Eight-year-old Kayne Lawton, who has autism, was intrigued and engaged when he came face to face with twisting columns of coloured bubbles on Monday.
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And that's just the reaction the designers of Ricky Stuart House were hoping for.
Kayne was having a VIP preview of the sensory room at the state-of-the-art respite centre which will be officially opened on Tuesday.
In one corner of the room, he found the key piece of the equipment – the visually spectacular bubble machine where bubbles rise up inside a water-filled column and continually change colour.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, children like Kayne will find a temporary home away from home at the centre, and their parents and siblings will have time to recharge.
Ricky Stuart House will be a special place in Canberra because parents will not need to feel guilty when they drop off their child with a disability, according to Kaylie Stuart.
The Stuarts' 18-year old daughter Emma has autism.
Camilla Rowland, CEO of Marymead which will manage the centre, said it was important for parents of children with a disability to have time out to manage their own health.
"The ability to have some time out from the day-to-day care, on an occasional basis or even on a regular basis, is what gives them the energy to keep going," she said.
"It's a whole of family outcome ... it's a bit of a respite for the children from their families, as well, for some children.
"It enables that young person who is coming to stay with us to mix with other young people and to be engaged in other activities they mightn't otherwise be engaged with."
Kayne goes to Kese House at Kaleen during the day, every second weekend and his mother, Beth Lawton of Bruce, said she would struggle without respite care.
"Kayne really enjoys it, he loves playing in the pit and jumping on the trampoline," she said.
"It's just nice to know he's somewhere safe and in a friendly environment and it's great for his socialisation and independence.
"It would be a struggle to not have a break."
Ricky Stuart House was established by the Ricky Stuart Foundation, with generous financial assistance from the ACT government.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who will attend Tuesday's opening, said the government made a commitment in 2012 to improve the territory's respite facilities.
"With the opening of the new Ricky Stuart House children's respite centre, I'm pleased to say that we have delivered on that promise," he said.
"My government is committed to ensuring that children with disabilities and their families have access to the best possible care and support.
"The new respite facility will provide that care and offer their families and carers the opportunity to take a well-earned break.
"I'd like to thank Ricky Stuart and the foundation for all their hard work.
"This project is a great example of government, business and community working together to deliver an important project for the Canberra community."
Ricky Stuart House in Chifley will open in mid-March, catering to children aged six to 12 who have autism and other disabilities.
The ACT government allocated a prime site adjacent to the old primary school and contributed $1.2 million for the construction of the centre.
The government and the foundation are partnering to build another respite centre on the north side, to cater specifically for teenagers.
Foundation director John Mackay said Mr Stuart's dream for a respite centre for Canberra children was made possible by the generosity of sponsors, project managers and architects.
Mr Mackay said the centre would be the best of its type in Australia.
"It's basically like a kids' motel but you've got specialist carers here all the time," he said.
