Located:

in Altona Meadows, this park has been on my list to visit for awhile. It was updated late last year, and there are still works in progress – toilets aren’t far off being finished. The park is quite sizeable, and appeals to kids of all ages. The equipment is modern, the dual flying foxes look like great fun, and the addition of the water play creek looks great for the warmer months. Jack however, still thought it was great to play in the middle of winter!

Equipment:

• water play creek, with pump
• double flying fox
• swings
• slide
• fishing play – fish scales, fishing rod (that appeared broken at the time), 2 steering wheels
• spinning carousel
• gyro swing
• little play house
• BBQ, shelter, toilets (opening soon)
• landscaped gardens, with pathways
• next to the off-lead dog park and several ovals

Jack liked:

the water play area. Although he wasn’t strong enough to pump the pump, he liked splashing in the remnants of the puddles. He was happy to have a play and wander the paths and bridges throughout the park, Much to my disappointment,  he didn’t want to have a go on the flying foxes. He did like the big chair, with the view of the city skyline, but think it was more the novelty of climbing into it, rather than the view!

It’s how big, Jack???

Da plane, da plane!!!

Yesssss????

Lesson learnt – always pack gumboots and a complete set of clothes! I packed a towel to wipe down the slide, and found out the hard way that a slide that ‘looks dry’ actually isn’t! Hello wet mum bum!

A video posted by shelleymorgan (@shelleymorgan85) on Jun 18, 2016 at 8:11pm PDT

Located:

In Williams Landing, I had seen this park written about in several blogs and knew we needed to visit to check it out. Aptly nicknamed the Control Tower park, it’s easy to spot all the aviation references. Climbing the tower, the view to below is great! We had the park to ourselves on a Sunday morning, and it’s a great park to have close by!

Equipment:

• multiple slides out of the control tower. 1 larger enclosed slide and 2 joined smaller slides
• ropes to climb up to the first level of the tower. Stairs that climb to both levels
• a smaller piece of equipment, with sand sifting play, ropes, smaller slide, ramps
• rope bridge
• balance beams and rubber spots to walk along
• 2 spring rockers
• totem spinning pole
• rope climbing equipment (activity net)
• 2 sand diggers
• bbq & sheltered cover with seating
• grassed area to run around
• basketball court
• 2 swings – 1 with infant buckle. I did find the swings exceptionally high. The big kids swing actually sat at between my hip and waist in height and was cumbersome for me to get on.

Jack liked:

climbing the stairs to the tower! He wasn’t interested in going down the taller, enclosed slide, but he did go down the smaller slides. Jack found a great puddle to splash in – unfortunately that ended our playing adventure as he ended up having wet and sandy clothes and shoes.  Jack’s a bit of a texture kid so he tried to go from one of the rubber stepping stones to the next, but they were too far apart for his little steps.  This park has a bit for everyone – the smaller kids starting out can have great fun, while the bigger kids can enjoy the thrill of the larger slides and climbing equipment.

Springy rocker

The steps

The extensive ramps

Loch Ness Monster

Speaking tube and the rubber matting

The basic slide

The adjoining oval

Jack, meet froggy!

Aqq, pats for froggy

The spinning contraption – I hate spinning!

Jack on the swing

Look Mum! A plane!

Look Mum! The bus!

Located:

About 20 minute drive away from home, but close to the freeway, this playground came highly recommended for Jack’s age group. I’d made a visit a few weeks before, but my excitement didn’t match Jacks, as when I arrived, I turned around to find him well and truly passed out. No amount of car doors banging changed the  fact that he was asleep. So this time, I headed out after his nap. Although getting close to the start of winter, we somehow managed to grab the last of the autumn sunshine, which thankfully still had some warmth in it. This park is fenced off from the main roads, the buses run along Brunel Street, and the freight trains rumble along the freight line (and scared the you-know-what out of Jack!).  The day that we went, the planes were also flying low and frequently overhead.

Equipment:

• rambling pathways and ramps made from timber – stairs, inclines, moving bridges
• climbing walls
• slide
• 2 sets of swings – infant and child suitable
• spring rockers
• Loch Ness monster sculpture to climb on
• Frogs and rubber mounds to climb on
• stepping stones through the garden to navigate
• spinning contraption
• sandpit and digger
• water fountain for drinking
• adjoining footy oval to run and kick a ball
• rubber mat flooring and tanbark based

Jack liked:
watching the buses and the planes go past. He was more than happy to wander along the ramps, up and down the stairs, but showed no interest in going down the slide. Except for when he wanted to climb it from the bottom up. He had a play in the sandpit, and crawled  on top of the froggy. The rubber matting would be great for the kids that aren’t quite walking – it was quite bouncy under foot, and was a welcome break from the parks that have tanbark as their base. Overall a great park that kept Jack and his friends entertained on a beautiful autumn day.