Swanview Walk Playground, Point Cook

Location:

I came across this park when I used to walk Benny along the wetlands bikepaths, from home all the way to Hacketts Road and back again. I don’t think I would’ve found it otherwise, as it is a little off the beaten track.  The park hasn’t got a lot of equipment suitable for toddlers, but Jack still had a ball, and it showed off his daredevil side!

Equipment:

  • Big slide
  • lots of climbing apparatus for the big kids
  • round circling turntable
  • 2 x swings
  • 1 spring see saw
  • bike track/ walking paths lead on to several other parks, close by
  • wetlands opposite the park

Jack liked:

the rubber mounds built for the scooters to jump over! He thought they were the best toddler ‘hills’ ever! The only concern was Jack tumbling down the other side once he got momentum up!

Saltwater Reserve Playground, Point Cook

Location:

This park sits within the Saltwater Reserve – the area is a huge complex of sporting ovals and also has Point Cook’s only off-lead (fenced) dog park. There is heaps of space to run, play and also plenty of parking.  The surface is made of both tanbark and rubber- compound (under the swings and the slides are built on mounds of it). There isn’t a huge amount of shade at this point in time.

Equipment:

  • a plethora of swings (2 x normal, 2 x toddler harnessed, 1 x bear swing with exceptional seat belt harness – I would assume that this is for even younger bubs)
  • a few different slides
  • climbing ropes
  • nest swing
  • see-saw for 2
  • weird see-saw spring-loaded chairs (3 different types)
  • seated playground spinner
  • BBQ’s and drinking fountain

Jack liked:

the unusual teddy bear shaped swing. He made a bee-line straight for it so I’m assuming it’s either the shape or the colour that drew him in.  He was also happy trying to climb up the rubber mounds – although largely unsuccessful at getting to the top. He may have to wait for his little legs to grow more! I was actually amazed he didn’t make a run for the dog park as dogs generally get his attention quite fast. This park looks a little lacklustre, but there was more than enough to keep Jack occupied.

Spencer Street Playground, Point Cook

Location:

The playground is located just past the Saltwater Reserve sports grounds, on Spencer Street, which is in the Paragon Estate. The park is only small, but has the bare basics to entertain the kids and let them run off some energy.  The area is well fenced and appears to have connecting bike paths to both the local area and around the wetlands.

Equipment:

  • see saw
  • interactive house
  • swings (1 with baby harness, 1 x normal)
  • table
  • Other end of the park has some climbing apparatus and a nest swing. (suited to older kids)

Jack liked:

Watching the planes circling above and he also enjoyed playing in the house.  The house had steps and seats that Jack tried to climb up and doors to walk through. There were also multiple blocks in the garden, that Jack liked to run up to and sit on. One of the older kids that were at the park later on seemed to enjoy walking along the pathway of these blocks.

Emerald Lake Park

Location:

Just a bit over an hour away, this park has it all! Ducks, water pedal bikes, BBQ’s, heaps of walking tracks, playground equipment, oh, and Puffing Billy! During the summer months there is even a lifeguard patrolled wading pool.

Equipment:

  • the lake, plenty of bird life, and there are always people fishing here as well. Also the water pedal boats are a bit of fun too.
  • there’s several play zones
  • walking tracks around the lake, to Puffing Billy and the kiosk
  • Plenty of shade for the hotter days

Jack liked:

the ducks! He is always happy to point and exclaim loudly whenever he’s around the ducks. The day we visited was boiling hot, and I think Jack wasn’t quite walking, so we didn’t stay for a play on the equipment. There’s heaps of shaded areas though and extremely family friendly. We  saw Puffing Billy but didn’t go on it – figured we’d wait for Jack to be a little older and appreciate it more. He wasn’t a fan of the noise from the train though.

Millpond Drive Playground, Point Cook

Location:

Located on Millpond Drive, this playground is found in Featherbrook estate, which is the next estate over from home. The playground has heaps of open space for the bigger kids to play and run. It does back onto the Featherbrook Wetlands, which is handy to watch the wildlife that exist down in the wetlands. As the wetlands aren’t fenced off, you do have to make sure that the kids don’t enter the water.  You  can ride to the park, as there are paths that stretch for several km’s and also visit several other parks along the way. The playground itself, feels quite sheltered. It is naturally protected by the trees that were mass planted around the outskirts.  The picnic facilities are also undercover.

