Nature Play is challenging the traditional playground equipment for a diverse playground experience. Nature Play Playgrounds feature running water, sand, logs, natural landscapes, trees to climb and may even feature a creek. They encourage creative play, spark imagination and we LOVE them!
We are so lucky that Adelaide has embraced the Nature Play trend & you can now find tons of natural play areas all across Adelaide & South Australia. Have a look below for some of the fantastic nature playgrounds to choose from.
Maybe the Leckie Playground in Mount Torrens up in the Adelaide Hills is your go-to? If you live down south, be sure to check out the newly developed Wilfred Taylor Reserve in Morphett Vale for lots of nature play fun. If you’re heading into regional South Australia, stop in at the Hermit Street Nature Play Space in Roxby Downs. Whether you are north, south, east, or west of Adelaide, you’ll find some cracking nature play areas nearby.
Find it at: Morialta Conservation Park, Woodforde The eagle has landed at Morialta Playground… in a 7 metre tall nest – and your kids can climb it! Yep, the new Morialta Conservation Park playground is AWESOME! Best suited to kids aged 5-15years, it is great to see a play area perfect for older families .The addition of 100 new car parks and walking trails to guide you to the park make a visit even easier to navigate for...
Read More
Find it at: Mount Barker Rd, Bridgewater This stunning playground is just about everything we love about a day out in our beautiful Adelaide Hills. Coffee (Hello ‘Little Cog’!), stunning scenery and a fab playground for all ages. Located just below the Bridgewater Mill, the playground is fenced along the road and edges but NOT on the creek bed, which in my opinion is great because it allows kids to take there shoes off and go for a...
Read More
Marshmallow Park on Glen Osmond Road, in the Adelaide Parklands is a firm favourite with our families from the 2 year old to the 10 year old. With its huge new renovation, there is now heaps more to explore at this site – also known as Pelzer Park or Pityarilla activity hub! The renovation includes some brilliant new nature play features, alongside more traditional swings, slides and climbing frames. There is a great water feature...
Read More
Find it at: Flagstaff Hill, South Australia Sturt Gorge Recreation Park is internationally recognised as an area of conservation and geological significance. The park is also home to a rock formation, known as sturt tillite, that is believed to have been formed from glacial material dropped from ice floating in the ocean that covered South Australia 800 million years ago! WOW! Sturt Gorge Recreation Park is located 13km south of Adelaide. Entry...
Read More
Glenthorne Nature Play Space Find it at: Majors Road, O’Halloran Hill The multi-million dollar nature play space, forming part of SA’s newest national park, Glenthorne, is here and it is spectacular!Glenthorne National Park opened in May 2019 and the nature playground has it all, in fact it has so much we are sure to forget some of the wonderful playground features including; Multiple slides (including a HUGE tube slide tower Swings...
Read More
Adelaide is home to some amazing playgrounds, but sometimes, your kids may have a really intense love for a very specific theme. Most kids do at some point, whether it be dinosaurs, pirates, trains or just wanting to run around and get so damn dirty that you think you may get arrested for stealing sand. Whatever your kid is into, we have scoured the archives and compiled a list of some of Adelaide’s Best Themed Playgrounds for you to...
Read More
When was the last time you said to your kids “go climb that tree?”or “get down from that tree!” Likely, it may have been a while. Tree climbing adventures have seemed to have disappeared off the after school hit list radar. Close your eyes … and remember back to your favourite tree to climb as a kid. Do your kids have one? When tree climbing, assess the risks like you do a playground and let them learn as we did...
Read More
Find it at: Pine Reserve, Aberfoyle Park The picturesque spot down south has had an upgrade in 2023, and doesn’t it look sensational! There are no toilets sadly but plenty of shade, water fountains and park benches. There is play equipment for all ages including an array of ninja course style ropes and climbing equipment. Keeping with the pine theme, the equipment is primarily wood and rope based. I spent so much time here as a kid and...
Read More
Find it at: Port Rd, Adelaide What a beautiful playground for kids of all ages! Renovated back in late 2012, the Bonython Park Playground has a some very cool features not found in the typical suburban park. Some of the best equipment includes two 25m flying fox lines fun for kids of all ages and an extensive water play area complete with pumps, gates and a watermill. Kids love playing and experimenting with water and this...
