Fergusson Square

You know what? For a playground in amongst rose bushes and neatly trimmed lawn, this isn’t too bad.
I wouldn’t say it’s a great place for toddlers to ‘hang out’, this playground is essentially best suited for early Primary School aged children who could use the equipment to its full potential.
There’s NO shade and there’s no drinking fountain, neither of which Burnside Council seem too eager to put in to their playgrounds. Low and behold, there’s also no tennis courts which is almost unheard of! I know I’m being sarcastic, but I would hazard a guess to say that about 85% of the Burnside playgrounds have tennis courts. La-​de-​da!

You know it’s a wealthy area when they don’t have a local park, but a local square instead. This is like the local park to end all other local parks. It’s stunning.
There are problems. For instance, there’s no shade over the playground. I think the safe measure of time to stay out in the sun is ten minutes. Or some other pitiful number. Ten minutes on a playground is a cruel tease. Hell, the trees are so far away from the playground, it’s more like eight minutes on the playground. And that brings all sorts of issues of inequality into it. For instance, faster children (Kenyans) will have more time in the sun than slower children (me).
But as much as I love playgrounds, I mainly just love to watch the trees move in the wind. This square if very, very well kept, and I hope it stays that way. It’s a great, peaceful place to visit.

Fergusson Square is pretty great for a bunch of reasons, not least of all its ressemblance to the set of desperate housewives. Its perfectly tended and manicured symmetry, paired with the fact that it is often empty adds a slight suburban freakiness to the perfection. The square is set in the well to do suburb of Toorak Gardens, an inner eastern suburb of Adelaide, located 2 km east of the Adelaide city centre
There is some lovely and well cared for childrens play equipment and walkways leading to the centre shaded by dense vines growing over a wooden structure. Some friends of mine got married in the square a couple of years ago, which is what I remembered today when I passed through the space. Despite being smack bang in the middle of private residences, the heart of suburbia, the setting was idyllic on the day and suited their purposes flawlessly. As teens they had spent time there after school, hanging around and being cheeky.
A great location for a picnic if you’re a local and can’t be bothered truckin it (or facing the crowds) in the much larger nearby Tusmore park. Great for kids too.