A lovely balance between new equipment and nature play this upgraded play area is magic. The City of Marion spent $825,000 on this upgrade in 2019 completing the 12-hectare Oaklands Recreation Precinct which contains a wetland, skate park, education centre and rotunda as well as two kms of paths and this great new nature play area.
A large climbing rope frame is the hero of the playground and is awesome for the adventurous kids. You will also find a huge spinning top, nest swing and wooden seesaw. Not far away from the equipment kids will find a nature play that suits this wetlands area just perfectly. Lots of pieces for climbing, balancing and jumping over and was certainly the area we spent most of our time in. There’s also a “do it yourself orienteering” course available at the park, download the map here
At the front (road side) of the wetlands, there is also a skate park, mini bike/trike track, basketball court and Parkour equipment. The skate park is pretty awesome actually as the jumps are not too high and it’s quite spacious. Each time we’ve been for a wander through the wetlands, we’ve seen kids around 10 years of age on their scooters/skateboards or bikes, dads on their skateboards and smaller kids on their 3-wheel scooters and balance bikes. There is a shaded structure to one side of the skate park so you can relax here and watch the kids scoot around if you like.
One thing to note is that there is NO fence along the side of the skate park and the road is quite a busy one so please take care of your kids in this space. There are three picnic shelters with tables and seating and two barbecues. The Japanese Garden now contains water and sand play areas and there artworks reflecting the site’s Kaurna and European heritage.
The space is a wonderful environment to explore with children as there are plenty of ducks, birds and tadpoles to see. Paths and bridges allow you to wander around and through the wetland and there are plenty of places to sit down and rest. It’s easy to push a pram around the paths and there’s quite a bit of shade cover.
Image credit: marion.sa.gov.au
Please be aware that there are many spaces where there are no railings or fences so it’s best to keep toddlers close by. Even though this can make it challenging, it also allows the kids to get quite close to the ducks and view the area really clearly, instead of through railings. They LOVE this!
There’s ample parking along the driveway as you head into the wetlands, with a larger parking area at the rear of the wetlands, near the playground. Toilets are located near the playground.
It’s right near the Marion Outdoor Swimming Pool and is not only a lovely, calming place to enjoy nature with the kids but it’s also helping the environment. Check out the City of Marion website for more information.
A big thumbs up from us to the Marion council who have done an amazing job with this space, it really does have something for everyone!
Find it at: Haywood Ct, Mt Compass If your kids love to ride, skate or scoot you HAVE to put this on your school holidays to do list. The $1.15m recreation park includes a skate park, BMX track and nature play space with basket swing and slide. There's also a creek that's great for water play so bring your boots and maybe a change of clothes! You can access the Mount Compass Recreation Park from a number of surrounding streets including Anderson Street, Waye Court, Haywood Court and Eckers Court. If you’re not familiar with Mount Compass and you are travelling from the Victor Harbor main road, turn off at the Tay Road intersection and follow your nose until you turn right onto Waye Street and Waye Court. Thanks to LCS Lanscapes for the images
Find it at: Dwyer Road, Oaklands Park Folks, the future is here! Remeber the Jetson's? The cartoon with the family from the future who flew around in flying cars and lived in houses in the sky? Well they probably played at playgrounds like this! The Dwyer Road playground at Oaklands Park is the first high tech playground in South Australia. With $750k of Federal funding, plus a bit from the Marion Council as well, this playground has come to life and wow.....it is really something special. There is a heap of electronic games built into the playground equipment, which the kids will have a blast exploring (we visited during the day and reckon on overcast and in the evenings, the light up games will look amazing). There are solar powered shelters with built in smart phone charging stations (!!!!!), BBQs with sensors to know when they are being used and when they need cleaning, smart watering systems for the grassed areas, lighting which senses how many people are at the playground and will adjust the lighting accordingly and the toilets project a hologram of Mariah Carey to sing 'All I want for Christmas' as you do your business! (Ok that…
Find it at: North East Road, Kleming Located right behind the OG Hotel this playground is great for all ages. The play equipment is quite spread out but has a handy area for the little ones, some nature play aspects , flying fox , slides and loads and loads of climbing pieces. The climbing pieces are the main attraction of this play space and are great for a wide range of ages and abilities. Featuring lots of equipment to climb up, over, and through - from monkey rings, ropes, spider webs, rock climbing - it has it all. Lots of energy to be burned and lots of challenges along the way. Certainly can't get bored quickly in this area of the playground. The playground also features a mound slide where the kids climb the peak to use the slide. Located right next to the slide is a double flying fox that has 2 seats including a safety seat with buckle. This allows the smaller kids or kids with disabilities to also have a go. Next to the climbing frames the kids will also find a swing set along with a spinning wheel. The smaller kids' equipment area is all together…
I'm a Mum of 2 girls and also one 4 legged ratbag of a dog called Rudy. I work from home and family balance out the work/school hours with lots of beach time, walks, bike rides skates, scooters and surfs. We like being outside. Our favourite places in Adelaide are the Adelaide Hills and Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park