With a sensory garden, Braille, accessible carousel, adaptive disability swings, and colourful ‘honey bee’ artwork, The Hills District All Abilities Playground is perfect for a group BBQ and outdoor play.
Opened in December 2019, the All Abilities Playground is located within the Leslie Patrick Park precinct at Arana Hills, which includes a number of existing sports fields, PCYC, Netball and Football Club.
If travelling by car, begin your visit at the designated accessible parking area and follow the path to the gated playground entrance. There is a dog bowl and tap on the way, to help cater for service and support dogs.
You will be greeted by the prominent signage and Braille on the main gate, which opens onto a bee and honeycomb-inspired playground. This is reflected in the bright artwork on the picnic shelters and benches, and hexagon patterns across the ground.
A flat, concrete path surrounds the entire play area, which is covered is softfall rubber matting and artificial grass. The ground is easy to navigate, with plenty of space for prams, wheelchairs and walkers.
Enjoy a BBQ lunch under the picnic shelter with ample seating. This is located close by to the accessible toilet facility with user-friendly automated lock and unlock touch buttons. A secondary picnic shelter on the opposite side of the park includes wider, lower bench seating.
The playground itself is great for inclusive play, with the various whimsical and moveable elements at an appropriate height for wheelchairs. It includes a wheelchair-accessible carousel, adaptive disability swings, a ramp leading to tactile equipment, ‘Learning Braille’ clock, musical instruments, sandpit and more.
Follow the spacious pathway through to the sensory garden, which includes flowering plants to attract bees, scented herbs, and a ‘touch’ garden. This is specially designed for visitors to touch, smell, taste and see. Wander at your own pace and experience all the different colours, textures and smells.
After your garden walk, cool off under the soft-spraying water mist fountains or relax on one of the shaded benches or sandstone block seats.
There has been a lot of buzz around this modern playground. Its considered layout and welcoming amenities make for an inclusive and fun day out for people of all abilities.