I have found a new favourite park. Can't believe I've never known about it before. In fact I have…read moredriven down Osmond Terrace at Norwood on many an occasion and noticed some lovely black wrought iron gates with lots of greenery behind them. This time however I discovered the park via its other entrance, around the corner on Magill Road. I truly believe this park has something for everyone. It's a stunner. This park has obviously been around for a while because there's a plaque inside saying it was opened by Don Dunstan back in 1978 but there are other notices saying it has just undergone a significant upgrade. All I can say to the Norwood Council is ... well done you guys! Great job! Not only is the park beautifully landscaped with accompanying paved areas, there is masses of seating, a playground, barbecues, toilets, a dog drinking fountain, a people drinking fountain and some great art has been created on bare walls to bring them to life as well. The quirkiest and cutest thing in the park would have to be the stump of an old tree that looks like a loo! At first I thought, what a cool seat under that tree but on closer inspection there's a hole in the centre that makes it look more like a toilet. Glad to see someone has a sense of humour when it comes to public spaces. Great park and there are good coffee shops just across Magill Road if you want to get a coffee and enjoy it outdoors. BTW I'm with Tegan - its not a little park!

Richards Park is rad - yes, it is like a secret park because non-locals often miss it - hooray! It…read moreis positioned behind the businesses on the really high profile corner of Magill Rd and Osmond Tce. It's not that small as alleged by my fellow yelpers, rather it has three joined but sort of seperated parts. There are two sets of play equipment, brand new toilet block, a bike parking area, a filtered drinking water 'station', bags for doggy doo, lots of green grass, lots of seating, a mural and a big fancy sign. I love it, so please don't come here unless you are very goodlooking, or intelligent, or interesting, or generally have something to offer, even if it's just chocolate. Otherwise, you're welcome to use it when I'm not. Thanks.

What an amazing toddler playground! This is such a sweet place to come for a play. It's fully…read morefenced and seeing as I turned up just before Christmas, someone had decorated the fence with tinsel. It was so pretty. Obviously this community likes its playground, and so they should. The equipment here is extremely new, bright, colourful and engaging. I would love to bring my daughter here. The entire play area is rubber floored and is designed for children 5 years and younger. It looks like such a fun place to be. There's a really large lawn area within the park, great for frisbee throwing or kicking a ball. The playground does get some shade from the trees around it. There's a bike track that runs behind this pretty little park. This is where you will find a drinking fountain and some seating so if you're riding with your family, this could be a good place to stop for you. *Dogs allowed (on leash)* *Drinking fountain (outside fenced park, a bit of a walk)*

This is a delightful piece of paradise in a beautiful neighborhood. There are many ducks and birds…read moreto enjoy, and my family always likes to take a look. The new playground has a bird theme, but I think it might be a little too advanced for very young children. Kids aged 5 and older can use some parts of it, but certain areas can be quite high and hard to reach. Make sure to stroll along the outer path when you arrive, and get close to the water where the birds are. They waddle over to you, which is an amazing experience.

Thorndon Park Reservoir used to provide the water for the whole area, although is no longer used as…read morea water source these days. The surrounding recreation reserve is really well set out, with a long walk through carefully tended gardens going all round the reservoir set so picturesquely into the hillside. The grounds are huge, with excellent walking trails, and tons of space for family picnics and gatherings. Plenty of bbq's are available to support those gatherings, and there's a kiosk on weekends if you forget your picnic basket. There is a huge playground, all under shade cloth, with a steadily growing collection of equipment for the kids - including the Liberty Swing, a special swing for children in wheelchairs to ride, a nice touch although I'm yet to see it in use. There's a big spiders web on a stick for climbing, a number of swinging things that spin around (one with rather comfy chairs dangling from a frame shaped like two big bat wings - not that I'm a big kid at heart or anything), swings, see saws - there's hours of screaming and running around like a mad thing here, and then the kids can have fun on the playground too. :) There's fish in the water - mostly small minnows of some sort, but bigger fish can be spotted at times if you're feeding the ducks. Lots of trees provide shady areas for the picnic and bbq crowd - there's a few big structures and pavilions, too, if it's wet. BBQ's are electric and plentiful. Thorndon Park is used for a number of gatherings for the local community, including Campbelltown Proud Day, a celebration of all that there is in the local area, a big Christmas celebration starting with a parade and ending in fireworks and carols. This is one of my favourite spots for a stroll - many a time I stopped in on the way home from a hectic day in the office and had a wander right round the lake. Calm, peaceful and serene - a world apart from the kids playground on a busy weekend. Recommended.

1 koala, 2 koalas, 3 koalas more!…read more As everyone has mentioned Adelaide is so incredibly lucky to have a conservation park like this only 20 minutes from the CBD where you can spot native wildlife, waterfalls, climb cliffs or just walk through bushland. There are a variety of different trails, some more challenging than Mt Lofty and others suitable for a casual "walk off our BBQ picnic lunch" stroll. You very rarely come across joggers zooming past you from the opposite direction or the chatty mothers groups power walking through the area and as a result it is more likely that you will see a koala or 2 and really feel like you are immersed in the outback. Key tips I have learnt from my adventures? There are 2 car parks: The first one you come across is for those who don't mind walking in and don't want to pay for parking. The second is for the lazybones and costs to park in. BBQ Picnics are popular on weekends: Get in early if it's a nice day and you want to secure a good spot (park at the first car park for picnic areas) Hikes come in 3 different levels: - First and Second falls (pfft easy) - Third Falls (there will be huffing and puffing and you will need time) - Note the signage for all of the walks is good but sometimes can get confusing if you're not sure which car park you're in or whether you're on the Heysen trail. You can't get lost though so no need for 2 way radios or anything. Enjoy the adventure and take the whole family if your little darlings are starting to drive you up the wall.

