This is such a great place. With a playground, skate park AND beautiful bike/hiking tracks through…read morethe local bush land, this really is a pretty place. While it isn't the biggest playground, they certainly have designed it with a wide range of age groups in mind. There's a mix of rubber ground and bark chip ground with toilets right in the middle of the skating area and the playground area. I spoke to a local who said the skate park is great (I've been out of the skating scene for too long to know hehehe). There were a couple of broken street lights in the car park but he assured me that the park gets maintained and looked after well, and he was surprised to see the damage himself. Pack your family up, put the bikes in the car and head over here. It would be a lovely Sunday outing. This is definitely one to check out. It's such a pretty place and while there's more construction happening at the moment (looks like an extension to the playground) this really is a happy blend of playground and nature with plaques along the way with information about the wildlife in that area. *I didn't see a drink fountain or BBQ* *Dogs allowed...under effective control of course* *Stay tuned to this post, I want to check the tracks out more myself! :-) See you there!*

Minkarra Park is a great place to take the kids on school holidays when you just need to get out of…read morethe house. It has exercise equipment, large skate park, hiking trails, fenced dog park and playground with toilets. Whilst I mainly visited for the playground with friends, I was disappointed that it does not cater for crawlers or children under 2 very well. Some of the equipment was too high/difficult for them to climb and they spent the majority of the time on the rubber ground. There was also no toddler swing, so if your kids like swings as much as mine then it's not the place to go. That being said it s well kept and tidy, but probably suited more to 3/4yo and up.

This park is really quite extensive and I'm sure everyone will find some aspect of it that they…read morereally like. It's a very well set up place; toilets, ovals, tennis courts, playground and the list goes on. With my playground reviews, I always consider it a good sign if I can't take a lot of photos because people are enjoying the area. This is the case with this playground. There's so much to explore here. The only piece of advice I can give you is that the playground is behind the Scout Hall.

What I like about Ridge Park at Myrtle Bank is that despite its location in a super heavy traffic…read morearea the park itself remains incredibly quiet. Ridge Park is just down from the end of the freeway so there's never any shortage of traffic whizzing by. Amazingly, step just a few metres into the park and the traffic noise disappears. You can actually hear the birds chirping. This is both a dog friendly and people friendly park and there's no shortage of users. I love the open spaces for the pooches to run around and the plentiful facilities on offer here. Also in the park on the corner of Glen Osmond Road and Barr Smith Avenue is a memorial listing the names of fallen soldiers from World War I. From history buffs to boy scouts to four legged people, Ridge Park has something for everyone.

Actually is surrounded by Cliff Avenue, Jane Street and Norseman Street. This is so close to a 5…read morestar but is a little outdated to get 5 stars. With a few upgrades, mainly for younger children, it could get there. It's a massive space with netball court, tennis court, soccer field with goals PLUS playgrounds, bike paths and a skate park. The skate park is pretty goos and a little bigger than some others around. It has a better run off area and lots more space for people to watch. Plus a rail and half pipes and the usual skating stuff. Could be used by skaters, riders, boarders and bladers alike. There was a small playground but it would only keep my child occupied for about 5 minutes. There were also a few chairs around the place, some shade and a drinking fountain. There is a proper big old brick toilet block on one side of the park which was fine to use. Take a few balls and your portable BBQ and you could have a really nice day out here. Plenty of parking close by. But I would expect it would be really busy during sport seasons.

This is quite a good set up. There's a decent playground, plus BBQs, plus sheltered table/chairs,…read moreplus a drinking fountain (unheard of for Mitcham Council!), plus table/chairs in the open under the trees, plus toilets, plus a skate park! And yet, I haven't given it a five star review? Other five star review playgrounds have had more equipment, and this one is just a little lacking, but still good. Some shade sails over the equipment would have definitely got it five stars. Great place! *Dogs allowed (on leash)*

Karinya Reserve is tucked behind shady trees amidst a greenery haven. Nestled along Shepherds Hill…read moreRoad, this is a fantastic and large playground for the whole family! You'll find your usual suspects here, swings, slides, a little action tower with a pirate telescope and large roller Tic Tac Toe game. They are only better though, with long slides to glide down and lots of climbing bars for the kids to have hours of fun. Large area to kick a ball or chase the kids. My favourite bit is there is a short bushwalk trail within the playground compund, take the kids and spot termites and ants hills, and look out for chirping birds. This is a perfect place to host your child's birthday party as there is an electric barbeque facility, a shade seating area and plenty of benches. Parking is plentiful, so no worries there! Next to the playground is a skateboard ramp and a soccer field. Put this one in your 'Favourite Playgrounds' folder.