Read More
Find it at: Solandra Cr, Modbury North Pack up the change of clothes kids, we are going to sand and water play nirvana! Solandra Reserve out at Modbury North has had a fab upgrade, with the space transformed into a brilliant community facility. Featuring the already mentioned sand and water play features (undercover too we might add!), chuck in a great little pump track and a range of equipment to suit the big kids and little ones, this one...
Read More
Find it at: Maxwell Road, Para Hills West Well isn’t this a little bit sensational! The new playground at The Paddocks Reserve is OPEN and we must say, this is one of the best new playgrounds we have come across in a while, with some pretty spectacular pieces of equipment to keep the kids busy for ages! With access best via Maxwell Road, there is so much to talk about here its hard to know where to start. We have to start off with the...
Read More
Find it at: Heron Way, Hallett Cove This is a great new playground with amazing views over the ocean. The reserve includes a new 5-way swing, tunnel slide, water and sand play, nature play, fitness equipment, shade sales, toilet, seating, shelter and BBQ facilities. The playground is unfenced, and there is a drop down to the rocky beach that parents with fast moving smaller children will need to be mindful of. There is parking close to the...
Read More
Find it at: Mary Lee Street, Two Wells Well isn’t this one totally worth the drive out north! The new playground, Freedom Park, within the Liberty at Two Wells development, is the latest milestone in a $1.2 billion residential precinct way out north. We absolutely loved it when we took the drive to check it out, with our intrepid playground reviewers claiming it as one of the best playgrounds they have visited. High praise indeed! Lots of...
Read More
Hiking with kids can be a bit hit & miss, can’t it? Will you take a wrong turn & end up miles away from where the car is parked? Will your toddler find a stick that they INSIST on carrying the whole way? Will that “short stroll” turn into a 9 hour epic adventure? Will your teenager complain the entire time that their legs are hurting? (Yes.) We’ve done the kms for you & walked ahead to find the best family...
Read More
Find it at: Wheatsheaf Road, Morphett Vale The Wilfred Taylor Reserve is now open for families to explore! The $2.2 million nature playspace, located on the corner of Wheatsheaf and States Roads at Morphett Vale, has been designed for people of all ages to get outdoors and engage with nature. Nature themes are featured as a tribute to the site’s importance for Kaurna people, and the site’s history as a working farm from the 1840s to...
Read More
Find it at: Livestong Pathway, Hindmarsh (along the River Torrens) We all already know that Bonython Park is AWESOME – between the playground & the newly re-opened Café Bonython, we honestly thought it couldn’t get any better. But lo & behold, it does get better! Introducing the Bunyip Trail! It’s a Children’s Trail that you can access by heading west along the river from the playground & follows the story of...
Read More
It’s no secret that here at Kids In Adelaide we love somewhere free. Well, the Adelaide Botanic Garden surely has to be the ultimate FREE spot to enjoy with your kids! It’s a great place to pop in just for an hour or to spend a full day. Plus it’s even better now that the Tram line runs from the Adelaide Train Station straight down to the Botanic Garden gate. So forget about parking, jump onto the Tram & enjoy what the...
Read More
Find it at: Miravale The fences are down at the Miravale housing development playground at Angle Vale! With some touches on their fantastic play space in the heart of the development, still being done but the locals are loving it! With a great tower and tube slide the centre piece, rock climbing wall, gym equipment, pump track, basketball court and with nature play and a whole range of other equipment for the kids to play on, this will be a...
Read More
Find it at: Glover St, Kersbrook Located behind the football oval, this fantastic facility opened in April 2021 and is yet another beautiful playground that has opened in the Adelaide Hills in 2021 (we really are building a great Hills Playground trail!). There are no toilets here that we could see, unless they were hidden behind the club rooms. The spacious playspace includes a huge flying fox, a cool sand play area, lots of nature play...
