The best playgrounds in Melbourne

The best playgrounds in Melbourne's northern suburbs

All Abilities Playspace and Splash Park, Mill Park

The All Abilities Playspace and Splash Park, located in Mill Park, nails it when it comes to all-inclusive playground design. This park is fully fenced and offers a water play area featuring accessible water play tables, shooting water jets, even misting rings.

If you prefer dryer and higher ground, the jewel in the park’s crown is a 4.5-meter multi-level climbing tower with accessible ramps and bridges. There’s also a double flying fox with an accessible seat, trampolines, inclusive swings and slides. Even a quiet and sensory play area acts as a peaceful retreat when needed.

• Shade: Yes, several shaded play areas
• Toilets: Yes, including accessible facilities
• Parking: Large carpark next to playground

Gumnut Park and Adventure Playground, Donnybrook

The play equipment at this northern park is creatively themed around the humble gumnut, with giant timber gumnuts incorporated into the jungle gym. Those gumnuts are connected by rope and wire bridges perfect for kids to climb through, plus two giant tube slides for a speedy exit. There’s a smaller slide and play area for toddlers, as well as sports courts, a skate part and in-ground trampolines. There’s also a cafe right next to the park.

• Shade: Partial shade from trees
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Carpark next to playground

Gardiner Reserve, North Melbourne

This cute little playground opposite North Melbourne pool is great for younger kids with a cubby house, small jungle gym, sand pit and swings. A highlight are the creepy crawly-themed equipment, including insect ride-on springers and climbable rope spiders.

• Shade: Tree shade
• Toilets: No
• Parking: Street parking

Lincoln Square Playground, Carlton

This modestly-sized playground gets a special mention for being situated on the site of the oldest public playground in Melbourne. That age is visible when you witness the scale of the 150-year-old Moreton Bay fig trees that surround this nature-based playground. The playground was redeveloped in 2019 and now feels like a giant, inner-city treehouse, complete with enclosed rope and metal climbing frames, a high, enclosed rope bridge and large tube slide.

• Shade: Plenty from the trees
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Street parking

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Crocodile Park, Point Cook

Surrounded by artificial lakes, this playground is designed with both the young and old in mind - nest swings, slides, stepping stones littered across pools of flowing water and an actual (but fake) crocodile spurting water from their mouths.

• Shaded areas: Barbecue and picnic areas are shaded, trees provide some shade
• Toilets: No
• Parking: Street parking

McNish ‘Dinosaur Park’ Reserve, Yarraville

Yarraville’s Dinosaur Park is a slice of the Jurassic in Melbourne’s west. The park is small but notable for its giant, realistic dinosaur sculpture that doubles as a jungle gym and slide. There are also dino eggs kids can hide inside, a barbecue area, picnic tables and an adjacent community garden.

• Shaded areas: Ample shade over playground due to shade cloths
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Small carpark

Selwyn Park Ninja Training Playground, Albion

Selwyn Park Ninja Training Playground is the perfect place for kids to hone their (or your) rope bridge climbing skills, conquer the circle monkey bars, practice the art of rope, wire and ladder balance, and scale the Ninja Wall.

A second playground is also located at Selwyn Park, between the outdoor gym and tennis courts.

• Shaded areas: No shade cloths but plenty of trees
• Toilets: Yes, near the tennis courts
• Parking: A carpark is near the playground

Wyndham Park, Werribee

Wyndham Park is a fantastic example of how good a playground can be. The space was redeveloped in recent years and now features two playgrounds, plus it’s piece de resistance, an 11-metre-tall tower and slide.

There are also swings, rope climbing frames, a wide slide, sand pit, cubby house and a water play station. The site also features barbecue and picnic areas (it’s surrounded by rolling green lawns) and often hosts community events during summer.

• Shaded areas: Shaded barbecue areas, some tree shade
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Street parking on Watton Street and Werribee Station is a five minute walk from the park

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Aughtie Drive Adventure Playground, Albert Park

Also known as Middle Park Adventure Playground and Albert Park Community Playground, this fortress-like park is fantastic for young imaginations. The main drawcard is the wooden castle which turns any child into royalty, but there are also swings, a slide, balance beams, rope bridges and a flying fox. The whole space is fenced for safety as well.