This may not be the most comfortable place to be in summer but it's not a bad little playground…read morereally. It's set right back from the road and it's not a busy road at that. There's a sheltered table/chairs combo but it you're one to fry in the sun (like me) this may be the place you spend all of your time. There really is no shade nearby at all. If you check out the photos, there's trees behind the playground, in a little gully area, but in terms of shade nearby it ain't gonna happen. You can't quite see them through the trees, but behind that lovely assortment of gully-drinking greenness is a not-even-close-to-a-half court, and a you've-got-to-be-dreaming-skate ramp. they certainly aren't anything the skilled basketballer or skate boarder would get excited about but for a little tacker giving it all a go, it would be a great place to start. The drinking fountain works (HOORAY!) and the BBQ COULD work but I'm not sure. Even though this one wasn't littered with leaves like some I've seen, I don't think it's very responsible of me to start it and walk away. Knowing my luck something would have happened and I would have been responsible for burning down a community meeting place. I could never replace all that bark chip! ;-) This is something worth checking out if you're in the neighbouring streets/suburbs.....provided the BBQ works, otherwise it loses its draw card. If someone finds out its not working, please let me know and I'll revise this review.....thanks. *Dogs allowed* *Drink fountain working* *Sheltered table/chairs *Basketball hoop and skate ramp close by*

Props to Mitcham Council for setting up this skate park in Karinya Reserve. It develops…read moresportmanship skills in our youth plus it keeps them away from the perils of today's society. Strictly for skateboarding, BMX and in-line skating, this facility is open to the public at 7am-10pm. I took my sons here and they were in absolute awe seeing the boys flip their BMX bikes in the air, before coming down on a ramp. Some were diving in straight into the open bowls and churning more fun bike stunts over the ledge. Not one for me to master though! Certainly for those above 12 years who have mastered this skills but I did see a couple of kids in their 8-10 year age range who came here strapped with helmet, scooter in tow and a huge smile. Note: Tricycles and mini bikes are not permitted here. Double note: Seems to be a boy zone, so don't expect to see a pink scooter here! :-)

This small playground is right next to the O'Halloran Hill Tennis Club. There isn't a great deal…read morefor children to do here...basic swings and slide. It's far enough from the Tennis Club to be too far to leave smaller children while you're playing tennis, especially with a car park between the two areas. It's also not visible from the oval which it is also right beside playground. What it does have is a lovely blend of art and playground. It's a really nice touch to be able to wander around the plants and art work while your child is playing. There are toilets close by and another playground on the other side of the oval (see Candy Road Playground) that has a bit more for children to do. There's a mix of rubber and bark chips under the play equipment. A quick visit after watching a cricket match on the oval or a tennis match would be a nice thing to do. *Dogs allowed, under control* *There's a half-pipe on the other side of the Tennis Club for those who skate*

I am pretty sure I have borderline ADD, in fact in the time it has taken me to write this sentence…read moreI have started a jigsaw puzzle, done two push ups, drawn a funky doodle of a space ship and watched the first 5 minutes of Big Trouble in Little China. So it goes without saying that when I head to a park for a bit of exercise I expect V-A-R-I-E-T-Y! Unity park on South Terrace Pooraka has a plethora of fitness, sport and recreational options that even a 5 year old hyped up on Wizz Fizz and Red Bull would find it difficult to run out of options! Firstly, on the more subdued side, there are two lakes (which have reed beds and other water purification mumbo jumbo to help the enviroment) that are perfect for model sail boats or nitros enhanced remote controlled water madness machines. There are also some lovely tree lined walkes and open fields and I am boring myself! On to the fun stuff! Firstly the playground is crazy good, with plenty of equipment to keep the whipper snappers busy while you pump those pecks and glutes on the circuit training set up they have along side! Pull a hammi? Jump into the rubber hammock (which can also be used as an extreme swing). Feel like some fun that could find you in traction? Head on down the to eastern end of the park to check out the competition standard BMX track and the Skate Park.....Padding and helmets are apparently manditory....If you're a Sissy Girl with spokey dokeys on you bike wheels or tassles on your scooter handle bars! I'm off to play with my Lego now.

This reserve is right next to the recreation centre and part of it is the skate park they refer to…read moreand use for certain activities but it is also available to anyone. There is seating, a table, shelter, plenty of trees for shade around the outsides but none over the main larger playground area. There is some shade over the cool spider man looking net thing the kids can play on though. For drinks and toilets you would need to go into the rec centre and hope it was when they were open. Nice place to stop for an hour or so though. Plenty of lawned area to run around or kick a footy.

Hmmm, focus Amanda, this is supposed to be about playgrounds! Ok, so this playground was lucky to…read moreget a three star rating. It really is only worthy of two stars (and that's being generous) but what this area DOES have is a BMX track, a skate park, a massive cricket oval and batting nets. The playground itself is a little, hmmmm, pathetic. I didn't see a drinking fountain but I'm sure there would have to be a tap coming off the main cricket building. There is one bench seat near the playground. The skate park is on the other side of the oval and if you're looking at the main overall picture, the BMX track is to the left and in the forefront of the cricket building but just too wide to get in the photo.