Kadidjiny Park, Dr Seuss Playground, Melville

Kadidjiny Park, Melville

Kadidjiny Park, also known as The Dr Seuss playground, is located in the suburb of Melville. With sensory elements, swings and slides, a picnic area and more, this park has something for the whole family. 

The playground is very different to your traditional playground. There are no multi-purpose climbing frames. Instead there is more of a focus on ‘nature play’. What makes Kadidjiny Park so different are the hill mounds that make up the play area and make you feel as though you are in Teletubby land! My Miss 8 enjoyed running up and down these, and hopping from one to another on the larger mound. There are also red and white stripy poles everywhere which give the park its nickname of Dr Seuss Playground. It really looks like a page from a Dr Seuss book! 

With that in mind, did you know that Kadidjiny is a Noongar word meaning “learning”? It was given this name in reference to the former Melville Primary School site.

Kadidjiny Park has recently had a bit of a refresh. The old soft fall has been removed and replaced with fresh and colourful new material. 

The slides were the first things my daughter headed for. There are two. One is a tall blue tube slide, and the other is an open, bumpy yellow slide. Both are set into rock walls. The yellow slide is the smaller of the two and probably more suited to toddlers and preschoolers. One has stone steps to access it, the other has a hidden path through the garden. 

Adjacent to the slides, there is a swing set with a regular swing and a toddler swing, and a sand play table. 

In addition to these smaller swings, there is also a huge tripod birds nest swing. This was popular with the bigger kids at the park when we visited. 

Further along from the slides, there is a musical sensory play area. Kids can drum on metal drums and other metal percussion instruments. 

The centre of the park features a large soft fall hump. This has a cubby house reminiscent of something a Who might live in from a Dr Seuss book. Around this little house, there are rubbery soft fall bumps. Miss 8 thought these were perfect for a floor is lava type game. For example, avoid the blue patches and hop from bump to bump or on the green bits. 

Exploring further, we found a boat shaped rocker in a sandpit. There is a cute turtle in the sandy “sea” to climb over also. 

Adjacent to this, we found a spinner. It’s big enough that a few children could sit around the outside and spin together. 

In another sandpit nearby, we found a digger and a one or two person spinner. 

After that we also found a rope web. This is perfect for kids who love to climb and perhaps have dreams of being Spiderman for example. 

The barbecue area at Kadidjiny Park is large. That is to say there are several picnic tables and at least two barbecues. There’s plenty of bins in these are to dispose of your rubbish, and a drinking fountain for fresh water. 

Shade sails cover the centre of the park. The rest of the park has dappled shade from the surrounding well established trees. So while you’ll need to still park your hats and sunscreen, it’s a shaded spot to visit in the warmer months. 

Moreover, we also loved about this park is that it’s fully fenced and gated. Therefore little ones are contained and unable run to the nearby roads. 

Beyond the playground area, Kadidjiny Park features pathways that would be great for children to practice their riding skills. There is more open space for picnic areas and a limited amount of exercise equipment spread around the park. The adjacent community hall runs programs for families and seniors. It would be easy to combine a play date with one of these. So, there really is something for everyone. 

Kadidjiny Park, Melville

Located at 72 Kitchener Road, Melville, near the corner of Curtis Road. 

Parking is available on Curtis Road and on Kitchener Road, at the Kitchener Park Hall. 

Toilet facilities are available outside the playground area, attached to the Hall/Community Centre. 

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