For more than 15 years, Aussie Play has been designing and manufacturing playground equipment that encourages children to climb, balance, explore and grow.
What began as a one-person operation building aluminium products in a small workshop has evolved into one of Australia’s leading suppliers of playground and early learning equipment, with products now found in childcare centres, schools and community spaces across Australia and New Zealand. Founder and director Peter Ingram says the business was born from a hands-on upbringing and an early connection to manufacturing.
“My father had a business supplying the early learning sector many years ago and so I guess being brought up in a manufacturing business paved the way for me to learn how to manufacture,” he explains. “I was always a hands-on child. As a kid we were always outside with Dad building stables or fences or whatever it might have been.”
That practical mindset, combined with an understanding of the early learning sector, led Peter to identify a gap in the market for better playground equipment. Starting with little more than a welder, aluminium tubing and a self-made flyer mailed to childcare centres, Aussie Play quickly gained traction.
“I would cut the aluminium and weld the aluminium, bend it and manufacture it all myself,” Peter says. “Just manufacturing a good quality product meant that more orders came in and so then I had to employ staff and the business kind of grew from there.”
One of the very first products Aussie Play developed was an aluminium trestle designed to replace the heavy steel alternatives commonly used in childcare centres at the time. The advantages of aluminium quickly became clear.
“The range is lightweight, so it’s very easy to move, which is a key element in our product range,” Peter says. “And the fact that it’s aluminium means it just lives outdoors. You don’t put it away and it just never rusts.”
Today, Aussie Play manufactures an extensive range of movable and fixed playground equipment, with every product designed and made locally. From CNC tube lasers and mandrel benders to welding bays and assembly areas, the company controls every stage of the manufacturing process in-house. “When we say Australian made, we literally do every single aspect,” Peter says. “We don’t buy in pieces and just bolt it together. We are true manufacturers.”
That commitment to local manufacturing extends to the company’s long-standing partnership with Capral Aluminium, which has supplied Aussie Play’s aluminium extrusion and sheet for almost the entire life of the business.
“I think essentially the entire time really I’ve been buying my aluminium through Capral,” Peter says. “So yeah, it’s been a long relationship.”
For Aussie Play, sourcing Australian-made aluminium is about more than patriotism. It delivers consistency, speed and reliability, all critical in a fast-moving manufacturing environment.
“One important thing for us is because we manufacture such a high volume of product, batch to batch there could be variations,” he explains. “We found our aluminium through Capral to be really consistent and so it means that when we bend a product, it always goes into the jig the same.”
That consistency is especially important given the complex bending and fabrication required to produce many of Aussie Play’s products. The company works closely with Capral on material specifications and custom tempers to achieve tight bend radiuses while maintaining strength and durability.
The relationship also supports Aussie Play’s ability to deliver products quickly to customers, many of whom are working to strict project deadlines.
“We work in a very fast-paced environment,” he says. “The beauty of Capral is that we can put in an order and we can have that order within two weeks because it’s made in Australia.”
“Had we used a different supplier, then they have to bring it in from overseas and you’re waiting months for that product to come in. So the fast turnaround is really, really important.”
Aussie Play’s products are now used by early learning centres, primary schools and councils nationwide. Yet despite the business’s growth, its focus remains firmly on the developmental value of play.
“Our motto is play, learn, grow,” Peter says. “It’s not just playground equipment. Yes, they’ll play on it and they’ll have fun, but they’re learning and growing while they’re playing.”
He describes the satisfaction of watching children navigate a challenging piece of equipment for the first time, learning resilience, confidence and problem-solving along the way.
“To watch a child play on the equipment and reach a ladder and it’s too high and they don’t know how to go down it, and then to see them thinking about it and processing and changing how they go about it, that’s rewarding,” he says.
The company’s passion for innovation continues to drive its growth. Recent investments in advanced CNC machinery and larger manufacturing facilities have expanded Aussie Play’s ability to create increasingly sophisticated products and bespoke playgrounds tailored to individual customer needs.
At the same time, the business remains deeply committed to Australian manufacturing and the people behind it.
“If we didn’t manufacture our product range here, then our team would probably be 20 per cent of the size that it is,” he says. “By doing it here, we’re supporting so many more people in the economy.”
For Peter, the Australian Made logo still carries the same meaning it did when he was young. “When you saw the Australian Made logo, you associated that with a quality product,” he says. “It’s really rewarding to have our name associated with that recognition of quality.”
As Aussie Play continues to evolve, its purpose remains unchanged, creating durable, Australian-made products that encourage children to get outdoors, challenge themselves and enjoy the simple value of play.
