With school holidays underway, families are celebrating City of Newcastle's ongoing investment in recreational spaces with five new local playgrounds officially opening for children with energy to burn. Young people will be able to swing, slide and climb on upgraded equipment at Loch Ness Drive Park in Fletcher, Waratah Park in Waratah, Harold Myers Park in Birmingham Gardens, Vera Wilson Park in Beresfield and Avon Street Reserve in Mayfield.
With a total investment of $750,000 across the five playgrounds, there are activities to suit all ages and importantly, equipment that allows children's senses to go wild these school holidays.
Loch Ness Drive Park, Fletcher
The largest of the five playgrounds, the design of the renewed playground at Loch Ness Park was guided by Everyone Can Play principles. The playground has an activity for every age, with a total of 41 inclusive activities split across two-levels.
Waratah Park, Waratah
Nestled amongst greenery, Waratah Park's playground design is sympathetic to its natural surroundings. The new playground offers a range of 22 activities to encourage children to enrich and improve their skills on items including a climbing wall, challenging climbing nets, swings, and a slide.
Harold Myer Park, Birmingham Gardens
This renewed playground features 35 activities, with multiplay equipment designed to encourage interaction between children with slides, gangways, climbing nets and climbing walls.
Vera Wilson Park, Beresfield
This playground showcases areas for children to build strength and endurance, as well as elements that encourage creativity and social interaction. With 24 challenging and inclusive activities, children of all ages will be able to enlighten their senses on commando tubes, climbing walls, swings, slides, climbing nets and play panels.
Avon Street Reserve, Mayfield
Stimulating hearing and a sense of rhythm, this playground offers musical play activities in the form of underground pipes with attached dongers. These pipes double up us talk tubes, enabling children to interact with other children in the playground. Multiplay equipment also offers swings, slides, balancing beams, play panels, gangways, and climbing nets.