Read More
Find it at: Mail Road, Harrogate This is definitely one to check out in winter for that added adventure! Opened in mid 2021, this hidden gem in the heart of Harrogate has been transformed thanks to a $140k investment from Council. In response to the township plan and bushfire recovery efforts, the Harrogate Recreational Reserve has received a much needed facelift. Upgrades include a modern shelter housing a new barbecue, undercover seating and...
Read More
Find it at: Oval Road, Mount Torrens Put together by the talented team at Climbing Tree Consultancy (seriously they do some of the best playgrounds in SA), The Leckie Playground at Mt Torrens playground is another beauty. With plenty of natural shade, the lovely oval next door, bench seating, a picnic table, water play and some ripping nature play equipment for the kids to explore, this is a real winner. There aren’t any toilets however...
Read More
Find it at: Corner Old Belair Road and Norman Walk, Mitcham This ripper was upgraded in December 2018 and we absolutely love it! The new playground updates are a credit to Nature Play Design and the City of Mitcham with a great mix of the nature play elements alongside more traditional equipment. On the larger side of the park (the Northern side) there is the highlight of the new upgrade to Mitcham Reserve with a double story ‘elf...
Read More
Find it at: George Street, Marion The City of Marion have opened up yet another fabulous playground (they are really setting the standard aren’t they), this time a spacious playground at George Street. With an in-ground trampoline, swing, sandpit, water pump and 2 historical-themed cubby houses, including a village store and a workers cottage, this one is really cool. There’s also a miniature fire pole, slide and logs to jump on and an...
Read More
Find it at: Hope Valley, SA Fantastic news with the announcement that from December 13 2020, we will be able to walk, cycle and explore Hope Valley Reservoir for the first time in 150 years (give or take a year or two). Construction is about to commence, with first cab off the rank being a network of walking and cycling trails which will take you from the reservoir and link with existing paths alongside the O-Bahn busway. The fabulous new...
Read More
Find it at: Yanyarrie Avenue, Edwardstown A beautiful brand new playground opened in May 2021, nestled snugly in the backstreets of Edwardstown, you will find City of Marion designed (Talented Jason Avery at work here again) ripping spot to relax and take a moment out of your busy day. With a huge nest swing, a really cool climbing boulder and some in-ground tramps, you won’t find a tremendous amount of equipment, but what they have done...
Read More
Find it at: South Parklands, Lightsview A fabulous adventure playground has been added to the Lightsview development, which is well worth the trip! Opened in April 2021, the nature play themed park includes water play, a huge number of logs and balancing beams to test out kids and parents alike! Throw in a climbing hill with slide, a basketball court, in-ground tramps, swings and even more slides, and you will no doubt find something to keep...
Read More
Find it at: Central Avenue, Hallett Cove A fabulous new addition to the City of Marion’s range of playspaces opened up in March 2021, with the brand spanking new playground at Central Avenue Reserve. Using the site’s slope to the fullest advantage, the highlight here is a super quick flying fox which takes kids (and parents!) from the rock-climb inspired slide playground and basketball court, right down to the sand play and shelter...
Read More
Find it at: Shepherds Hill Road, Blackwood Huge news for the new year with work finished on a new nature play space at the Wittunga Botanic Garden!The play space is a fun way for children to learn about the environment and has been designed with help from local primary school students. We popped down for a visit after the opening (to be honest we have been popping in to watch the build progress as well!) and we had a ball! We loved exploring...
Read More
Find it at: Greenhill Road, Hazelwood Park Hazelwood Park Playground is a beauty for families of all ages and abilities. Upgraded in 2010, this shady park with plenty to do was one of the first (and still one of our fave) parks with a nature play feel. Set in the corner of the huge reserve there is plenty of space, plenty of shade and plenty of play equipment. In the summer the Burnside Outdoor Pool is also open to the public with large, clean...
Read More
Find it at: Brooklyn Drive, Hallett Cove The Brooklyn Drive Reserve playground is open and after rigorous testing by a KiA crew, it has been given the tick of approval. Not a huge space, but a great spot for locals, this timber themed playground has enough to keep most ages entertained while you take 5 during your probably hectic schedule! There is a swing (plus a toddler swing), as well as monkey bars (to be fair they are fairly low hanging so...
Read More
