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.

  • Image credit: marion.sa.gov.au
  • Image credit: marion.sa.gov.au
  • Image credit: marion.sa.gov.au

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.

  • The ducks at Oaklands Wetland
  • 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!