Robinson Park, Jamisontown

We visited this park in Jamisontown that has recently had a shade cloth added. It has a set of play equipment for your older kids, a set for the little tykes, an undercover picnic bench, and it is set on a big block with plenty of space for children to go off ‘exploring’ together (as my Miss 5 and Miss 7 like to do).

Robinson Park has a great play area for littler siblings, including a xylophone, and a little rubber section that they can walk under/through that my kids enjoyed. The area for bigger kids has a few different climbing options, and my two loved the platform because it meant that their feet were up higher than my head, they felt very top of the world. They also love a double slide.

The picnic table and a council bin make it easy for parents to have a rest, but there are also a few picnic benches and blocks of sandstone scattered around for resting on. There are swings and balancing beams next to the picnic bench.

This park includes -

• Balancing beam

• Cargo net

• Covered picnic table

• Free

• Monkey bars

• Pretend cafe

• Seats for adults

• Shade Cloth

• Slides (including double slide)

• Swings

 

Amaroo Street Reserve, Kingswood

I visited the park on Amaroo Street in Kingswood on Saturday morning. It is a nice little park but, despite the fact it hadn’t rained in some time, my feet (and shoes) were wet by the time I got to the park. If you are going to visit this park I would recommend gum boots.

The park has the following features -

• Slide

• Monkey bars

• Cargo net (made of chains)

• See saw

• Fireman’s pole

• Pretend cafe

• Seats for adults

• Sunshade cloth

• Swings

There is more parking on the Joseph Street side of this reserve than the Amaroo Street side.

Where is it?

It is located at the end of Amaroo Street, Kingswood, Google tells me it is at 36-38 Amaroo Street, Kingswood.

 

Steamroller Park, Cambridge Park

I love this park, I used to play here as a kid, I just wish people would stop vandalising things so that they could unfence the steamroller (or perhaps that is an insurance issue).

This park is great for older primary school aged children. My children struggle with this park, they cannot for instance climb onto the swings (they are too high) and even if they climb the ladder or the cargo net, they cannot step from it to the platform without help as their legs are too short. So a smaller child will need help. If you have older children I am sure this park will be popular because of the flying fox. This flying fox doesn’t have a seat, just the little disc you balance on.

So the park has the following -

• Slide

• Shade cloth

• Swings

• Cargo net

• Pretend cafe

• Flying fox

• Path (for a walk)

• Covered picnic table

• Seats for adults

I actually came to this park because I needed a short walk, due to a back injury, and I knew there was a paved path. It doesn’t wrap around the block, it ends in odd places, so you cannot do laps per se, but if you have a young child who likes to go for a walk, or draw on the sidewalk with chalk, or an old injured Mum who needs a short walk, then the path is good.

This park is on a large block so there is plenty of parking around it, it is on the corner of Victoria Street and Richmond Road in Cambridge Park.

Where is it?

It is on the corner of Victoria Street and Richmond Road in Cambridge Park, which Google tells me is 195 Victoria Street, Cambridge Park in New South Wales.

 

Allsopp Paterson Oval Park, Cambridge Park

Today we visited the park at Allsopp Paterson Oval, which you access off of College Street in Cambridge Park. This is an oldie but a goodie, plenty of options for different children at different stages, sunshade and plenty of space to run around. It appears that council has just put a new footpath around it too, so I have indicated to hubby that we will be returning with the kids bikes.

There is a slide, monkey bars, swings, a small rock climbing wall, pretend cafe, cargo net (made of chains), and rubber soft fall. There are actually a few different types of monkey bars here, and a funny orange circular thing (shown in the picture) that the kids hang onto and it then spins. If you have a bit of a true ninja child then this might be a good park for you.

The bins are often full and overflowing, and there are often magpies picking at the bins. I haven’t had one swoop the kids (yet) but if you or your kids are anxious about magpies, then this is not the park for you.

There is also a great coffee place within walking distance, called Full Dose at the Cambridge Park shops. They close at 1pm or 2pm though, depending on the day, so get in early.

There is allegedly a set of public toilets near here, but I haven’t checked them out myself, I think they are part of the hall on this same block.

 

Church Street Reserve, Windsor

We quite accidentally ended up at this park yesterday, it was a great park with clean toilets, undercover seating and plenty of parking. When I started this project I wondered if there was such a thing as a park with no slide, it turns out there is. The climbing frame is also quite different, but that can be good, gives kids something new.

