their cost base is genuinely different. Ours is the second — and we'd rather show you the mechanics than leave you guessing.
We're a family business, not a national chain
No head-office overhead, no regional sales structure, no shareholders expecting a margin. The people who quote your playground are the people who build it.
No regional loading
There's a long-standing habit in this industry of quoting mining and regional Queensland higher simply because it's mining and regional Queensland. We don't. A playground in Mareeba is priced on what it costs to build in Mareeba.
One team, no project-management layer
Several of the department's larger projects carry an external project manager or QBuild margin on top of the contractor. We design, manufacture and install with one team, so that layer isn't in our price.
Travel shown, not buried
The department's own user guide tells schools to check that travel and transport costs are stated clearly in a quote. Ours are their own line — you can see exactly what the trip north costs, and it's the real cost.
Ask us for the itemised version and you'll get equipment, surfacing, site works, removal and disposal, certification and mobilisation as separate lines — so you can put our quote beside any other and compare the same things.
You need quotes, not a particular supplier
DET 86552 PQP is not mandatoryfor Queensland state-owned educational facilities. What's required is the minimum number of written quotes for the value of the works:
Up to $10,000
1 written quote
$10,001 – $50,000
2 written quotes
$50,001 – $250,000
3 written quotes
Where most school playgrounds land
$250,001 – $500,000
4 written quotes
Over $500,001
Contact Procurement first
Procurement.BCM@qed.qld.gov.au advises before quotes are requested
One step catches most schools out: Queensland state schools must seek written approval from their Regional Facilities Manager before requesting a quote. Talk to us before that approval goes in and you'll have a realistic number to put in it.
The Siting Approval Pack
The Siting Approval Application asks for documents most schools can't produce on their own. Here's exactly what the form wants, who has to provide each piece, and which ones we hand over completed.
Playground design and specificationsWe supply
Dimensioned 2D layout and 3D concepts, with a full equipment schedule.
Site layout plan with measurementsWe supply
Measured setbacks from adjoining fences and buildings, exactly as section 3 asks for.
Statement of Compliance — DesignWe supply
Signed confirmation the design complies with AS 4685.
Risk assessmentWe supply
Drafted against the department's Making playground equipment safe fact sheet, ready for your Regional Senior Safety Advisor to review.
Statement of Compliance — InstallationWe supply
Issued at handover, confirming the playground was installed per the approved design and AS 4685.
Softfall compliance evidenceWe supply
AS 4422 test data showing HIC ≤ 1000 at the installed critical fall height.
Maintenance and inspection scheduleWe supply
Covers the two detailed inspections per year the department requires post-installation.
OnePortal school facility mapSchool supplies
Only the school can pull this from OnePortal — we'll tell you exactly what to mark on it.
Principal / Officer in Charge certificationSchool supplies
Section 4 signature — yours to sign once the pack is assembled.
Send me the pack
A plain-English walkthrough of the Siting Approval Application, the AS 4685 and AS 4422 evidence your approval needs, the quote thresholds, and the departmental project costs to benchmark your budget against.
We already build in the far north
Wonga Beach State School north of Cairns, Palm Island for the Aboriginal Shire Council, and North West Queensland Indigenous communities — remote sites, freighted and installed.
Where we work in the far north
CairnsGordonvaleInnisfailAtherton TablelandsMareebaMossmanPort DouglasWonga BeachCooktownWeipaThursday IslandCape York communitiesTownsvillePalm Island
What schools ask us
Do we have to use a supplier on DET 86552 PQP?
No. The department states plainly that the arrangement is not mandatory for Queensland state-owned educational facilities. What you do have to satisfy is your minimum quote requirement for the value of the works, plus siting approval and the AS 4685 compliance evidence. We quote against those requirements directly, and we reference the arrangement number on the quote where you ask us to.
Why is your quote lower than the departmental project costs we've seen?
Partly scope: published figures usually include things an equipment quote doesn't — an external project manager or QBuild margin, demolition and disposal, drainage and corrective landscaping, a hard shade structure. We quote the whole delivered scope so you can compare like for like. The rest is our cost base. We're a family-owned business with no head-office overhead and no shareholders taking a margin, and we don't apply the regional loading that gets added to mining and remote Queensland jobs as a matter of habit. A playground in Mareeba is priced on what it costs to build in Mareeba. Ask for the itemised quote and you'll see every line — and where we come in under budget, we'd rather show you what the difference buys than simply hand over a smaller invoice.
Can our P&C buy directly?
Yes. Queensland School Parent and Citizens Associations are explicitly listed among the parties that may use the arrangement, and P&C-funded projects generally have more freedom in how they procure. We supply the fixed-price quotes, specifications and concept images that grant and fundraising applications need.
What do we need before we can request a quote?
Queensland state schools must seek written approval from their Regional Facilities Manager before requesting a quote. It's worth doing that early — it's the step that most often holds a project up. We're happy to talk through scope and rough budget beforehand so your approval request has a realistic number in it.
Who signs off the playground before it can be built?
Siting approval runs through three departmental signatures: your Infrastructure Regional Senior Safety Advisor on the safety approval, the principal or officer in charge certifying the application, and the Infrastructure Advisor granting final approval. The application needs a risk assessment, a facility map, the playground design and specifications, a measured site layout plan and a Statement of Compliance — Design. Our Siting Approval Pack covers the supplier-side documents.
Do you travel to Cape York and the Torres Strait?
Yes. We've delivered at Wonga Beach State School north of Cairns, on Palm Island for the Aboriginal Shire Council, and for North West Queensland Indigenous communities. Remote work is costed openly — mobilisation, freight and accommodation appear as their own lines on the quote rather than being buried in the equipment price.
Can you handle softfall or repairs on their own?
Yes. Softfall replacement and equipment repair are standalone projects in their own right — the department's own examples include $73,200 for a rubber softfall replacement and $219,000 for equipment repairs across three playgrounds. We quote resurfacing to AS 4422 and repair work without requiring you to replace the whole playground.
What about shade?
The department advises budgeting for a hard shade structure where a playground doesn't have shade, and warns that a bigger playground means a bigger structure and a bigger budget. We'd rather raise that with you at concept stage than have it surface as a variation later, so shade is scoped and priced alongside the playground.
Be one of the three quotes
Free 2D and 3D concepts, an itemised fixed-price quote your business manager can take straight to budget, and the compliance documents your siting approval needs.