Playground

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.

Located:

In one of the older estates of Point Cook, just off Point Cook Road. Once you turn onto Newminster Way, you can see the park beckoning you in the distance. At first glance, this appears to be well set up, with an abundance of semi-mature trees which would give you a great game of hide and seek or chasey for the older kids. They don’t call this a trampoline park for no reason either 🙂

Equipment:

• 5 or so ground-based spring trampolines
• swings
• slides
• climbing equipment
• flying fox
• rope climbing
• a few spring- rockers
• bridges to climb, balls to push
• half basketball court, with jumps for scooters and bikes
• soccer field, with goals
• sheltered pergola area
• bins

Jack liked:

climbing the bridge once I helped him navigate the steep stairs. He also liked going from the bridge to the tunnel, and up more stairs. The bridge’s lowest hand rail is quite high, and the bridge itself is at my head height, so I was constantly watching in case he had a fall  and fell through the hole. He enjoyed climbing the curvy slide, rocking in the spring rocker, and attempting his first few jumps on the trampoline. This park will be a great one to return to, especially as his jumping ability gets better! Still a toddler friendly area. The park appeared to have had a new batch of tanbark, so it was soft underfoot.

Location:

Roughly an hour away from home, but well and truly worth the drive! This is a popular destination for families and parties, with so much space to run, equipment to play on and last, but not least, the awesome Diamond Valley Miniature Railway!

Equipment:

• Miniature railway!
• fenced in playground closer to the railway contained spinning poles, rubber mound to climb up, slides, pathways, epic seated flying fox, local sculptures
• Toilets and water
• footy oval
• offlead dog oval further away
• another park over the other side of the oval – slides, swings, spring rocker, climbing equipment, ropes
• bird life! Jack thought the best thing to do was chase them!

Jack liked loved:
the miniature railway!  And what a great experience it is. I think a full circuit took around 15 minutes,, and you travel past many others also enjoying their rides on these miniature trains. Through tunnels, over bridges, past people waving at the crossings – it really is well thought out. And the best bit? A trip costs a whole $3 and kids under 2 are free! Right next to the railway there were a few vans selling food and coffee, and a further 2 minute walk brings you to one epic fenced-in playground. On the day we visited there were also pony rides – I think Jack took awhile to figure out what a pony was – slightly bigger than Benny! The only downside is the struggle to find a car park. Even though there are heaps around, due to the popular nature of the railway and the facilities, it brings in a lot of people to the area on a lovely day.

Froggy!

Big house

Panorama

Crocodile

Mini house

Larger house

BBQ’s and grassy area to run

Doplhin

Seesaw and swings

Knock, knock!

Damn sand!

Location:

Pepperjack Way is located on the way to Saltwater Coast. This park appears to be the same era/similar model to the Flower Pot playground at Alamanda.  Apart from the sand, I’d rate this as being exceptionally toddler friendly, with enough to inspire their imagination to play.

Equipment:

• BBQ’s, bins, open grassed area
• mini house and a larger house
• smaller slide and larger slide
• small steps to access mini house
• peekaboo window on mini house
• climbing ropes to access larger house
• rubber moulded animals – dolphin, crocodile, frog (and i think a jellyfish?)
• 1 octopus shaped spring see saw
• 2 single spring rockers
• 1 x toddler swing, 1 x rubber safety swing

Jack liked:

the rubber shaped animals! At first he was a bit unsure of the crocodile, but once I patted it, all was fine, and he tried to lean in for a hug just like he does with Benny! He cottoned on quite fast as to which animal was which, he loved climbing over all of them, giving them a hug and waving goodbye when it was time to leave. The park is actually set up quite well! The little house is perfect for Jack’s little legs to climb the stairs and navigate the slide. My only dislike is that the park is made of sand – it just gets in everywhere!

The park panorama

Jack’s favourite

The swings

the rockers

Sand sifting equipment

the climbing ropes for the big kids

Toilets

flying fox and oval

bridges to wander over

The off lead dog area at the back

Weird hammock style swings

Location:

Located just over Sayers Road, Forsyth Reserve appeals to everyone! BBQ’s, toilets, large grassed areas with goal posts to kick a footy, plenty of equipment for the older and younger kids and you can even let your puppy stretch their legs in the fenced dog oval, while the kids play.

Equipment:

• wooden steps, leading to a slide with compressed rubber and tanbark around the mound
• 1 x nest swing
• set of swings(1 x toddler, 1 x rubber safety swing)
• 2 x spring rockers
• 1 x sand pit with sifting and pouring toys
• 2 x small hammock style swings
• 2 x excavation diggers in another sandpit
• off lead fenced dog park
• half basketball court (fenced)
• gym equipment
• flying fox
• bridges
• climbing ropes
• Toilet
• drinking fountain
• pretend – road bike path

Jack liked:

climbing up and down the steps!Every time I took him away from it, he’s wander back over  to once again, go up and down. He wasn’t interested in the slide at the top though! Jack also had a play in the sand sifting area.