Finally made it to the big playground at Wellington Square in East Perth, caught the tail end of a rainstorm on the way in and walked straight into a full rainbow arching right over the climbing towers. Good sign for the day.
The climbing towers
The towers are the centrepiece, tall yellow structures shaped a bit like banksia flowers, with tube slides running down from the top. Properly tall for a playground, enough to feel like a real achievement once you’re up there, and the kids queued themselves up to go again and again.
Under the shade canopy
A big dotted shade sail stretches over a chunk of the play space, red cage-style climbing towers and a slide sit right underneath it, along with stone balance blocks and rope climbing elements scattered around. Good spot to park yourself if the sun’s out, since a fair bit of the equipment is sitting in shade for most of the day.
The flying fox
A double flying fox, so two kids can go at once instead of one standing around waiting. There’s an accessible harnessed seat too, which isn’t something you see at every playground. Easily one of the most popular things here, we had to queue for a turn more than once.
The water play area
Right next to the shaded play structures, jets and water features built into stone blocks, including a red flower-shaped fountain the kids kept running back to. Bring a full change of clothes, ours came out soaked through, there’s no way around it once they find the water.
The skate park and open space around it
Past the playground there’s a skate and scooter park with smooth concrete ramps, plus a big stretch of open lawn and a basketball court nearby. If you’ve got an older kid on a scooter or skateboard while a younger one’s still on the climbing towers, everyone’s covered in the one spot.
The cultural side of the park
Worth knowing before you go, the playground has a dual name, Koolangka Koolangka Waabiny, meaning children’s playground in Whadjuk Nyoongar, and the whole design is built around Aboriginal themes and WA landforms. There are cultural symbols and references scattered through the park, and a dedicated place of reflection for the Stolen Generations in the park’s north west corner. Worth taking a slow lap with the kids and talking them through it rather than rushing straight to the slides.
Good to know before you go
It’s at Wellington Street, East Perth, open 24 hours, and completely free. The park is dog friendly, so it’s an easy spot if you’re walking the dog and have kids in tow at the same time. There aren’t many places to eat right around the park itself, so it’s worth packing a picnic or some snacks. The free Yellow CAT bus stops right by Wellington Square, and runs on the same line as the Watertown Brand Outlet Centre, so you can play, then hop back on for food or a bit of shopping, just note Watertown closes at 5:30pm most days except Friday, when it stays open until 9pm.
Going in the school holidays
Free, shaded in parts, and big enough that different age kids can all find something, a solid pick for the break. For more playground ideas around Perth, have a look through our playground reviews and things to do with kids lists.