Falling Down the Rabbit Hole of Queenstown

Nikki

January 22, 2023

Table of content

With the luckiest animal in the zodiac hopping our way this spring, 2023 is the year of the Water Rabbit, and many believe that its luck will translate into a year of unexpected opportunities and new possibilities. Even if you don’t believe in the zodiac and find feng shui nonsensical, hearing such predictions does bring some peace to mind.

In fact, associating rabbits with luck is not exclusively a Chinese belief. It is also a widespread Japanese superstition to believe that rabbits live on the moon. Since “moon” and “luck” are both pronounced as “tsuki” in Japanese, many believe the same pronunciation means that rabbits are naturally a good luck charm.

Celtic tribes, on the other hand, believed that because rabbits spent so much time underground, they could communicate with gods and spirits alike. Their proximity to benevolent spirits transformed them from a simple woodland creature to a totem of good luck. That is also the reason why many in the Middle Age muttered talismanic oaths praising the rabbit to invoke good luck.

One such chant is thought to have evolved into an archaic nursery rhyme or a familiar song you may know!

With the many associations with luck, perhaps it would not be a bad time to embrace the serendipitous. In Alice in Wonderland, it was the White Rabbit who led the heroine to an unforgettable journey, the catalyst for her discovery of Wonderland.

In this article, we celebrate the new lunar year of the rabbit by visiting Wonderland (not to be confused with the dystopian Borderland that has been trending on Netflix). While many may remember the protagonist Alice or fan favourite Cheshire Cat better from the series, don’t forget it was the White Rabbit that sparked the chain of events. To honour the year of the rabbit, let’s explore a reimagined Wonderland in the heart of Queenstown and understand the importance of such a Wonderland to the residents. Happy Lunar New Year!

The Wonderland Playground

Wonderland comes alive at Dawson Vista, in the form of a playground. Specially curated by HDB to cater two different age groups (2-5 years old and 6-12 years old), parents with children of different ages will be well ensured of their children’s constant entertainment.

Children take on the perspective of Alice as they explore the whimsical thematic design of the playground, from a clock trampoline inspired by the White Rabbit’s pocket watch to the giant mushroom-like structures reminiscent of the magic food that made Alice grow. The designers have cleverly integrated traditional elements of a playground like the slide and seesaw with familiar characters of Alice in Wonderland to elevate children’s play experience and transport them to Wonderland.

The colourful and interactive design of the playground encourages children to delve into chapters of the story through multiple interpretations, such as shrinking to fit the tiny entrance after drinking a magic potion or cruising down the slide like falling into the rabbit hole Alice did. This thematic playground was built to inspire and spur the boundless imagination of children and engage their cognitive and sensory development.

Purposeful Play

Such immersive playgrounds have become more common in newer estates, aligning with HDB’s plan to upgrade and introduce a new generation of playground to inspire imagination and exploration. There are a few in Queenstown besides The Wonderland Playground, including the neighbouring estate of SkyOasis @ Dawson where the anatomy of a spider underwent metamorphosis for children to be entangled with fun.

Playgrounds in HDB estates have been reinvented over the decades, from the mosaic playgrounds that are easily identified by their animal-like structures in the early 1970s to a community space that incorporates the playground with a fitness corner to encourage multigenerational bonding in more recent times.

To further enhance the experience of the communal space for residents of young and old, HDB ushered a new generation of thematic playgrounds in newer housing projects. The designs are anchored in building a stronger town identity where common facilities take into account the unique characteristics of the town. Perhaps The Wonderland Playground in Queenstown was a homage to the chilling Queen of Hearts.

Beyond that, these playgrounds are also designed to enhance play experience and promote closer bonds between parents and children. Play features on the playgrounds often allow the involvement of adults to encourage parents to play an active role with their children through play. For instance, The Wonderland Playground revolves around a well-loved children’s story which can spark spontaneous conversations about Alice’s journey in Wonderland and how she met the interesting characters propped in different corners of the playground.

“Curiouser and curiouser”

While Alice did mutter “curiouser and curiouser” when she was overwhelmed by the sights of Wonderland, parents need not feel the same at Queenstown. This district is straightforwardly a family-friendly area that not only has common facilities that cater to children of various ages, but also proved to be a convenient location for parents.

Multiple primary and secondary schools are within walking distance of the many estates of Queenstown. And because it is considered a matured area, hawker centres and coffee shops can be seen left and right, saving families the trouble of cooking every day. It is no wonder that the most expensive resale flat was in Queenstown, and was sold for $1.4M last year.