Plenty of parking Heaps of room for the kids to run around…read more I personally love this place as I got married there

This is most definitely a 'destination playground'. Thank goodness I found one! This is a place for…read morebirthday parties, work Christmas parties, get-togethers and why-not weekend adventures. It has wonderful play equipment, lots of space, sheltered table and chairs, beautiful trees and lawn, toilets and drink fountains. This is such a pretty and well maintained area with many walks and sections to the park. I have included a map of the park so you can have an idea of the space and fun you can have there. If you're wanting to have a large gathering at this park, I would suggest calling the Onkaparinga City Council (the number is listed in the business info section) to see if there's a booking system or a requirement to being able to request a certain area of the park. Visiting Thalassa would be a 'whole day' adventure to get the most out of the place. It sure looks like great fun and is definitely on my list of 'places to go back to and explore further'. I'm not sure if dogs are allowed at this park. I don't remember seeing a sign stating that they weren't allowed, however at this type of park there could be restrictions. *BBQs* *Sheltered table/chairs* *Stunning scenery*

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.

Blackwood Forest Reserve is a remnant of a failed Pine Tree plantation as evidenced by the clump of…read moretrees plonked in straight rows over the paddock corner. The reserve,once you wander further into the pines and the surrounding fields dissapear, the reserve brings on an eerie vibe and I half expect fairies to trot along with me. I cannot confirm, but strongly suspect, that the nearby Seedling Art Space is responsible for some of the oddities strung up around the forest. Either way, I enjoy spotting the mysteries as I walk my dog. Great for a walk as the reserve links up with the Sturt river walk in Coro as well as the Frank Smith Park. Also cool for a kids party (particularly a girl's fairy party) if you're keen on picnics or a late night Spotlight game. The trail is uneven through the pines so it isn't suitable for the accident prone but it really is a gorgeous place.

Oh my goodness! In amongst the two and three star ratings, it's always so nice to write a review on…read morea playground with more substance than most. This playground is beautiful, engaging, and appropriate for all age groups. Not only is the area incredibly pretty and quiet, it actually extends quite a way and would be a lovely place to ride bikes or walk. There are sheltered table/chairs, BBQ's and drinking fountains to seal the deal on this four star community meeting-and-having-fun place. The toilets are a little walk away but not far enough to be a pain. This is green area and dotted with trees, it really is beautiful. Perhaps the only downfall of this gorgeous place is that the play area isn't fenced to the road, although it is a quiet neighbourhood. This is definitely a place to visit for a BBQ and play. *Dogs allowed* *BBQ* *Tables/chairs* *Drink fountain*

The recently redeveloped Sturt River Walkway runs from the Old Cormandel Institute (now the Big Dog…read moreStudio) to the National Trust's Winn's Bakery on Winn's Road following the Sturt creek. Having been completely resurfaced and quite flat, the walk is a favourite for families with young children who find the terrain easy to navigate on their trikes, bikes and scooters and also a breeze for Mums and Dads with prams as the surface is smooth and easy to traverse. The new surface also benefits runners and joggers as the surface is easy on the knees and the chance of tripping is relatively low. The Walkway joins up nicely with the Frank Smith Park, Blackwood Forest and the Apex Park trails and can be easily set as the start of a long walk or just a quick trip with the dog and kids.

This is definitely a playground for the little tackers. I can't imagine a child over the age of 9…read morebeing entertained here for too long, at least not on the play equipment. The park does stretch a fair way so riding a bike or kicking a ball would be an option. I really liked the natural shade over this play area, and I liked that the bench seat was actually inside the play area also. This is a very pretty park and if you were fairly local with toddlers, worth checking out for a change. *Dogs allowed* *Drinking fountain working*

Squished in between the Coromandel Primary School and the Magarey Orchard, Frank Smith Park is a…read morerun-down playground, a football oval, a BMX track, a horse trail, a dam and a fire track, but mainly its a great place to go for a walk with your best animal pal. There are a few walking trails here but regulars generally stick to the fire track or a very narrow rabbit track cut into the hill. The park has a cricket oval at its centre and sitting in the clearing and looking at the surrounding hills is gorgeous and perfect for a picnic. Horse riders frequent here as well, following their own trail which links to the Blackwood Forest by cutting across Turners Avenue. A dam sits right next to the bordering primary school and the large watery expanse makes is perfect for doggy swims or for tadpole catching in the summer. The itsy-bitsy playground here is showing its age, but there is a swing, which makes it amazing in my books. Bring the bikes or link up with other bike trails in the area to hit the BMX track, although small, its a good starting point for a ride to Apex Park to get the bigger jumps. Watch out for the snakes in summer and sneak a few pears and plums in the season, Frank Smith is a hidden gem.

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.