Exploring The New Ponds Playground In Sydney❜s North West

  • Family

By: Kylie Purtell, ellaslist explorer

The playground at The Ponds has a really great range of play equipment that suits kids of all ages and abilities. There is plenty of wide open space around the park as well, meaning there is room for kicking a ball around. 

 

 

The playground features a really great climbing structure that leads to a giant slide. The climbing structure has steps which means that younger kids can also navigate the climb if they want to brave the big slide. There is also a slightly smaller play area for pre-schoolers and then on the other side of the park there is a toddler & baby play area with a small play frame and slide plus a tall rope climbing frame next to the giant slide and a really cool ropes course including a tight-rope for practicing balance & problem solving.

 

But, Wait, There's More!

Other play equipment at the park includes: 3 in-ground mini-trampolines, a round-a-bout, a small wooden house & sandpit area, a see-saw, lots of swings, including a nest swing, and every kids’ favourite, a flying fox. There are also low rock walls & benches spread around the playground for parents to sit. 

Before You Go

What are the facilities like? There are no toilets or bubblers and no cafes near by so plan ahead and make sure everyone uses the bathroom at home before heading to the park. Stanhope Gardens & Rouse Hill Town Centre shopping centres are a 5-10 minute drive from the park though, so you can always stop in and grab a coffee and use the bathrooms there before you get to the park. The park is bounded by 3 residential streets and has one covered picnic area.

What did the kids think? The kids absolutely loved it. There was a really good range of equipment and it’s spread right out so that the kids aren’t playing on top of each other. The favourite things were the giant slide, the flying fox and the roundabout.

Best Moments? The giant slide! The 6-year-old really loved the giant slide and flying fox and spent most of her time on there. Towards the end of our visit the 4-year-old decided to give it a go, but only if Daddy went too, and it was big enough to accommodate Daddy and two little girls sliding down together. The 4 year-olds favourites were the mini-trampolines and the roundabout.

A Word Of Warning

To be perfectly honest, while the playground itself is really great, this is not a playground we would visit in the middle of the day unless it was winter, and even then you’d need to be cautious of the equipment being hot because the park has ZERO shade. Maybe in 10-20 years time when the trees they have planted around the place have grown it will be ok to visit during the day in the warmer months, but as it is now, unless they install some shade sails or something the equipment would just be too hot to use. As there is only one covered seating area you’d need to get there early to get one of those spots. We waited until 6:30pm on a December evening to visit and the playground was still in full-sun and the equipment quite warm, the sun didn’t sink below the houses until around 8pm. When we arrived at the park it was empty, but by 8pm, once the sun had gone down the park was packed with local kids (the playground is located in a new residential area). I imagine it would be very busy first thing in the morning as well, and then clear out as the sun rises.

There are also no bubblers or toilet/cafe facilities, it really is designed to be used by the local residents & kids, so if you’re planning on making a day trip to check out the excellent equipment you’ll want to be well-prepared with plenty of water, food, hats & sunscreen, perhaps even taking a beach tent to provide a little shade if the covered picnic area is already occupied.

A Final Word Of Caution

The playground is also located beside a floodway, so if there has been a lot of rain before you visit you’ll need to keep a close eye on little ones lest they wander towards the water.

The Details

The Ponds Playground is located on Piddington Street, The Ponds (about 42km from the CBD). Find out more here.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews