SA’s playgrounds, like you’ve never seen them before: The suburban playgrounds that have had a facelift in 2016
LOOKING for a fun new playground in Adelaide to take the kids these school holidays? In 2016, suburban councils spent up big revamping local play spaces. Here are some we reckon are worth a visit.
- Adelaide — the city of million-dollar playgrounds?
- State’s ‘best’ playground about to get better?
- The nature playground that’s right next to one of Adelaide’s biggest shopping centres
BE they big or small, traditional or hi-tech, suburban councils spent big in 2016 on playgrounds, in an attempt to lure families into the great outdoors.
Here we take a look at some of the best revamped spots across the Adelaide region.
Tell us below about your family’s favourite play spaces.
Blackwood Hill Reserve: The Blackwood park had a $35,000 upgrade including a slide, climbing poles, noughts and crosses panel, fireman’s pole, swings and bumblebee twin rocker.
Civic Park, Modbury: A new $670,000 playground was completed this month. It has three play zones, a three-storey tower, climbing frame, large rope swing and sound and music elements built-in to the play equipment. Opposite Tea Tree Plaza and nestled in the district’s premier park, there’s also plenty of shade to keep cool.
Cobbler Creek, Salisbury Heights: Flying foxes and tree houses make-up the $1 million playground recently built at Cobbler Creek Recreation Park. There’s tyre swings and slides as well as picnic tables, barbecue and a toilet nearby.
Edwardstown Oval: The reserve at the corner of East Tce and Wood St, South Plympton received a $343,000 overhaul. It includes snakes and ladders-themed playground including three-metre snake sculpture, log balance beams, swings, a maze made from railway sleepers, sandpit,
slide, and sports courts for netball, basketball and soccer.
Falcon Ave Reserve, Mile End
Bring the snags and sauce to this community reserve — and don’t forget your sunscreen as shade is minimal. West Torrens Council spent $270,000 on the reserve which includes a barbecue, lawn, a track that perfect for kids’ bikes and a small playground (swings and climbing equipment). Unfortunately the park was twice targeted by thieves shortly after it opened. They stole more than $10,000 worth of trees, contributing to the shade issue.
Glenelg foreshore: A $981,768 playground which opened next to the Glenelg Town Hall included climbing walls and nets, tunnels, sand and water play, a climbing structure, trampolines, hide and seek pods and a carousel.
Jervois Street Reserve, South Plympton : The $940,000 South Plympton reserve includes courts for 3-on-3 basketball and netball, flying fox, fitness equipment, bike track, water and sand play area, climbing frame, wooden caterpillar, slides, basket swing, acoustic drums and a walking path.
Jubilee Park: Onkaparinga Council put the final touches on its new $230,000 playground, which has disabled toilets and wheelchair access, at Jubilee Park in November.
The playground is next to the Port Noarlunga adventure playground and has a basket swing, wheelchair-friendly carousel, speaking tubes at wheelchair height where sound travels from one end to the other, a climbing net and water play elements.
Katherine Street Reserve, Fullarton: Trampolines, slides, nature play area, sand pits, swings and boardwalks - this playground which opened in November is already proving popular with families. While there are no toilets or barbecue, there’s plenty of shade if you wanted to spend an hour or two there.
Kegworth Reserve, Melrose Park: Mitcham Council spent $81,000 on the Stephen St, Melrose Park reserve. It has slides, monkey bars, climbing net, activity panels, scramble net, swings, seesaw, spinner and 3m-high net climber.
Lowie’s Loop, Paralowie: The 1km Lowie’s Loop was designed by Salisbury Council and SA Health’s OPAL Program to connect children with nature. It features duck footprints around the housing estate that children can follow, a cubby house-style playground and sheltered barbecue. The park is at the Boardwalk at Greentree housing estate off Walpole Rd, Paralowie.
MacKinnon Parade/ Park 9, North Adelaide: There’s a small fruit orchard at this playground, allowing children to learn about food production. There’s handball courts, a basketball court and a petanque piste. There’s also some cool stuff to climb on. Adelaide City Council spent about $650,000 upgrading the playground.
Mortlock Park, Colonel Light Gardens: The Sturt Ave, Colonel Light Gardens park had a $43,000 revamp. It has a basket swing, arched net climber, balance walkers, stepping pads, chin-up bars, commando climber, leap frog, parallel bars, rollover bars, vertical rope climber and clear wall rock climber.
Parkour Course, Hackham West: The $50,000 parkour course at Hackham West, which was funded by a Community Benefit SA grant and Parkour SA, opened in May. The Warsaw Reserve park includes boulders, concrete culverts, scaffolding and vertical stumps. Parkour is a sport where participants move quickly through an area while negotiating obstacles.
Pipkin Park, Elizabeth East: A $110,000 playground featuring unconventional play equipment including a man-made mountain with a rope and net, and a frame tunnel that children can climb through or over has been built at a new nature-play park in Elizabeth East. The Pipkin Park Nature Play Space opened in October and was designed in consultation with Elizabeth East Primary students and their families, a local occupational therapist and Canadian nature play consultant Adam Bienenstock.
Ramsey Place, Noarlunga: A $210,000 nature playground at the heart of Noarlunga Centre was opened in October. The Great Garden at Ramsay Place includes slides, jungle ropes, water features and musical instruments.
It is the first stage in the council’s $1.3 million plan to breathe new life into the space between its offices, Colonnades Shopping Centre, Hopgood Theatre and Noarlunga TAFE.
Sandison Reserve, Glenelg East: The Augusta St, Glenelg East reserve got a $263,640 overhaul, including a toddler play area, giant slide and tree house, swings with toddler seat, seesaw, 4x4 car and cockatoo rocker.
Strathcona Reserve, Clapham: The Strathcona Ave, Clapham reserve had a $76,000 upgrade. This included a curved slide, scramble net bouncers, climbing wall panel, balance net, arched bridge, swing, spinner, Tassie devil rocker, blue dinosaur slide.