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Leslie Patrick Park, Arana Hills – The Hills District All Abilities Playground

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.

Leslie Patrick Pack All Abilities playground from a drone picture
Leslie Patrick Pack All Abilities playground from a drone picture

Facilities:

  • Accessible carparks
  • Accessible walkway around the park
  • Large, fully-fenced playground (with softfall matting, chip bark, and artificial grass)
  • Play equipment for varying ages and abilities (slides, climbing ropes, swings, forts)
  • Sandpit
  • BBQs
  • Picnic shelters
  • Tables and Chairs
  • Accessible toilet (with touch buttons to lock and unlock doors)
  • Water fountain with push button and clearance space for wheelchair users (plus tap to refill water bottle)
  • Dog bowl and tap
  • Rubbish bins

Nearby venues/Food & Drink:

Leslie Patrick Park is located just a short drive to the Arana Hills Plaza, which has an Aldi, Coles, Kmart and specialty stores. There is also a drive-through Coffee Club along the main road (South Pine Road) at the nearby Everton Hills.

Ramp access to all abilities playground at Lesley Patrick Park
Ramp access to all abilities playground at Lesley Patrick Park

Sensory Considerations

Tactile:

  • Softfall rubber matting, synthetic grass, chip bark, stone blocks, and concrete garden beds
  • Braille (on main gate and some play equipment)
  • Sensory touch garden (spikey, smooth, rough and furry plants which are all safe to touch)
  • Soft-spraying water fountains in garden area (walk under these to cool down on a hot day)
  • ‘Farmer’s Market Cafe’ wooden cubbyhouse with moving parts for imaginative gameplay
  • Sandpit with ‘sand play’ equipment
  • Wooden musical instruments

Visual:

  • Elevated flower and herb garden beds
  • Hexagon-patterned rubber matting and picnic shelters in bold red and yellow (European Common Honey Bee Hive theme)
  • Colourful flower seat pods
  • Parkland/grassy area beyond fence boundary, includes some birds and wildlife

Auditory:

  • Limited road noise
  • May get busy at peak times on weekends, or during the week when sports activities are on at nearby ovals/sporting clubs. However, there is plenty of green space, seats and shaded areas to retreat to.

Address:

135 Olearia St W, Everton Hills QLD 4053

Share your experience:

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Or share as a post into our "Accessible 'Things to do' in Moreton Bay Region" Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/AccessibleMoretonBayRegion/