Tucked just off Charles Riley Road beside the North Beach Community Centre and sports fields, Charles Riley Reserve is a welcoming, leafy spot for a relaxed play. Manicured lawns and landscaped gardens surround a small war memorial, and behind this you’ll find the sand-based Playground, shaded by blue shade sails and bordered by young trees and garden beds. It has a friendly, local feel and is especially popular with toddlers and grandparents on weekday mornings.
The Playground surface is mostly clean white sand with some purple soft-fall areas, so it’s ideal for little ones who are still finding their feet. Bringing a bucket and spade is a good idea, but there’s also a fantastic dedicated sand play station with scales, buckets, chutes and conveyor belts that encourage children to dig, pour and experiment.
A sit-on sand digger adds to the fun, allowing kids to scoop and dump sand like a mini excavator.
If your child loves swings, Charles Riley Reserve is a winner. There’s a great variety, including a 20m flying fox that runs over sand for softer landings. One end features a standard rope-style flying fox seat for confident kids who can hold on tight, while the other has a high-backed, harnessed seat designed with bigger disabled children in mind. Many families also use this secure seat for toddlers, with adults waiting at the other end to catch and stop them.
Elsewhere in the play space you’ll find two standard swings, a basket swing, and another set of two swings in the sand area, including a baby seat.
A hammock swing invites children (and tired parents!) to flop down and gently sway.
Beyond the swings there’s a small spinner that both rotates and bounces, adding an extra thrill, plus two rocket rockers that are perfect for imaginative space play. These simple pieces are popular with younger children who are not yet ready to tackle the bigger climbing challenges.
The main playframe is where more adventurous kids will spend their time. Elevated and quite high, it’s the only way to access the Playground’s slide, and is definitely designed with older, more confident climbers in mind. The routes up are deliberately challenging: rope ladders with wide gaps, a twisted ladder and a steep climbing wall.
Many younger children are drawn to the slide but then find the climb intimidating, and it can be tricky for adults to assist once they’re partway up. For older kids, though, this structure offers a real sense of achievement and height, with a “big kid” thrill factor that will keep them coming back.
Families planning a longer visit are well catered for. There are three large shaded picnic tables with bench seating positioned close to the Playground, along with two gas barbecues, making this a handy spot for birthday parties, mothers’ group catch-ups or a casual weekend sausage sizzle. The large car park directly behind the Playground means easy access with prams and picnic gear. While the Playground isn’t fenced, it sits back from the main roads, separated by a pathway, plantings and young trees, and most children tend to stay within the play area and lawns.
Charles Riley Reserve is a lovely neighbourhood Playground with strong appeal for toddlers and preschoolers who enjoy sand and swings, and enough challenge in the main climbing frame and flying fox to keep older siblings entertained. Combine a play here with a stop at nearby North Beach cafes or a walk along the coast for a full family outing.
Charles Riley Reserve, North Beach
Address: Charles Riley Reserve, Charles Riley Road (near North Beach Road), North Beach, WA 6020
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1 Review on “Charles Riley Reserve, North Beach”
There are lots of grand parents who take their little ones to the Jumping Joeys classes in the building next to the park.
My 2 year 4 month granddaughter climbs the ladder to the slides no problem but se is a climber!