If you live near the city, you probably already know this one. We’re usually at Buluk Park in front of the library whenever we’re in Docklands, the water play setup there is genuinely well designed, but Ron Barassi Snr Park is one we’d always meant to visit and kept putting off because it felt a bit further out. Finally made it there today, first time.
The Slide Tower and the Little Hidden Doors
The main play structure is this big weathered wooden tower, properly tall, with a rope bridge section connecting different platforms. Off to one side there’s a long metal tunnel slide that curves down into the sand, and you can spot the Melbourne Star Ferris wheel poking up in the background behind it, which is a nice little detail while you’re waiting your turn to go down. There’s also a smaller wooden hatch-like door built into the base of the structure that my son kept pushing open and shut, like his own little discovery to poke around in before heading back up.
The Big Sandbag Mounds
Before you even get to the playground equipment, there are these huge concrete mounds shaped like giant sandbags scattered around the edge of the park. They look soft, almost like beanbags, but they’re solid concrete underneath. My son kicked his shoes off and climbed straight up one barefoot, standing right at the top with the whole city skyline behind him, all the Docklands towers lined up in a row. He just stood there bouncing around on it for a good few minutes before we’d even reached the actual playground.
The Sand Digger
The sand pit has this brilliant excavator rig built right into it, a proper metal digger arm mounted on a swivel base with a little seat for the kids to climb into. My son planted himself in the seat and spent ages swinging the arm around, scooping at the sand with the bucket end. It rotates the whole way around too, so he could reach sand from every direction without getting off the seat.
The Water Play
Tucked in under the bridge there’s a proper water play setup, with a tall pyramid-shaped metal structure and curling tube slides built into it, plus a scatter of pump-style water outlets set into the bluestone paving. My son found one of the pump posts and just stood there pressing his palm down on top of it, watching the water shoot out and splash over his feet. He was completely soaked within a couple of minutes and did not care one bit. There’s a mix of these dome-topped water pumps dotted around the paved area, so more than one spot for the kids to get wet at once if you’ve got a few of them running around.
The One Downside
The only real letdown is that there’s zero shade anywhere in the park. Once midday hits and the sun’s properly out, it gets hot fast, standing on that sand or bluestone with no shade cover in sight. If you’re planning to stay a while, bring your own tent or shade shelter. There’s a big stretch of grass around the park that’s perfect for a picnic while you’re there, so it’s worth setting up early.
Getting There
Ron Barassi Snr Park is at Docklands Dr, Docklands, VIC 3008. There’s free parking right next to the park, and toilets and change facilities inside the pavilion nearby.
If you’re planning more Melbourne playground visits during the school holidays, check our VIC school holidays and term dates for 2026 page, or our Beckett Park Balwyn review for another Melbourne playground worth the trip.