Month: December 2016

Lake Weeroona Park, Bendigo

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Located:

5 minutes drive from Bendigo’s city centre, is this fully enclosed playground. It sits beside Lake Weeroona and offers views of the lake and the birdlife. Parking is relatively easy, and despite the drizzly conditions we encountered, was still a popular place to visit. Most of the slides were enclosed, which meant no wet bums! This playground is similar to Ballarats park at Lake Wendouree – timber construction, with multiple levels.

Equipment:

  • fully enclosed playground, mostly on rubber surface
  • swings (2 sets)
  • multiple levels on the wooden playground
    • ramps, steps, ladders,
    • 2 enclosed slides (blue & red)
    • 1 open slide (orange)
    • multiple tunnels underneath the playground
    • sandpit
    • fireman pole
    • monkey bars

Jack liked:

pushing mum down the slides, and playing in the  tunnels underneath the playground. This playground is cleverly designed, as it can still be utilised in the rain. The ladders to get to the higher levels are designed with little kids legs in mind and Jack didn’t struggle to get up! Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area and especially great for toddlers!

Cooinda Park, Kangaroo Flat

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Located:

The family visited a few parks when we were in Bendigo for the afternoon. A quick google search highlighted this park as a place to visit. Little did I know that this park suffered a similar fate to our beloved Pirate Ship Park in Point Cook. The park was severely crippled by an arson attack, destroying the slides and equipment. However community rallied and the park was not only built again, but the playground equipment was updated.

This park is most definitely known for it’s slides. There were also several pieces of playground equipment that I had not seen before. There were a few BBQ’s and tables set out in the reserve, and toilets as well.

Equipment:

  • 4 lane slides, set into the hillside
  • 2 swings, 1 with toddler seat
  • nest swing
  • spring see saw
  • swing on a metal track, similar to a flying fox
  • rotating net
  • climbing hexagon with rockwall holdings
  • large rope structure
    • net climbing
    • chain link climbing path
    • hanging ladder/monkey bars
    • standing spinner
  • playing structure
    • spider web climber
    • 2 small slides
    • stairs
    • fireman pole
    • balance disc walk

Jack liked:

having a ride on the spring see saw. The good part with the see saw being on a spring, is that he can move up and down, without having another rider. He was also able to easily hold on to the swing that was hung on the pole and enjoyed a few goes on that. He finally headed up the hill in an attempt to go down the slide. What I hadn’t accounted for was that it had been raining on and off all day, and the slide was fairly wet. The plan was to grab jack before he got to the flat part at the bottom, but when he made his way down, he literally flew down, and knocked me over at the bottom! Overall, worth a trip if you are in the area!

Box Hill Miniature Railway & Playground

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Located:
on the corner of Belmore Road and Elgar Road in Box Hill. Box Hill Miniature Railway have a public open day once per month (details on their website) and it happened to fall on Jack’s 2nd birthday. Jack loved Diamond Valley, and was equally happy with the train ride from Altona Miniature Railway – so I thought what better way to spend his birthday morning?  What I hadn’t bargained for was the start of a fairly hot day! First thing in the morning, this place is packed, although the line for the trip on the train did move. After 11:30 the lines were a lot smaller and you could basically walk right on without waiting. The added bonus to Box Hill Miniature Railway is the addition of the themed playground right next door!

Equipment:
I didn’t get a huge amount of photos as the day we visited there were obviously numerous birthday party’s and there were kids running about everywhere! The playground next to the Box Hill Miniature Railway, kept with the train station theme, which I thought was very cute.

  • 2 train -themed structures
    • smaller structure, was lower to the ground
      • steering wheel
      • tunnel to crawl through
      • platform to stand on inside the train
    • larger stucture
      • ladders to climb up
      • slide
      • monkey bars
      • rope net ladder
      • balance disc walk
    • Train platform with timber platform, and painted tracks on the ground. You can see the actual miniature railway trains go past on the tracks.
    • swings, including toddler harness, and a nest swing

Jack liked loved:
having a ride on the miniature trains! He raced for the playground, but as we had the grandparents waiting for us, we didn’t get much time in the playground – long enough for Jack to explore the smaller structure, and go for a ride on the swing. For $3 a ride, I think that it’s great value! Jack was lucky enough to have several rides on his birthday!

The playground is extremely popular for birthday parties, and parking is at a premium, so expect to park a few streets away when the railway has an open day.

Regatta Beach, Sanctuary Lakes

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Located:

In Sanctuary Lakes, at the furthest point, as Sanctuary Lakes Boulevard North turns into Sanctuary Lakes East Boulevard and North Shore Drive. You can see the peaks of the shade sails before you see the actual playground. This playground opened earlier this week, and there is still a bit of landscaping work to be completed. Jack and I visited on Boxing day, and there was a bit of water underfoot around the equipment. The water play was not in use yet, as were the water drinking  fountains and BBQ area. It’s great that the team who designed this, actually thought to include the shade sails to create some cooler play areas. Although warm this morning, the cool breeze off the water made for a pleasant trip to have a play. The area is both tanbark and soft rubber, which is great underfoot.

Equipment:

  • half court basketball
  • beach volleyball net
  • water play with sand digger
  • 2 swings, one with toddler harness
  • nest swing
  • extensive rope climbing area, suited for primary school aged kids
  • slide
  • spinner bowl
  • BBQ area, with tables and seating

Jack liked:

Watching the kayaks on the water, and although the park is called Regatta Beach, I didn’t even think to bring the bucket and spade to play in the sand! To be honest, this play area is more suited for older kids, who love to climb. There isn’t a lot to do for someone Jack’s age yet. I imagine that when the water play is up and running, he would have fun in that area. He was happy to have a go on the swing and the spinner bowl. He also liked that there was excess water around the digger, so he thought that that was hilarious to move around, although he is still not big enough to use and move the digger by himself.

Pipeline Reserve, Seabrook

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Located:

Every time I drive along Point Cook Road I see this playground, and remind myself that I need to take Jack to this one! One sunny evening, I finally ventured down for a play! Parking is relatively easy, as you need to enter the service lane, off Point Cook Road. The reserve is located close to the Seabrook Primary School. There is a walking path along the reserve, and large grassy areas. There is seating next to the playground, and there are some trees around that offer limited shade.

Equipment:

  • 2 swings, including toddler harness
  • spring see saw
  • suspending see saw
  • spring rocker (bike)
  • balance beam
  • 2 areas of equipment
    • suited for older kids
      • monkey bars, flying fox
      • chain walk bridge
      • taller slide
      • fireman pole
      • different climbing equipment – chain ladder, circular ladder
    • suited for younger kids
      • 2 slides
      • suspension bridge
      • stairs
      • curved climbing ladders
      • door and window underneath

Jack liked:

The swing and having a go on the see-saw with Dad. He thought getting airborne on the see saw was hilarious. He tried to work out the chain bridge, but thought the aim of the game was to step over the chain, not on top of it. The steps at least, allowed easy access to the bridge and the slides in the smaller area. He struggled with getting up and onto the larger area. He was not interested in leaving the park and was happy playing pretend house.