wonguim wilam Playspace, Yarra Street, Warrandyte
Have I been transported to heaven? Drinking a cappuccino and eating carrot cake at The Bakery above a popular and playground.
A fun playground which is mostly covered in shade sails. There are lots of treehouse style cubbies and rope courses. A highlight for the brave are two elevated cubbies connected by a high bridge, a curved tunnel slide, various nets and an enclosed vertical net ladder.
For the slightly less adventurous, there is an elevated cubby at a lower height reached by a ladder with shopfront, metal slide, wobbly bridge, rope bridge traverse and thick rope traverse.
Also a waterplay area with a water pump with a channel with sluice gates.
Other elements include a rotating pole with thick rope seats, log steppers, two in-ground trampolines, birds nest swing, two stand swings and spinning carousel.
Feeling peckish? The Little Gem Cafe food caravan sits next to the playground. Within the playground there is a large table. Next to the playground is a shelter with two tables, BBQs and water tap.
The overall setting is lovely with the playground located next to the Yarra River and there is a walking/bike path along the river bank which is the main Yarra Trail. Go for a walk and see the ducks. There is a bus stop nearby and toilets are about 200m away.
Beside the river is a shelter with tables, BBQs and water tap. Closer to the playground is a set of two unshaded tables and BBQs.
Note: This was formerly Warrandyte Federation Playspace.
Around the wonguim wilam precinct there are a number of historical information signs, outdoor gym and some artwork.
Cooking under the bridge
Over tens of thousands of years the Birrarung has shaped the lives of those around it. According to oral tradition there were dozens of clay ovens under the bridge where First Nations peoples cooked magpies, snakes, lizards and an edible fungus Laccocephalum mylittae (formerly Polyporus mylittae). It has a texture like closely pressed grains of cereal and was eaten by First Nations peoples.
Magpies were baked in ovens for approximately an hour until the feathers came free of the meat. Pieces of snakes and lizards were mixed in with the grain and eaten at meals.
History of the Warrandyte Bridge
Built in 1875, the Warrandyte Bridge was the third and longest lasting wooden bridge over the Yarra. it was 94 metres (308 feet) long and rose 10 metres (33 feet) high and provided a reliable link between Warrandyte and the Caledonia Diggings north of the river. The bridge withstood both fires and floods, including the record floods of December 1934. Picturesque and much loved by local residents, the bridge was the centre of many festivities and the subject of many paintings and photographs by artists all over Melbourne. In 1955, the bridge was replaced by a solid, two-lane concrete bridge, which was upgraded to three lanes in 2019.
Tennis Courts
In 1908, volunteers from the Warrandyte Tennis Club built the first east-west tennis court on this site. Competitions and matches were soon being played here.
In 1934, floods destroyed the courts and in 1939 Black Friday fires melted the asphalt. The courts were restored and the club expanded, until 1975 when a new home for the club was found.
The tennis courts fell into disrepair until in 1981, when the Warrandyte Lions Club took over the management of the courts, restored them, added BBQ facilities and a shelter nearby, and made them available for public hire and tennis lessons.
In later years the tennis courts deteriorated and were removed as part of the park's masterplan refurbishment to provide new recreation opportunities.
A community park
This park has a long and rich history. This beautiful area along the Birrarung, 'Rivers of Mist' (the Yarra River) has had no official name. In recent times it was known locally as Lions Park, after the Warrandyte Lions Club's involvement in the site.
Lions Club members contributed to the maintenance of this area, making it a much loved gathering space for the community.
The legacy of the Warrandyte Lions Club continues today and into the future. As part of the park's masterplan refurbishment, materials from the original shelter and BBQ burner were repurposed and re-used as bench seats.
The Warrandyte Lions Club also contributed funding towards the outdoor exercise equipment by the river.
In 2021 the park was given a Woi-wurrung name, provided by Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder Aunty Doreen Garvey-Wandin, highlighting the community's commitment to honouring the original owners of the land and waterways and their continuing connection to Country.
Photos:
Location
227 Yarra Street, Warrandyte 3113 Map
