A new standard for children's space nets

Space nets are common and popular items of equipment within most large Australian playgrounds. They are play structures created from a 3-dimensional web of ropes. They encourage children to negotiate their way through the web or climb up as high as they dare, mostly to the highest point. They expose children to spatial awareness and perceived risk taken through climbing. The highest space net installed in Australia is 10m in height and is installed at the new playground at Darling Harbour, Sydney. On this structure the design is such that a child can never fall more than 2.5m. If they do fall, their fall is attenuated by a layer of bark mulch that is more than 400 mm thick. The child's perception is that they have bravely climbed to a height of 10m up a non-rigid structure with seemly nothing below them should they fall.