Dove Street Reserve

This is a great community playground. I have met most of my friends here, supervising our children on the playground or taking the dog for it’s evening run. Whenever I go to the reserve there is a friendly face I can stop and have a chat with.
The playground is great for younger children, with swings, slides, monkey bars and climbing frames. Although no shade over it, so it does get hot in summer.
The grass space is lovely and I am very glad that the council have started watering the grass through summer, I still remember the dust bowl conditions of a few summers ago.
It is very friendly for dog owners.
The BBQs are great, with plenty of space for a few groups at once.
For older children who have outgrown the playground it would be great to see an upgrade to the basketball ‘court’, or some soccer goals, or netball rings.

In my line of work (reviewing playgrounds), I see a lot of playgrounds. MOUNTAINS of them. And it’s always great, nice, stupendous and a breath of fresh air to come across a really good one.
The is a playground and it’s big and exciting.
There are barbecue facilities in good conditions.
There’s seating.
There’s a friggen gazebo.
There’s shade.
There’s a drinking fountain.
And, halle-​fricken-​lujah, there are toilets.
You and your kids and your pets and your pets’ kids and your kids’ pets and your kids’ pets’ kids… you’ll all love the flying fox outta this place.

This sure is a fun place to be! Perhaps the biggest aspect of this playground that I enjoyed was the range of play equipment. There really is a lot here for older children as well as equipment accessible and appropriate for the younger members of a family.
In my opinion, this playground JUST fell short of a five star review and I can’t pin point why that is. Perhaps it’s just not as new as a lot of the other five star playgrounds have been. I hate bark chip and I’m not afraid to say it. On the other hand, this playground has most of the ‘added extras’ I like to see in a family friendly park; drinking fountain, shade (although it’s a little distance from the playground), table/​chair area, BBQ, toilets. Perhaps the biggest things missing that would undoubtedly make this a five star playground is the rubber flooring under the play equipment and some shade.
The table/​chair and BBQ are under shade from the trees. There’s also a sheltered gazebo/​seating area but that’s a little distance from the playground, BBQ and table/​chair.
There’s plenty of room to kick a ball here. Such a lovely space!
*Dogs allowed (not near playground)*
*Drinking fountain*
*BBQ*
*Shaded gazebo/​seating*
*Table/​chair*
*Toilet block*
*Basketball court*