Livvi's Place Ballarat Playground, Victoria Park, Sturt Street, Newington
A super play space which provides all abilities access to all the play equipment with a wide range of play elements including a water play space. The playground is fully fenced and there is one entry point on Oak Avenue. The entry point is not a safety gate but the double heavy swing doors are an impediment to all but the strongest or ingenious kids.
The play elements are centred around an oval grassy area with shelters containing tables and BBQs on the edge. Near the entrance are toilets and water taps.
On a side near the entrance is a large sandy area with five swings including a birds nest swing, fun rope cone on a spinning disk, lotus leaf spinner with hand wheel, large family sized see-saw, spinning stand-up carousel, vertical logs with climbing holds, logs of different heights to jump across, digger, surfboard springer, sand play equipment and an elevated sandpit. This whole area, except for the swings, has poles ready for installation of shade sails when we visited.
The path winds down to a huge striking wooden structure set in sand with an array of ways to get up and down apart from the gravel path including a wave slide, tunnel slide, spiral slide, dual wave slides (all the slides have a nice soft landing zone), a ladder which leads up into a cylinder protruding above the platform and a rope ladder. This structure also has a speak and listen system, shop front, big colourful abacus, tic-tac-toe, clock and some musical instruments to make music or noise (depending on the family music genes).
Beside the fence is a wonderful area with enough whimsical musical instruments to form a band. There are drums, xylophone, cymbals, bells and other delightful instruments. Some of the sticks were missing (must have been worn down by continual use) and you may want to find a little branch to use as a drumstick before coming in.
In the far corner, in another patch of sand, is a play structure which was recycled from the previous playground at Victoria Park. Recycling at its finest. It has a tunnel slide, climbing walls, wave slide, spiral ladder, tunnel, balance beam bridge, chain bridge, hanging disk traverse and monkey bars. This area also has four swings and a birds nest swing. This area would be a nice playground just by itself.
Beside the fence is a flying fox with a disk seat and another with a harness seat. There is a big soft platform at the starting end to make it easy to get onto the seats.
If you still fancy getting sand between your toes, there is a standalone oval sandpit with a sand play table. In the corner is a water play area with water spray, some water play tables with various metal taps, sprays and valves and a large concrete area cut with channels which the water flows along. There are little metal flappers which can be used to control the channels which the water flows down.
There are more shelters with tables and BBQs in the huge grassy park outside the fenced area. The playground is located between Sturt Street Oak Avenue with parking and the only access gate being on Oak Avenue.
A sensory-friendly stay and play zone has been added which includes a pretend shops and other shelters for children to play in, a small stage, a range of 3D hills, a children's table with seating, a fairytale throne with additional seats that can be used as a reading area, a Sheoak forest with large and small trees and shrubs and the opportunity for nature play with rocks, natural wooden posts and a range of plantings to explore.
The Play Space is an initiative of Touched by Olivia, a national charity building inclusion through play.
Photos:
Location
Oak Avenue, Newington 3350 Map
Web Links
→ 100 Free Water Play Spaces in Melbourne and Regional Victoria
