Melbourne has some of the most beautiful playgrounds and parks for people of all abilities to visit. Each has unique features and is packed with possibilities for fun for the whole family.
When you’re looking for sensory-friendly and all-ability spaces for your children to play and make new adventures, browse through our selection of some of the best playgrounds for you and your children to enjoy.
Let’s start exploring:
Eastern Suburbs Playgrounds
Markham Reserve Playground
Address: Victory Boulevard, Ashburton 3147.
Features:
- Bridge ramp to access slides
- Sensory-friendly web swing
- Rotating flower
- Activity deck
- Seesaw.
This magnificently large playground is well-equipped and surrounded by secure fencing. When visiting this space, you get a bushy feeling with its creek, and gumnuts running throughout the grounds, and large wooden kookaburras overlooking the play space.
The long ramp makes access to slides and other equipment possible for wheelchairs. It also features a shaded sandpit and little “shop fronts” for creative and pretend play.
Toilets are on site, there is bench seating throughout the play area, and just off the fenced area, the family can enjoy a walking trail, picnic spots, a skate/BMX park, and an off-leash dog area.
Lilydale Lake Nature-Based Playground
Address: 435 Swansea Road, Lilydale 3140.
Features:
- Sensory creek bed
- Free splash park
- Liberty Swing
- Accessible carousel
- Flying fox with an accessible seat
For a place of discovery and nature, you cannot look past the fun and natural beauty of Lilydale Lake’s nature-based playground. It encompasses everything you want for the whole family to spend time together, combining flat, large open spaces, water, rock creatures, and many accessible play spaces.
This park is appropriate for all ages and uses natural shade provided by surrounding trees, ideal for Melbourne’s hot summer days. While the toilets are a short walk from the play area, you can make a day of it with the BBQ and picnic facilities.
Northern Suburbs
Bundoora Park
Address: River Red Gum Ave, Bundoora, VIC 3083
Features:
- Fully Fenced
- Good shade
- Wheelchair accessible merry-go-round
- Large sandpit
- Water play area with a sand table
Located next door to Bundoora Park Farm, this play space is ideal for kids of all abilities to have fun and explore. The playground has many wide-open spaces, and while a few playgrounds are scattered throughout, it’s the area near the main carpark that is accessible to all children.
There is a cafe on site and BBQs all over, so it’s a great place to spend the whole afternoon outside exploring. There are a range of surfaces from softfall to natural vegetation and concrete paths for access between each play piece.
All Abilities Playground, Shepparton
Address: 25 Tom Collins Dr, Shepparton VIC 3630
Features:
- Sensory equipment
- Series of ramps
- Fully fenced
- Textural paths
- Accessible change rooms
This playground area is lots of fun for the whole family, regardless of their physical abilities. There is a variety of equipment for physical and sensory experiences, as well as plenty of open space for navigating between play areas.
All the play structures can be reached by wheelchairs and are made to help people with varying mobility needs. The shade sails provide lots of cooler areas on a hot Melbourne day. Free parking, toilets and changing rooms are available.
CBD Playgrounds
Royal Park Nature Play
Address: 28 Gatehouse St, Parkville, VIC 3052
Features:
- Nest swing
- Slides
- Splash pad
- Hand-levered pumps for water play & sand play
- Cradle swing
If you love water, rocks, nature, and all things natural, then Royal Park Nature Play is the ideal accessible play space for you and your children. We recommend bringing a change of clothes or swimmers because it’s the perfect spot for alternating between water play, on the nest swing, and in the sand pit.
There are wheelchair-friendly bridges for getting to different playground areas and lots for younger and older children to enjoy. The grassy hills are ideal for rolling down, and there are plenty of seats for taking a break.
Birrarung Marr Playground
Address: Birrarung Marr, Melbourne VIC 3004
Features:
- Liberty swing
- Ramps to slides
- Sandpit
- Eel shaped pathway
- Multi-person hammock with softfall
Birrarung Marr playground is colourful but still makes the most of the surrounding natural elements and indigenous heritage to engage children and their families of all ages. From a sparkling elephant to variously shaped slides, there is lots of space so that there’s room for everyone, even on busy days. There is plenty of shade, seating, tables, and public toilets. This hidden gem is ideal if you live in or near the area or if your children need to burn off some energy after a day in the CBD.
South Melbourne Playgrounds
Livvi’s Place Inclusive Playground
Address: Boland Dr, Lyndhurst, VIC 3975
Features:
- Fenced
- Two birds’ nest sensory swings
- Flying fox with harness
- Wide slide
- Shape & musical instrument panel
- Giant sandpit with metal sand play tray.
You cannot visit South Melbourne without a visit to Livvi’s Place, an inclusive playground where the needs of all children’s abilities are met. This Lyndhurst location is wheelchair friendly and is shaded throughout by trees and shade cloth.
It’s fully fenced and has toilets and baby-changing facilities on site. An outdoor gym for teens and adults is a short distance from the playground.
With panels for balancing, walls for climbing, water taps and pumps for water play, long hours of fun are in store for visitors to this playground.
Ross Reserve Playground
Address: Noble Park, Vic 3174
Features:
- Hammock
- Double xylophone & metal drum
- Libert swing
- Bird’s nest swing
- Level carousel
- Speak & listen system
The reasonably new Ross Reserve Playground ticks all the boxes for a wonderful sensory experience. This all-abilities playground has many great spaces, from in-ground trampolines to a flying fox with a harness seat.
There’s a climbing area if you’re looking for an adventure, a sand pit for creating, and water for getting muddy. The hamster wheel is a one-of-a-kind addition to the play area and an accessible bumpy slide on a gentle slope. This playground has so much to offer that kids of all ages will spend hours exploring it.
Get Outdoors & Enjoy Local Parks
Whether you’re caring for children living with disabilities or want to get outdoors with adult clients, there are a lot of fun spaces across Melbourne to explore. It’s not just playground equipment for kids but also great parks to discover, spaces for a BBQ lunch, and in some cases, adult play equipment.
At Care Professionals, we value the needs of each client and ensure that our staff are aware of spaces that add value to their lives. If you want to know more about our services, contact us at (03) 9000 4141 or info@careprofessionals.com.au.
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