The story behind the playground is just as amazing – Aughtie Drive playground was constructed by around 3,000 community volunteers over just one day in May, 1993.

• Shaded areas: Yes, swings and part of the adventure playground are shaded
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Parking bays on Aughtie Drive

Booran Reserve, Glen Huntly

Booran Reserve playground is located on the site of the old Caulfield Service Reservoir, with lots of nods to that history. The old bluestone plinths and central sluice gate have been incorporated into the playground, which features swings, in-ground trampolines, sensory play areas, cubbies, two-level sandpit, dual flying fox and a massive rope climbing frame with a slide.

There’s also a water play area with jets and splash pads, plus barbecues, sports courts and picnic tables.

• Shaded areas: Yes
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: A small car park is located off Alamar Avenue

Skinner Adventure Playground, South Melbourne

Skinner Adventure Playground is a fully staffed playground suited for kids aged five and over. Originally conceived as a play space for local children living in social housing, it is now a beloved attraction for families from all over. Kids can enjoy haunted houses, tree houses, a variety of slides, sandpits, ride-on cars (of the motorless variety), a stage and sports facilities.

As it is staffed, the playground is only open 3.30-5.30pm weekdays and 12-4.30pm during school terms, and 12-4.30pm every day of the week during school holidays. These hours can change, however, so call before arriving.

• Shaded areas: Yes, lots
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Street parking, paid parking

The Maritime Cove Community Park, Port Melbourne

The City of Port Phillip has gone hard on the nautical vibe for Maritime Cove Community Park, using repurposed equipment to create this ocean-themed park which includes forts fashioned from repurposed channel markers, a climbable crows nest, marine bollards, old rail lines, a ladder bridge and replica shipping containers.

In keeping with the theme, the entire playground uses sand as its ground and two water play areas for the hotter months. Plus, the park is right on the beach.

• Shade: Limited to the shipping containers
• Toilets: Nearest public toilets located next to the Sandridge Lifesaving Club
• Parking: Street parking

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Eltham North Adventure Playground, Eltham North

Plenty of shade is incorporated into this playground, which was reopened in 2018 after the original playground was destroyed by fire. While very much an outdoor space, many of the playground activities – the jungle gym, climbing frame, slides and climbing wall – are located under a large wooden shed, almost creating a play “barn”.

There are also additional wooden cubby “shops”, a sand pit with digger, monkey bars and a liberty swing (for children who use wheelchairs). A master locksmith access key is required to use the liberty swing.

• Shade: Plenty
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: A large carpark is next to the playground

Waverly Park Regional, Mulgrave

If your children love slides – the bigger the better – then they’ll love Waverly Park. The playground has two large two slides, including one that is triple-layered, as well as a wide embankment slide.

Smaller kids are catered for too, with a sand pit area with a digger, and small climbing frames. Flying foxes, swings, trampoline pits and water play rounds out this eastern suburbs playground.

• Shade: Shaded play areas and picnic areas
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Parking bays in front of park

Victoria Park, Kew

There’s a little bit of everything at Victoria Park, from playground favourite (slides, swings, rope climbing frames and poles) to sensory nature play, water pump, trampolines, ‘ninja warrior’ wall and gym equipment. The playground also has a family-friendly scooter and bike pump track.

• Shade: Lots of shade from trees and shade sails
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Street parking

Ross Reserve Playground, Noble Park

Ross Reserve Playground features some more uncommon playground equipment, such as a roller slide down an embankment and child-sized hamster wheel. Big kids will love the jungle gym, a sprawling fortress with multiple levels, wooden bridge, portholes, high rise wire climbing tunnel, huge rope ladder and multiple slides (including a giant helix tube slide).

• Shade: Shaded sand pit, barbecue areas and tree shade
• Toilets: Yes
• Parking: Street parking