There is a set of swings, a climbing frame, a pretend cafe, covered seating (though it is a fair way away from the equipment) and a merry-go-round.

I took a photo (below) of the metal animal on the flying fox because honestly, my first thought was, who would put a bat on kids equipment? It wasn’t until I got home that I realised oh, it is a flying fox.

I was frustrating that the seat for the flying fox is literally as high as my head, below is a photo of me (six foot tall) standing next to the seat. I tried walking the seat to both ends and it doesn't get shorter. I don't know if this is intentional to stop older kids getting in, but it definitely required me lifting my child quite high (I am not sure a short parent could do it) and it requires the child having muscle strength and balance to sit upright in it while I try and manipulate the buckles, while it is trying to glide away from me. I know the gliding is always a problem, but when the seats are at a normal height I can use my body or leg to block it while I am buckling the child. This doesn’t seem like a seat that could be used by people with differing abilities.

Apart from that it was a great park, we will be back. This park is located at Church Street, it is in South Windsor.

 

Jenkins Avenue Reserve, Penrith

This is a little park, I don’t think anyone else has ever been there when we have been there. There is a slide, a climbing rope frame, monkey bars, a wobble board or sort of surf board on springs, a swing and a shade cloth. It is a simple park but effective. Parking is a little tough, because Jenkins Avenue is very narrow, but you can usually get a park. There are not a lot of place for the adults to sit, is my main issue with this park, but it is a quiet little park that is perfect for meeting another family at for a play.

Joanna Park, South Penrith

Joanna Park on Joanna Street in South Penrith is great if you have a child who considers themselves to be a bit of a true ninja, or if they want to play ‘the floor is lava’. There is sun shade and it is set in the middle of a large block or park, surrounded by quiet streets, so this might be a good park if you have a child who is a runner.

This park has swings, balancing options, a pretend cafe, noughts and crosses, cargo net, a ladder, a rock climbing wall, a double slide, a rope monkey bar (or slack monkey bars?) and plenty of places for the adults to sit. Last time that I went there was a broken TV there, the time before it was fine. I don’t know if there is normally trash at this park.

Edna Dunn Reserve, South Penrith

This is a great park, the only thing that lets it down is that it is next to Northern Road (at that point called Parker Street) and so it is no good if you have a child who is a runner. That said, the park itself is set a long way back from Northern Road, it has great sun shade coverage, and a good variety of equipment. To get to it you go to Mazepa Street, South Penrith.

When I took these photos the sun shade had snapped on one side, but it has since been fixed. There is a slide, a cargo net, a rock climbing wall (for small children), circular monkey bars, instead of a pretend cafe this one has a front that looks like a car, swings, and a climbing net shaped like a spider web. There is only one seat for adults to sit at is my biggest complaint about this park. It is easy to park on Mazepa Street and walk to the park. There were actually also a lot of sticks around and trees so if kids want to look for sticks or rocks for craft, or just to play with, there is space for that too.

Carmel Kennedy Memorial Park, Kingswood

I am actually not 100% sure what this park is called, it is on Second Avenue in Kingswood, across the road from Kingswood Public School, and next to Chapman Gardens Oval. This is a good park for a range of ages, the ropes are for older kids and there are toddler options too.

There is a structure that is essentially for younger kids, with a shorter slide, stairs up to the platform, and noughts and crosses and an abacus. There is also a larger rope climbing structure that is difficult for a younger child to meaningfully use. There is a sunshade and seating for the adults. There are swings including a nest swing. Whenever I am there there is a range of children of different ages on the equipment. There is some parking, though you probably don’t want to be trying to park there at school drop off or pick up time.

Judges Park, Penrith

This park is next to the Penrith Bowlo, there is generally a fair amount of parking on the weekend or after school, and since I took these photos they have put a large sunshade over it. This is my favourite park to catch up with a Mum who has older children than mine, I feel like this is the park with the most options for older children. I don’t have older children though, I would love to hear in the comments from Mums who think another park is more suited?

There is a slide, a balancing beam (which is a bridge rather than stationary), a rock climbing wall, a cargo net, one of those ‘spider web’ rope structures, swings, seats for adults, a sun shade, and plenty of metal climbing structures that are physically too big for smaller children.