My husband and I stumbled onto this park. We wanted to do a little hiking and hope to see kangaroos…read more and koalas . We previously went to the Cleland Park, so we wanted to see these Aussie critters in their natural habitat. We started on the easiest path and found the stairs up to Giants cave and it's a shortcut to the higher hiking trails without having to kill ourselves on the hard-steep trails. It was about ~134 steps and then some paths up a bit higher but we were rewarded with seeing a wonderful waterfall, echidna, koala and one kangaroo. Parts of the hike was a bit steep, and the hike down was a bit long but if we had to do it going up, we'd likely complain the whole way . We both agree, it was a great day. We spent about 2 hours and got some blisters and sore calfs to show for it! Highly recommended!!!

This was a rather nice park that I sort of discovered as I was making my way along the River…read moreTorrens, though not by foot this time (however I have done that in the past, just to see how long it would actually take). Anyway, this park was actually rather delightful, especially with all the ponds that are located here. The main area is rather flat and grassy, but it is actually surrounded by ponds on three sides, though the side facing the road isn't one of them. It actually makes this place a rather lovely place to walk around. Yeah, I quite liked it.

Koster Reserve at Trinity Gardens is a beautiful public park with an interesting history. I have to…read moreclaim up front that I have a special affinity with this place because my Great Grandfather was Johann Carl Koster - aka the dude who built the big brick kiln sitting in the middle of the park. The appeal of this park is that its not on any main roads so it's a little on the 'safer' side for kids. Most of the park is unfenced but there is a kids play area with swings and climbing equipment that's completely fenced and gated. This area is actually on the site of the old Koster family house that once stood there. There's also a rather large brick toilet block on the same spot and there are BBQ facilities and a shaded seating area. So what about that big old kiln in the middle of the park? Where did it come from and why is it there? Its actually a leftover from an old pottery works known as Premier Pottery that was established on the site back in 1880. They used to make a variety of jars, jugs, bowls and flower pots and at one stage even made ceramic electric kettles. In 1912 old Johann died and the business was carried on by his sons but at some stage in the mid 1900's a so called 'wayward accountant' took off with the company's funds and Premier Pottery went bust. The land from the pottery works was donated to the Council and in 1985 they turned the site into a public park and that's how it remains today complete with one of the original bottlenose kilns resplendent in its National Trust status.

I've a friend whose last name is Koster, but whose first name is Josh, which is basically the John…read moreSmith of our generation. So we call him Koster. We found a park named after him and hosted a birthday bash for him there. We arrived and I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. This was MY park. I used to visit it ALL the time as a youngster. How did I recognise it? Was it the playground? No. (For all I know it's changed since I'd been there last.) Was it the smell of the grass? No. It was the tower. Don't chuckle. I call it a tower. Because when I was a kid, that's what it was. It was a mysterious tower whose door was always locked. We never knew what was inside it, but we let our memories run rampant. Parents, here's a Mario tip: if your kids come up asking you what the tower is, for the love of Pete! indulge them. I've never been too fond of having your kid believe in a jolly, round man who invades homes through chimneys, but if you're going to make the effort for THAT charade, make the effort for something cooler. Because that structure will remain, for the rest of my life, in the yonder of my memories, a mysterious tower.

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 playground seems a little disjointed. There's a very small toddler playground near the tennis…read morecourts and a larger playground under shade cloth that is designed for older children. There's a rotunda area that you could set up with table and chairs although there is a table/chair in the sun just outside of the rotunda. There is also a BBQ in that same area. There is a lot of space here so if you brought bikes, they would definitely get some use, although the area is quite hilly so little ones might need to be supervised. The shaded playground is a great set up. There's a lot of different equipment for older children and would suit Primary School aged children. In my view, it's a shame the two playgrounds aren't closer together, at least on the same hill. There are toilets at the beginning of the park...not too far for little children to walk but it is right next to the car park. I'm not sure what Burnside Council has against putting in drinking fountains, but here's another playground without one. *Dogs allowed* *BBQ* *Rotunda* *Tennis Courts* *Shaded playground for older children* *Toilet block*

I remember coming down here as a kid because it was an adventure playground. Actually, I remember…read morefinding out able the place because of a map that I had picked up at a restaurant we had visited. Yeah, this place was okay, it was fun when I was a kid, but when I walked past it years later I have to admit that it wasn't all that great. Still, as a playground, it does have some charm, and does bring back some memories.

I'm absolutely jealous with the residents in St Peters as they have one of the best playgrounds…read morehere. They have the longest slippery dip in this suburb and that's just not fair for some of us who would like something similar in our backyard. Welcome to adventure land. If you can't make it to St Kilda playground, this is kinda mini (double mini version) of St Kilda. A long slippery dip awaits you and it stretches all the way down. I've seen many parents enjoy a fun ride down the slide with their kids in tow. Huge wooden timber fort awaits you in this slippery dip as you call out your mates to join you here. You'll also find a horse riding swing equipment, fantastic swings, flying fox and wait for it.....a long suspension bridge which will guarantee hours of fun, giggles and a bit of butterflies in your tummy! Plenty of benches and plenty of picnic spots to throw a rug here. The only downside I found was the council should have planted more trees here as it can get pretty hot during summer and you don't want to end up with a toasty butt on your way down the slippery dip! Overall: I heart Dunstan Playground.

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.