The Moose Imagination Tree is a world-class interactive space imagined by The Walt Disney Company, built by Moose Toys.
The tree was officially opened by The Hon Martin Foley MP, Victorian Minister for Health on 23 April 2021. The tree has been a labour of love since 2014, creatively imagined and nurtured by The Walt Disney Company and built through the generous support of Moose Toys.
This wonderful space has been created for children and adults alike. Visitors to the tree are encouraged to explore, restore and play through a variety of sensory experiences.
“Monash Children’s Hospital cares for over 100,000 children every year,” said Andrew Stripp, Monash Health Chief Executive. “Children might be with us for an hour and then go home, but others are with us for many months at a time due to chronic illness. The Moose Imagination Tree is remarkable because it caters to all of those patients and their families.”
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support, vision and creative strength of Moose Toys and The Walt Disney Company who have brought The Moose Imagination Tree to life.”
Standing at over 16 metres tall, the Moose Imagination Tree spans four levels of Monash Children’s Hospital and offers up a variety of activities and spaces for visitors to explore, play or relax. This magical and wondrous space has been designed and created to help transform the patient’s hospital experience.
At the centre of the tree is a magical area known as ‘The Knot’ – a special place that invites visitors to place their hand on it and share their deepest dreams and thoughts. These are then carried up into the tree in a dazzling display of sound and stardust. As the sky above the tree moves from day to night, stardust carries what has been imagined up to the sky, until it overflows and is released into the brightest star above.
Each level of the tree has been designed to reflect the ward and unit areas on that level and the age of children in those units.
At the base of the tree on level 2, you can take part in a host of unique activities, climbing grassy hills, following animal tracks in the mud, lounging around the watering hole, playing floor games and listening to the sounds of the wild.
Level 3 is an inviting space filled with a collection of hanging artefacts. Here, you can bang away on drums or dig through an African basket filled with smaller instruments to create lively beats and harmonious melodies.
As you travel upward through the Moose Imagination Tree, you find yourself leaving behind the wild activity of the grasslands and lower canopy, and moving toward more peaceful spaces that promote quieter, deeper connections.
On level 4, there is a relaxing space for friends to congregate, connect and unwind, leaving behind the world they are in, even just for a few moments.
On the very top level, a true retreat, patients and their families can relax on large beanbags that blend in with the surrounding canopy to read favourite books or watch the sky change from day to night, which is when the Imagination Tree becomes alive with the power of possibility.
View a video about the Moose Imagination Tree.
