31 Best Playgrounds for Older Kids in Melbourne

Traditionally playgrounds have been a place inhabited by the younger members of the family. However, councils have started to build playgrounds with features which excite the interest of older kids. Elements such as tall fast slides, extensive climbing structures, bouldering areas, parkour, multi-purpose courts, in-ground trampolines, water play, basketball courts, skate facilities, exercise stations, BMX tracks and Ninja courses are exciting additions for older kids.

Some of the best playgrounds for older kids, which also have great play elements for younger ages, include:

Ballam Park Reserve Playground (Frankston)


The playground has a big wooden structure with various slides, a huge chain climbing frame, flying foxes, monkey bars and a lot of other play equipment. In front of the playground there is a skating / pump track, huge long climbing wall, lots of parkour / climbing areas, basketball court and in-ground trampolines. The park has large areas of open space with walking trails, ovals and an athletics track.

Bayview Park Pirate Playground (Point Cook)


Welcome to Fear Factor - Melbourne's biggest playground slide which starts from a hill with a huge pirate ship and is frighteningly steep! Located around the base of the hill are a large rope climbing frame, birds nest swing and basketball court.

Frontier Park Playground (Aintree)


One of the most spectacular playgrounds in Melbourne with huge slides connected by a scary rope tunnel bridge, a range of fun and engaging areas, water play area, basketball court and small skate park. There are picnic facilities and toilets.

Bullion Park Playground (Aintree)


A tower with a huge twisting tunnel slide, climbing area with piled up logs, in-ground trampolines, flying foxes, table tennis table, outdoor gym, basketball court and a reasonable sized grassy oval with football posts at one end. Across the road is a trendy child-friendly cafe.

Aintree Reserve Playground (Aintree)


There is a four level viewing tower, massive elevated obstacle course, lots of swings, flying foxes, lots of climbing opportunities, in-ground trampolines, huge jumping pillow under a shade sail, outdoor gym, picnic facilities, toilets and a nearby cafe.

Alma Park East Adventure Playground (St Kilda East)


Lots of adventurous fun including a long flying fox, big tree-house, very unusual play structures, a hexagonal frame with five swings and rope climbing frame.

Bayswater Park Playground (Bayswater)


This large playground has a full size red steam engine, a number of large climbing frames including a climbing frame in an elephant shape with a slide as a trunk, five swings arranged in a pentagon shape (which is always fun), fun painted murals, climbing walls, small parkour area, big horizontal climbing net, basketball area, tennis rebound wall, small skate park area, giant chess board, bocce court and bike training area for younger kids.

Bicentennial Park Playground (Chelsea)


Spread around two big mound slides is lots of play equipment including a large birds nest swing. Also an outdoor gym and huge skatepark with many open bowls, bumps, spines, rollovers, banks, rails and quarters. Next to the skate park is a youth precinct which has a multi-court play area for soccer and basketball, DJ table, timber climbing poles and a shelter with seating.

Booran Reservoir Playspace (Glen Huntly)


A $10.8 million playground with a huge 10m high double dome rope climbing net with massive slide, lots of water play, equipment for adventurous climbers, flying foxes, and an active sports area.

Burden Park Ninja Warrior Course and Burden Park Playground (Springvale South)


Beside a fun but not overly challenging wooden adventure playground is a large basketball court with soccer goals and a fantasticNinja Warrior Course.

Box Hill Gardens Playground (Box Hill)


Besides a big tower with a big slide, the playground has big net climbing areas, flying foxes, in-ground trampoline and a parkour / metal frame climbing area. Around the playground are grassy areas, BBQs, picnic tables, water tap, toilets, basketball / netball courts, table tennis tables, pond (about 100m away) and a 1000m long jogging track.

Atherstone Regional Play Space (Melton South)


Lots of rock-climbing walls, monkey bars which are cleverly hidden underneath the long walkway, water play, huge birds nest swing and in-ground trampolines.

Casey Fields Playground (Cranbourne East)


Casey Fields playground is part of a huge 76 hectare site with many outdoor sport facilities including many ovals, a great BMX track, netball courts, fishing lake and a Criterium Cycling Track. The playground itself is extensive and has a long rope bridge leading to a 6m high spiders web pyramid.

Coburg Lake Reserve Playground and De Chene Parade Playground (Coburg)


Coburg Lake Reserve has two great playgrounds for older kids. The main playground next to the lake has a huge rocket ship with several twisting slides and plenty of picnic facilities. The second playground across the lake has a flying fox, a fun Twister game, a colourful and quirky outdoor lounge room to hang out in and a frame with five swings.

Eliston District Park Playground (Clyde North)


The playground area has a huge three storey tower with two massive slides, plenty of climbing opportunities, flying fox and in-ground trampoline. The park has lots of other facilities including a skate park, three fitness stations, half basketball court, community garden, orchard and a big grassy lawn area.

Golden Sun Moth Park Playground (Craigieburn)


A brilliantly conceived playground with the theme of a Golden Sun Moth. The area for older kids has a huge structure in the shape of a moth with moth leg steps, some great moth leg slides including a huge tunnel slide and open tunnel legs made from circles to climb up. There are two huge pyramid rope climbing frames, huge birds nest swing, long flying fox and dizzy spinner cup.

