UNDERCOVER MUM SERIES
Follow the ups and downs of parenting as our mum takes up the challenge to find the best things to see and do in the Sutherland Shire with children.
Over to you Undercover Mum…
It’s been a little while since we headed to a new park as the girls had been enjoying going regularly to a few of their favourites.
We decided on a cooler morning to try out the park at Castelnau Street. After protests from Miss 3 about not going to her favourite Paw Patrol park (her name for Old School Park in Gymea) we arrived at the playground. She was happy enough to see it looked like there was plenty there to keep her occupied.
There is some parking on the street as well as a car park so we had no trouble getting a spot on a busy weekend morning.
While the park is not enclosed it does have the added benefit of being close to a cafe where parents can grab a coffee. The seated garden area at the back of The Laneway Cafe is only 50 metres or so from the main park.
There are a few bench seats to sit on but no picnic tables. So if you plan to bring some snacks and stay for a picnic make sure you pack your rug. There is lots of green open space to make yourself at home.
We didn’t pack the girls scooters this day but there is a small bike track that goes around the park.
The playground itself is is set out in two sections. The upper level is best for older kids as it has a climbing frame as well as some swings. With the added benefit of having shade cloth over it which is important to me with my little red headed bub who burns the second the sun hits her skin.
While the lower area is perfect for toddlers and is where the bulk of our time was spent. It has a swing, a little slide and a water play area. Miss 3 made a beeline for the swing like she does with most parks that we visit. While Miss 1 had an absolute ball in the water play area. She also loved playing in the sand and could have spent all day there.
But the day we went was quite cool and Miss 1 was literally drenched from head to toe after splashing around and having a ball in water play area. So we decided to call it a day after about 45 minutes.
I hadn’t really prepared beforehand to pack a change of clothes but she was far too wet to get in the car as is. Thankfully I had a size 0 onesie hiding at the bottom of the nappy bag that we someone managed to squeeze her into before heading home.
Overall this is a pretty great park for kids of a few different ages. It’s great to grab a coffee by the cafe close or set up a picnic rug and enjoy the sunshine. With no fence around it you do need to keep an eye on the little ones but the smaller park area has a bit of a retaining wall around it which makes it fairly safe for the little ones to stay put.
Do you have any favourite places that our Undercover Mum should check out and review next? If so, please let us know in the comments.
2 comments
The sand is so full of debris and sharp objects that my foot got cut open through my sandles.
Louise, that’s terrible, thanks for letting us know. Did you report it to Council?