Turtle-themed playground opens at Kawana Shoppingworld

Kawana Shoppingworld has officially opened a vibrant, new turtle-themed playground featuring a mural created in collaboration with local Indigenous artist Sheri Skele, designed to engage local families and raise essential awareness about the Sunshine Coast's unique marine life and its endangered turtle populations. The community attraction, which combines fun with a crucial environmental message, was unveiled at a special community celebration on Saturday (25 October).

The shopping centre, owned by Mirvac, is located close to one of the region’s most significant turtle nesting sites. Each year, hundreds of endangered loggerhead and green turtles return to nearby beaches to lay their eggs, resulting in thousands of hatchlings making the precarious journey, across local beaches, to the ocean.

Kawana Shoppingworld Centre Manager, Michelle Lucadou-Wells, expressed her enthusiasm, stating, "We're incredibly excited to bring this beautiful new playground to our families, but what makes this project truly special is its connection to our local natural environment". The playground aims to connect children with this remarkable natural event, using engaging murals and educational displays to highlight the challenges turtles face.

The new community space encourages simple actions the public can take to help protect the ancient mariners, such as switching off lights during nesting season, keeping beaches clean, and preserving sand dunes.

A standout feature is the collaboration with local Indigenous artist Sheri Skele, whose vibrant murals tell the story of Bullumby, a loggerhead turtle. Bullumby's name means "beautiful one" in the Kabi Kabi language, and her real-life migration spans over 2,200 kilometers from Papua New Guinea to Buddina Beach, where she nests every few years. In 2022 alone, Bullumby laid over 500 eggs across four nests.

The project was brought to life through close collaboration with the Sunshine Coast Council’s TurtleCare team. The Council celebrated TurtleCare's 20th anniversary this year, marking two decades of dedicated effort to protect nesting marine turtles and their hatchlings. The Council’s expert guidance ensures the playground's educational focus aligns with broader conservation goals for the region's turtle populations.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli noted the importance of the park in the UNESCO-designated Biosphere, stating, "When children play in this park, they will be having fun but also gaining an appreciation of unique marine life on the Sunshine Coast".

The playground is part of a broader commitment to environmental stewardship, including recent upgrades to the centre's lighting to prevent hatchling disorientation, a common threat where artificial lights can lead young turtles away from the ocean.

Located in the casual dining precinct, the playground is expected to become a vibrant, inviting atmosphere for families. It reflects a growing trend for retail spaces to evolve beyond mere shopping, creating places where families can connect, learn, and contribute to the wellbeing of their local environment.