Wrinklewort Park in Truganina is the newest playground in Melbourne’s west, and it’s built around a theme I haven’t seen done quite like this before: giant sculptural flowers. The whole park reads like a garden, with the play equipment itself shaped like blossoms rather than just sitting next to some planting.
It only opened recently, and it’s already become the weekend park to go to in Westbrook.
The Giant Flower Towers
The centrepiece is a set of connected towers shaped like oversized flower heads, each one covered in layered green petals with yellow, stamen-like spikes fanning out from the top.
They’re modelled on the Button Wrinklewort, a small native daisy that’s actually endangered in the wild, and its largest remaining population happens to be nearby at Truganina Cemetery, which is presumably where the park gets its name.
Two of the blossom towers are connected by a rope bridge strung high between them, with mesh-caged platforms inside each flower head for kids to climb up into. A long enclosed slide spirals down from the top, and from below, the two flowers look like they’re growing straight out of the playground.
Climbing and Water Play
At ground level there’s a tall, arched climbing wall shaped almost like a leaf, studded with coloured hand and foot holds and a cut-out porthole kids can scramble through partway up. There’s a rope-and-pole crossing nearby too, strung low with knotted footholds for younger kids working up to the bigger climbs.
Dotted around the open paved area are smaller sculptural flowers on bent green stems, which double as a misting water play feature on hot days. It’s a nice touch that keeps the theme going even in the parts of the park that aren’t climbing equipment.
For Younger Kids
Away from the big towers, there’s a separate, gentler play zone built around a cluster of small timber cottages with pitched shingle roofs, complete with little cut-out windows and doors, linked by low timber bridges and ramps. It’s a clear changeof pace from the flower towers, more sheltered and closer to the ground, and better suited to toddlers and younger kids who aren’t ready for the climbing nets yet.
Swings sit just beside this section, along with a set of hollow tunnel barrels kids can climb through, one of which frames a little cluster of striped totem poles on the other side like a lookout point.
Beyond the Playground
The playground is only part of what’s here. There’s also:
- A multi-sport court
- Fitness/gym equipment
- A bike and scooter track
- A fully fenced dog park next door
- BBQs with seating and shade
- Public toilets and water fountains
- Plenty of parking
With sand play, water play, swings, climbing, slides, a sports court, a bike track, a dog area, BBQs and toilets all on one site, it’s genuinely a one-stop outing, which is rare even for a new playground.
When to Go
It gets busy on weekends, understandably, given how new and photogenic it is. If you can get there on a weekday, it’s a much quieter experience and the kids get more of a run of the climbing equipment without queuing.
Wrinklewort Park is at 32 Tanglewood Boulevard, Truganina. For more new playgrounds in Melbourne’s west, we’ve also reviewed Top Fun Kids Cafe and Marie Wallace Bayswater Park, or browse every playground in our Melbourne directory. If you’re planning your visit around the school calendar, check the Victorian school holidays and term dates.