As a mum of a busy 2-year-old toddler, I couldn’t be more thrilled with Joondalup Square playground, located opposite the gigantic Bunnings Warehouse. As an added bonus, the well thought out open-air play area is surrounded by eateries!
Joondalup Square playground is shaded by two shade sails and is fully fenced and gated. There are 2 gates – one leads onto a pram ramp with a railing on either side (just another play item for my monkey), and the other has a couple of steps down – making the playground slightly sunken. The surface is softfall rubber (and interestingly they forbid high heels!).
There are several benches surrounding the fence (ie. not inside the play area) where you can sit and watch your child play while you nibble a takeaway or sip on a coffee safely. Or you can sit at the outdoor tables of the eateries, but this is a few more metres away from the play area, making it more tricky to watch your kids if it gets busy.
Currently, the eateries that have opened are: Subway, El Mexicano, Trotters, The Coffee Club and Yumi Bento Japanese meaning that there is quite a nice range to suit most palates.
The play structure itself is bright and colourful and at a low-level ideal for toddlers. Access is up a short ramp, short ladder or simple steps. There are several tunnels connected by various sensory distractions such as noughts & crosses, a car wheel, maze game, chains and a spinning flower. The tunnels have ridges inside to aid with climbing. At the end of the structure is a blue slide, which is the perfect slipperiness and length not to scare little ones, and the rail above it is the perfect swing for my monkey.
It took me a while during our first visit to notice two weird loudspeaker-like things emerging from the ground – one on either end of the play area… Then another mom pointed them out to me and explained that you can play a game of whispers (or shouts) through one to be heard on the other side.
And hooray, there are public toilets located about 20m down the lane between the eateries.
This is my latest easy entertainment for my busy toddler, and I hope she won’t tire of it too quickly as I look forward to many coffee dates here with mom friends or even on my own to try out all the eateries. Best part: I can send Dad to Bunnings without feeling like I am getting the raw end of the deal!
Find more playgrounds in Perth
[wpautbox authorid=”20″]
Location
Member Reviews
Place Categories: Fenced, Playgrounds, Near Cafes, With Shade, With Toilets, and Best for Toddlers
