Piney Lakes Reserve Winthrop

Piney Lakes Sensory Play Park in Winthrop is a beautifully designed, inclusive Playground nestled within the leafy surrounds of Piney Lakes Reserve. Tucked just off Murdoch Drive near Leach Highway, this park offers a rich blend of nature play, sensory experiences and accessible equipment, making it a fantastic spot for families with children of all ages and abilities.

As you arrive and walk through the main entrance, you’re greeted by a striking lighthouse mural painted by local artist Brenton See, setting the scene for a play space full of colour and creativity.

The main sand and water play zones invite kids to get hands-on and messy. The sand area features pulleys, wheels and a conveyor belt that encourage teamwork and problem solving, while the water play zone lets children pump water and watch it trickle down into a little creek. It’s an irresistible set-up for imaginative play, so definitely pack a change of clothes and a towel.

The broader play park is dotted with natural elements including rocks, logs and raised gardens that are brimming with textures, colours and scents. These sensory planting beds attract birds and other native wildlife, adding to the immersive experience and offering plenty for kids to touch, smell and observe. Accessible sand and water play tables mean children using wheelchairs or prams can join in the fun alongside siblings and friends, and wide paths and ramps provide different challenges for wheels, from scooters and bikes to mobility aids and prams. Seating and grassy areas shaded by established trees make it easy for carers to relax nearby while still keeping a close eye on play.

Piney Lakes has a strong focus on inclusive and accessible play. The swing area offers two bucket toddler swings, a regular swing, a bird’s nest swing and a supportive all-abilities swing with back support, harness and mirror.

There is also an accessible roundabout designed so wheelchair users can roll straight on.

You’ll find plenty to engage curious minds. The sound garden, complete with musical elements and speaking tubes, is ideal for toddlers and preschoolers to experiment with sound, while the labyrinth area features coloured peepholes and speaker phones for playful three-way conversations.

Educational finger-tracing panels highlight local wildlife, and sections of sign language such as “welcome” are worked into the design. One of the most charming features is the hidden “S-E-N-S-O-R-Y” letters scattered throughout the Playground – hunting them down together becomes a fun, low-key scavenger hunt for kids and adults alike.

There are lots of quieter nooks to retreat to if your child needs a break from the main action, including a story-chair corner complete with a pirate-style treasure map, cocoon hammock nests and small off-to-the-side spaces for downtime.

A standout turtle dome, balance elements, seesaws (including a large feature seesaw), gymnastic bars and a substantial climbing frame with soft fall underfoot round out the play offering for older children who crave a bit more physical challenge.

Ramps and pathways make it easy for prams and wheelchairs to move around the site, and the newly upgraded amphitheatre-style play structure includes elevated platforms, undercrofts, a big concrete slide with a transfer platform and a smaller slide from a central tower, plus rope climbs, monkey bars, rocks and logs for clambering and balancing.

Piney Lakes Sensory Play Park sits beside the picturesque Piney Lakes Reserve, which encompasses wetlands, bushland and extensive parkland. The lake itself, with its ducks and birdlife, is a lovely backdrop, but it does mean the Playground is unfenced with water nearby, so close supervision is essential for younger children. Beyond the play space, families can explore several walking trails of varying lengths and accessibility through the reserve, including the Bidi Katitjiny Aboriginal Women’s Trail, the Climate Watch Trail, a wetland walk and a fully accessible StoryMap walk, all designed to showcase local flora, fauna and Noongar culture.

Facilities are excellent, particularly for families and visitors with accessibility needs. There are unisex accessible toilets fitted with adult change tables and different grab rail configurations, accessible picnic tables at various heights overlooking the lake and play area, and an accessible drinking fountain with bottle refill tap. Multiple BBQs with shelter make it easy to plan a picnic or birthday gathering, and there are several ACROD bays plus general parking and bus parking on site.  Adjacent to the Playground you’ll also find the fenced Piney Lakes Dog Play Park with separate areas for large and small dogs, and, a short walk or drive away, the Piney Lakes EcoHub, which hosts environment and sustainability programs and events.

Piney Lakes Sensory Play Park is a true destination Playground – inclusive, thoughtfully designed and closely connected to the surrounding natural environment. Whether you’re there for a quick play, a scooter ride around the paths, a longer bush walk or a family picnic under the trees, it’s a wonderful spot for a relaxed, nature-filled outing with kids.

Piney Lakes Sensory Play Park

Address: Piney Lakes Sensory Play Park, off Murdoch Drive, Winthrop WA 6150 (near 555 Leach Highway, Winthrop)
Official website: https://www.melvillecity.com.au/things-to-do/find-parks-and-reserves/piney-lakes-sensory-play-park

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