Malahang Reserve Playground (Heidelberg West)


Malahang Reserve has a wide range of playground equipment spread across a large area including a skatepark, basketball court, multiple long flying foxes, huge double pyramid rope climbing frame, huge birds nest swing, various fun swings and a play structure with a paddle steamer theme.

Maritime Cove Community Park Playground (Port Melbourne)


A beach-side playground with a sand base which has fun water play sprays, crows nest, lots of play structures using re-purposed maritime equipment, high ropes course, log climbing area, a fun and innovative exercise area and a nearby cafe.

McKinnon Reserve Playground (McKinnon)


A tower with two twisting tunnel slides, dual flying foxes, parkour area, big bouldering area, basketball court with a netball ring on the side and golf practice cage.

Murrumbeena Park Playground (Murrumbeena)


Huge playground with a range of interesting play and visual elements including a flying fox, birds nest swing, huge atom shaped rope climbing frame, seven swings of different types and a fun, huge pear swing (stand and hang onto the enormous yellow fruit with your hands with as much tenacity as you can muster).

Navan Park Playground (Melton West)


The playground includes a big tower with two slides and very good range of equipment including some tricky equipment for teenagers - the "Sky Surfer", "Mountain Trek" and "Trick Skate".

Navigation Park Universal Road Playground (Tarneit)


This is a playground for climbers with lots of bouldering, parkour and Ninja elements. The centrepiece is a high mound with a difficult climbing wall on one side because the concrete is curved to an overhang and on the other side is a very steep concrete slide.

Ray Bastin Reserve Playground (Narre Warren)


Brilliant playground with a rocket theme and you don't need to be a budding rocket scientist to enjoy it. There is also a BMX jumps track and skatepark in the reserve

Royal Park Nature Playground (Parkville)


A fantastic nature-based play space with lots of climbing, nice slides and an extensive water play area.

Crocodile Park Playground (Point Cook)


The design of the adventurous playground drew on the Roald Dahl children's story 'The Enormous Crocodile' where a crocodile lives in a playground pretending to be a friendly see-saw before quickly gobbling children for dinner. Even older kids need to be wary. A combination of tall challenging forts, climbing, nice slides and a great water play area.

Skinners Adventure Playground (South Melbourne)


An eclectic junkyard mix of things to do including basketball/soccer court (under shade cloth), chicken house, cubby house in a tree with large curved slide, trampolines, climbing structures, various swings and slides and many other things to explore. The playground is a supervised adventure playground which is only open during certain hours.

St Kilda Adventure Playground (St Kilda)


Chock full of play areas including trampolines, tree for climbing, go-kart path, big metal slide, chook house, various swings and slides, flying fox, cubby house, climbing frames, pirate ship, metal half-pipe and little basketball court. The playground is a supervised adventure playground which is only open during certain hours.

Taylors Lake Linear Park Playground (Taylors Lakes)


The playground has a tower with big spiral tunnel slide, a fun double cone shaped rope climbing frame which rotates around, in-ground trampolines and a fantastic outdoor gym, basketball court, table tennis table, small Hot Shots tennis court and super Ninja course.

Valley Reserve Play Space (Mount Waverley)


An award winning play space with an adventurous elevated ropes courses in a forest of climbing poles and rope nets with rope and log bridges which join cubbies perched on the poles, a huge birds nest swing and flying foxes.

Diamond Creek Regional Playspace (Diamond Creek)


The nature-themed playground has something for all ages with a tram cafe perched above the playground. There are two fantastic climbing areas - one area is a massive jumble of logs and the other is a big set of elevated boards which represent a feat of balance and courage to move from one end to the other, three flying foxes and birds nest swing.

Community Bank Adventure Play Space (Wallan)


A wonderful play space that has been designed for children of a wide range of ages and abilities and is centred around a five-story tower and a water splash park. Also flying foxes, two birds nest swings of different sizes and four standard swings.

Jells Park Yabbie Hill Playspace (Wheelers Hill)


A vast nature-based playground for all ages and abilities ranging from beautiful mosaics, three in-ground trampolines, floating rock climbing areas and an obstacle course with a wide range of rope nets and bridges. Located in the huge Jells Park with a nearby cafe.

Phoenix Park Playground (Malvern East)


A wooden community built fort style playground which has ten separate swings and lots of areas to explore. The Phoenix Park cafe is right next to the playground and there is also a skatepark.

Mill Park All Abilities Play Space (Mill Park)


The all abilities playspace has a play tower zone with a 4.5m high multi-level climbing tower for older kids, a great water play area featuring accessible water play tables, shooting water jets and misting rings, in-ground trampolines, double flying fox, big selection of swings and a recreation zone with a a lawn area and a big basketball court with rings at both ends and lines marked for multiple sports.

Search for a Suitable Playground

If you are looking for a playground with a facility such as a basketball court, table tennis table, water play, bike track/pump track, flying fox or outdoor gym use the Enhanced Activity Search. Tick activity as Playground, specify a suburb and search radius and the select the facilities to search for.

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Web Links

→ The Most Exciting Kids Activities in Melbourne

→ List of Skateparks in Melbourne and Victoria

→ List of BMX Tracks in Melbourne and Victoria

→ Parkour Activities Around Melbourne

→ The Best Playground Slides in Melbourne

→ Adventure Playgrounds in Melbourne

→ 35 Best Playgrounds for Toddlers in Melbourne


31 Best Playgrounds for Older Kids in Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000