Harts Mill Playground Port Adelaide

There’s something pretty special about a playground with a giant old flour mill as its backdrop! Harts Mill is tucked right beside the Port River in the heart of Port Adelaide, and the setting alone makes it worth a visit. But the playground is what really keeps the kids busy, with plenty of unusual equipment to climb, spin, swing and zoom around on. It’s a great one for kids who like to try something a little different, and being right on the waterfront means you can turn playground time into a bigger Port Adelaide adventure with a wander along the river afterwards. Keep an eye out for dolphins too — they’re sometimes spotted cruising past!

Find it at: Mundy Street, Port Adelaide.

Good for: Toddlers through to primary-aged kids, with a mixture of equipment for little explorers and bigger kids looking for more of a challenge.

Best for: Climbing, spinning, swinging, sand play and flying fox fun. There are also some wonderfully quirky pieces of equipment that you don’t see at every playground, which is part of the appeal.

Toilets: Yes. Public toilets are located on Mundy Street, close to the playground.

Shade: Yes. There is a large sheltered area beside the playground with seating and BBQ facilities. Some parts of the play area are more exposed, so hats and sunscreen are still a good idea.

Fenced: Yes. The main playground is enclosed, which makes it easier to relax while younger kids play. The surrounding waterfront area is open, so keep children close once they head outside the playground.

Accessible: Yes. The precinct has accessible pathways and facilities, and the playspace was designed with inclusive play in mind.

Parking: Yes. There is parking around the Mundy Street precinct and nearby Port Adelaide streets.

Cafe or food nearby: Yes. You’re right in the middle of Port Adelaide, so there are cafes, bakeries and other food options nearby. There are also picnic tables and BBQ facilities beside the playground if you’d rather bring your own lunch.

With the whole area going though some major redevelopment, Hart’s Mill playground was opened to the public in mid 2014 with a great space for families to play at Port Adelaide. Coupled a spot of dolphin watching and hitting up the markets, this makes a great family trip.

The eyecatching, 3 story tower with metal slide is the centrepiece of the Hart’s Mill Playground Port Adelaide and the slide is a huge hit. It’s faster than the ‘usual’ metal slides and you’ll need that 3 meter flat section at the end to be sure you don’t slide off the end so take care with younger kids until they are comfortable. Suited to kids aged 3 and up, younger kids will probably have a hard time climbing up the ladders anyway.

Other highlights are the sandpit with multilevel climbing/building station that includes a pulley sandscoop and sandchutes that are always popular – BYO small sand shovel and bucket for extra fun!

There’s a great seated flying fox that kids of all ages will love, ‘spider web’ climbing frames, medium hampster wheel, swings and more.
There are some undercover bench tables and free electric BBQs outside the fenced playground.

The words scattered throughout the playground are a throwback to the old flour mill days – Wheat, sieve etc – that operated in the area from the 1850s for over 100 years.

We recommend you take extra care with children when outside the fully fenced play area as there is very little barrier between the open spaces and the drop down to the Port River nearby.