We finally took the little one to Calamvale District Park and stayed for hours! It’s a proper big park, so there was always something new to walk to, and I never had to hover over one spot.
Is Calamvale District Park worth the drive
Yes, especially if you’re on the south side of Brisbane. It’s at 31 Formby St, Calamvale, and Brisbane City Council lists it as open 24 hours, with a playground, barbecues, picnic areas, public toilets, a basketball half court and an off-leash dog park (Brisbane City Council). It’s free, there’s plenty of free street parking, the paths are fine for prams, and it was only about 10 to 15 minutes from Logan and Underwood for us. Ages 2 to 10 all had something to do.
The treetop skywalk
This is the star, no question. Dark sky cabins way up in the air, joined by bridges, with a big enclosed tube slide at the end. The top is around 8 metres up, and you get there by climbing giant rope webs. The little one wasn’t going to the top, but she was very keen on the bottom of the web, so that still counted!
The flying fox
There are two, side by side, so two kids can go at once, and they’re long! Younger kids will want a grown up nearby to help. It’s a really good one for building confidence, and the run-out is wide open so you can see the whole thing from the start.
The bits for littler kids
Loads for toddlers, which I didn’t expect from a park with such a big skywalk. There’s a green dinosaur slide, a wobbly plank bridge, low rope bridges, musical panels with gears and spinners, and a metal bowl seat that spins.
Climbing, spinning and swinging
Older kids get a curvy silver climbing wall covered in grips, a blue climbing wall with a basketball hoop on top and a goal underneath (bigger kids were all over it), a huge flat spinning disc (she lay right down in the middle of it), a rope bridge and a circle of swings, one with a toddler bucket seat. We brought her balance bike too, there are paved paths through the park, so bikes and scooters are welcome.
Picnics, shade and the rest of the park
Shade was good. Big trees over a lot of it, shade sails over the swings and spinners, plus picnic tables, barbecues, toilets and covered shelters. Council lists two large shelters, one near the playground and one near the car park, each holding 30 people (Brisbane City Council). The park is open enough that you can see most of the play area from where you sit. There’s a basketball half court, outdoor fitness gear and an off-leash dog park too, so it works for the whole family.
Things to know before you go
The playground isn’t fenced, so toddlers can wander off, keep an eye on them. Watch the flying fox area especially, because kids run across it while others are coming down. Some of the equipment is bare metal, so in summer go early or late. It’s a popular spot for birthday parties so weekends can be busy, and council says you can’t book the barbecues or playground, so it’s shared even if a party’s on.
Not when we went, but apparently in June a dozen or so red maple trees turn and it’s a good spot for photos. There’s also sometimes an ice cream and egg waffle truck.
Going in the school holidays
The QLD spring school holidays are on right now, 19 September to 5 October, and this is an easy free one to fit in. Go on a weekday morning if you can, it’s less busy. For more free playgrounds have a look through our playground reviews and things to do with kids.