Gibbon Street, Mosman Park

Gibbon Park, Mosman Park

Gibbon Park is the latest nature playground in Mosman Park. This park includes a mix of nature play elements and traditional play equipment that’s sure to satisfy active children!

On arriving Miss 6 raced straight for the traditional play equipment first. What kid can resist a slide? This part of the playground is covered with shade sails, has a soft fall rubber base and is surrounded by grass. Great if you’re not a fan of sand. This playground appears to have been installed in 2012. It features climbing ropes, climbing walls, a tunnel and slide, and a range of ladders. There is also a seesaw rocker, which Miss 6 loved.

In addition to this, there is a small toddler playground in the grassed area. This has a shop counter or window for imaginative play and an abacus for counting and colour play. Both this and the traditional playground are a little dated, but this doesn’t mean the kids won’t have fun with them.

However, the main attraction is the nature playground. This was built in December 2020, so it’s brand spanking new.

The nature play features big rocks and logs for climbing and balancing. Ropes are also a prominent feature; a shout out to Mosman Park’s history of rope making. Miss 6 enjoyed trying to balance and tight-rope walk across these. They’d be great as an obstacle course as well. The main rope and log feature put me in mind of a ship or perhaps dinosaur bones. I’m sure there is lots of scope for imaginative play here.

At the top of the playground we found a mia-mia or shelter. This is made of wood and more rope fibres. We found this perfect for imaginative play. Miss 6 mainly pretended she was camping in the park.

Adjacent to the nature playground, we also found a birds nest swing. Perfect for one or for a group of kids. Miss 6 also loved this feature.

The Gibbon Park nature play area has a base of wood chips. Again, this is excellent if you’re not keen on sand shaken out of shoes in the car on the way home.

The nature play part of the playground currently isn’t fully shaded. Tall mature trees have been preserved around the outside of the playground, and younger trees have been newly planted. These new trees will start to provide shade within a few years. So, in the meantime, you’ll need to pack a hat and sunscreen on high UV days.

Moreover, if you’ve got older kids with you who aren’t into playgrounds, there is also a basketball and tennis count available next door at the Margaret Baldwin Centre. Again, this isn’t shaded, so remember to bring a hat. The courts are available for public use when not booked for training or competitions, however it’s recommended you book ahead for tennis to obtain access to tennis nets and posts.

Gibbon Park also has a barbecue area. This has two hot plates and a covered picnic table. Perfect if you fancy a simple sausage sizzle or plan for a picnic lunch with friends. This is close to most of the play equipment so you can easily keep the kids in view. With grass adjacent to this area, you could also throw a rug down to sit with any babies or toddlers under the tree.

In addition to these facilities, we also found plenty of seating available. There’s a bench next to the traditional equipment and another between the swing and barbecue area. Otherwise, you can always perch on a log. Miss 6 decided the tree stump, which features the install date and carvings, would make a good seat, too!

Miss 6 definitely enjoyed our play at Gibbon Park. We’d stop off here for a play when we’re in the area again. Be prepared for kids to get a bit grubby, to climb everything and to play with sticks. It’s not your usual sanitised playground. But that is half the fun!