Batemans Bay: Children suffer injuries at Wharf Rd playground, call council for safety improvements

The height of a contemporary playground on the south coast has prompted calls for a safety re-think from parents, after two young children suffered serious injuries while playing on the equipment.

Ava was injured at the park on Wharf Rd.

The height of a contemporary playground on the south coast has prompted calls for a safety re-think from parents, after two young children suffered serious injuries while playing on the equipment.

The playground located on Wharf Rd, Batemans Bay, which opened a year ago as part of the “Batemans Bay Bridge replacement project”, has been labelled by one grandmother as “dangerous”.

Tracey Cowan, who operates ‘Kidz Biz’ indoor play gym at Batemans Bay, is urging council to take action after her four-year-old granddaughter broke her ankle when she fell from the rock climbing wall.

“I was concerned this was going to happen if it wasn’t fixed, and it did,” she said.

Ava was climbing the 2.13m high rock climbing wall, when she slipped and fell, landing on the “hard” ground below.

Ava, 4, broke her ankle when she fell from the high equipment at the playground on Wharf Rd, Batemans Bay.

“I think kids need to be kids and have fun, but this is just too high,” Ms Cowan said. “There is no soft landing around the area, only bark.”

Ms Cowan said she understood the need for soft material under play equipment better than most.

Ava fell from the 2.13m high rock wall, breaking her ankle. Picture: Tom McGann.

“Soft landings help avoid injuries and this park doesn’t have any,” she said. “All play equipment is supposed to be surrounded by impact material to avoid injury. I’m surprised this has slipped past people’s noses.”

After Ava’s broken ankle, Ms Cowan told this publication she contacted Eurobodalla Council, with suggestions on how to make the park safer. However, she was met with deaf ears.

Ava has since recovered from her injury, however Ms Cowan said she would not be taking her back to the park until it was made safer.

Mum-of-four Jenna Beckwith, who lives on Wharf Rd, has seen the dangers of the playground firsthand having recently called an ambulance to help another four-year-old girl who fell from the height.

The recently erected park sits on Wharf Rd in Batemans Bay. Picture: Tom McGann.

“I was there a couple days ago and a four-year-old girl was on the level up from the orange steps and fell directly on her back and head from the open side where the wall climb is,” she said.

“She went completely white and lips went blue. It was very scary, so I called an ambulance on the parents behalf as they were attending to her.”

Ms Beckwith said she no longer let her children play on the high equipment as a result.

“It’s just way too high, it’s way too dangerous,” she said.

Despite the injuries, a Eurobodalla Council spokesman said the playground was safe and met Australian safety standards.

“The small size of the playground means the diversity of experience for each age group is limited there when compared to larger playgrounds,” he said.

“For example, the small slide, swing, trampoline and nature play options are more suitable for toddlers and young children while the high slide and balancing/climbing routes are designed to challenge older children.

He said the safety of children was up to the parents.

“As always, it is up to parents and guardians to decide on their child’s capacity for safe play,” he said. “All of council’s playgrounds are tested annually to ensure they comply with safety standards.”

“No claims for injury have been lodged with council and to the best of our knowledge we’ve received just one complaint about the playground.”