Mayor encourages injuries to be reported at new Barossa Adventure Station

A local mayor has admitted there have been a number of injuries at a recently-built $2.5m playground in the heart of South Australia’s wine country.

A local mayor has admitted there have been a number of injuries at a new $2.5m playground in the Barossa after a concerned grandmother took to social media.

Local grandmother Teresa Lindgren took to social media to warn others of the dangers, after she said her four-year-old grandson broke his wrist playing on the Barossa Adventure Station.

Ms Lindgren said he fell on the cement blocks section of the playground, into a deep pit and grate and that the area is dangerous.

The bricks and grate Ms Lindgren posted about. Picture: Facebook

Barossa Mayor Bim Lange said there has been a number of injuries at the playground and that he encourages any to be reported to council.

The playground opened in July last year as part of the Barossa Council’s ‘Big’ project and boasts a mountain bike trail, a flying fox, accessible trampolines and skate ramps.

Mr Lange said while there have been a number of minor incidents reported to the council at the playground, the new facilities were thoroughly assessed by auditors before it was opened.

“When it was built safety was rigorously assessed, I appreciate these things can be how kids learn sometimes but we don’t want anyone to get seriously injured,” he said.

“It’s important to remember there is certain play equipment for certain ages, in some cases there have been kids who have gone on certain equipment for a different age group and hurt themselves.

“I’d encourage the family involved in this latest injury to make sure they report it to council, if we identify that there's something that lends itself to injury then we will take steps on that.”

Community reaction to news of the injury was mixed with some social media commenters sympathetic to Ms Lindgren’s experience.

The section of the playground where Ms Lindgren said her grandson fell and broke his wrist. Picture: Facebook

“It’s a playground, things happen, not worth condemning the whole place over, I hope your grandson recovers well but imagine being a kid with no playground, no risks but no fun,” Sarah McDonald wrote.

A local mother Robyn Irving-Howard said that the risks associated with kids being kids will always mean they might break bones.
“Kids break bones sometimes being kids, my daughter rode horses with no issue as a child but then broke her arm on the jungle gym at school,” Ms Irving-Howard wrote.

Another local mother Alinta Neumann said she understood the safety concerns.

“Whilst I agree kids hurt their self wherever, it would be terrible for it to happen on grandparents watch, I love the playground but it would be great if there was more for little little ones,” she wrote.