Equipment:

  • 2 slides, one large, one smaller
  • plenty of balance/ climbing apparatus
  • climbing walls with foot and hand holes
  • flying fox
  • monkey bars
  • steering wheel
  • swings – 1 x infant harness, 1 x normal
  • Spinning roundabout

Jack liked:

spinning on the thing that went around (I tried to find a glossary of terms to define what each piece of equipment should be called), but you can see what it is in the pictures and video above. He also liked climbing up the stairs and  running around the playground.

Windorah Drive Playground, Point Cook

Location:

Located on Windorah Drive & Cloudy Crescent, this is also one of the closer parks to home. Unfortunately this is not a park that Jack and I will be returning to until he is tall enough to climb, and I’m happy enough to leave him without worrying about him falling through the gaps. Definitely not a toddler friendly park.  There’s plenty of seating around to sit and watch.

Equipment:

  • definitely a big kids park
  • 1 slide
  • lots of climbing equipment (generally starting around Jack’s shoulder height)
  • tanbark throughout the park
  • the composition of the equipment is odd – heavy, metal, solid pieces. The curved piece that has holes in it (under the tower for the slide) is made of metal. There appears to be either pieces of the park that have been missing or have been damaged, and haven’t been replaced.
  • bike/ walking pathways throughout the park

Jack liked:

throwing the tanbark! He did attempt climbing up the slide, but he even gave up on that when he realised just how far he had to go!

Middle Park Community Playground, Albert Park Lake

Location:

We headed to Albert Park Lake to check out this playground, as Dad had to venture into his work. The  signs and barricades were still up form the Grand Prix. The playground is actually located in Middle Park, and there are heaps of parking around too.  It’s accessible from the tram/light rail as well.

Equipment:

  • extensive wooden playground
  • 2 sets of swings, each with a baby harnessed swing, a toddler chain swing, and 2 x big kids swing
  • multiple slides, 1 into a sandpit section
  • multiple viewing platforms
  • different balance platforms (balance beams, vinyl bouncy ramp)
  • tyre sections to climb through
  • BBQ’s, park benches and toilets
  • all protected by shadecloth
  • most of the park, is tanbark, with rubber matting under the swings

Jack liked:

the Thomas face painted on the entrance wall to the playground. The steps were easy enough to climb up, but several sections, we had to carry him to climb back down. The tyres, although fun with me, were interesting to crawl over with Jack also in my lap.  The vinyl bouncy ramp, Jack enjoyed as well. He also loved swinging on the swings with the other kids. Overall a great park to visit that’s extremely popular with kids of all ages. There was definitely enough for the mini kids to do, and the playground lends itself to being an epic area to play tag!

Flower Pot Park, Point Cook

Location:

This is the closest park to walk to from home for us, located just off Malibu Boulevard. You will see the extensive undercover BBQ section, and the oval that is right next to the park. It was originally marketed as a community herb garden when we originally moved in, hence why there are fruit trees and other bits and pieces growing in the near vicinity. The park is also close to the little traffic school in case your little ones wanted to go for a ride around there as well.  Very popular for large gatherings and birthday parties.

Equipment:

  • sandpit, with permanent toys
  • 2 slides
  • 1 swing (adult required to help with this one)
  • lots of ‘pots’ and ‘garden hoses’ to wander around, crawl through, climb on
  • ‘House’with ropes to climb, poles to slide down, lower level to climb through the doors
  • musical penguins
  • mostly tanbark

Jack liked:

the musical penguins – you pull the handle back and it slams into the penguins, each generating their own unique sound. Also fun was climbing up on the bench besides the penguins. Jack would venture into the sandpit, but every time he fell over, he had to walk over to me to get his hands dusted off. This park is a little abstract, yet seems to be very popular with the kiddies. Oh, and if the parents get bored, they can bring their chess pieces and play a game on the picnic tables, as the boards are set in the table top.