This has been on my list for years and the opening of a brand new play space gave me the nudge I needed. I was not disappointed with the playground or the wetlands! Mary Carroll (1891 - 1971) was a well-known naturalist and taught at Gosnells Primary School from1923 to 1956. She would regularly take her students on nature walks around these wetlands. The reserve was created in 1971 and named after Mary Carroll. Mary Carroll Park is a major bird sanctuary encompassing two wet

It has taken a while to get this blog up and running as Kings Park has so much to offer I didn't really know where to start but here goes... Kings Park and Botanic Gardens perch high above the Perth (Boorloo) CBD atop the Mt Eliza escarpment. The park and gardens are open 24 hours and entry is free. Entering from the city you will drive or walk along Fraser Avenue which is lined with stunning white lemon-scented gums Corymbia citriodora. standing tall and framing the city an

McCallum Park is a large open space alongside the Swan River in Victoria Park which is often used as a venue for large scale events. We decided to walk along the river on this section to complete the river foreshore walk from Millers Pool in South Perth to the new Boorloo Bridge. The stunning new Boorloo Bridge has opened at the eastern end of McCallum Park offering a 1km detour across to Point Fraser with plenty to explore along the way, including the kangaroos on Heirisson

We first visited this amazing play space late in 2017 and it was my first blog! Finding ourselves in the area we decided to revisit the various trails attached to Piney Lakes Reserve and were delighted to find them just as memorable as the first time! The Sensory Play Park is a discovery in itself! This all abilities, inclusive playground features many artworks and sculptural elements including the letters in the word SENSORY which are out to play, scattered throughout the

The principal aim of Out and About - Family Nature Connection is to get kids out and about in nature. I love hiking in the bush or walking in urban settings along the river or the coast but I realise that hiking and long walks don't suit everyone so I also try to explore playgrounds around Perth. My theory is that you take the kids out for a walk or a hike (most kids will love being in nature and exploring the environment) and then use an exciting playground as the reward fo

Willagee is a lovely suburb with some wonderful playgrounds and artworks. We started by finding Webber Reserve with it's small nature playground tucked away on the north eastern corner of Webber Reserve. Designed and built by the community for local children this is a lovely play space situated at the edge of playing fields and next to a traditional playground with a BBQ, a picnic bench and a basketball half court. Parking is on the verge and there are no toilets. This pla

We had a little bit of spare time after hiking around the Mundaring area so decided to explore Mundaring's 2km Heritage Trail. We called in to the Information Centre and they supplied us with a photo copy of the trail map to follow. You can also access an interactive map online here. We started the trail at the Information Centre as we had picked up the map there. The Heritage Trail had some lovely buildings but many have been replaced. When we got to Sculpture Park and d

THE STORY Pia’s Place was created in memory of baby Pia Maeve Rudd who died suddenly from SIDS. Pia’s Mum, Amy Rudd, dreamed of creating a space where children of ALL abilities could enjoy playing without the barriers often experienced by people with disabilities. Pia’s Place was developed with the support of The Touched by Olivia Foundation, the Livvi’s Place National Network of inclusive play spaces and the Lions Club of Noranda to provide an inspirational nature based incl

Woodlupine Brook Reserve in Beckenham is a narrow park that follows Woodlupine Brook between Mills Park Reserve and Roe Highway, where it disappears under the road. The brook has been developed as a living stream combining it's drainage function with grassy parkland. Footpaths criss-cross over the stream at various intervals allowing you to interact with the brook as you wander through the park. We started our walk heading east from Mills Park Nature Playground through lands

This unique all ages and abilities play space features play and social opportunities for wheelchair users and visitors with other physical or intellectual impairments. There are tactile pathways and "how to sign" communication visuals to foster play interactions. Play zones feature sand and water play, a boat themed play area a carousel and spinners a sway fun boat a double cable way flying fox with accessible and pommel seats a rope swing and swings. twin slides with a soft

The John George Walk Trail is a 5.5km loop walk between Woodbridge and Viveash. You can start the trail at Reg Bond Reserve in Viveash or from Swan Riverside Reserve at Woodbridge. The advantage of starting at the latter is that there are toilets and a coffee hub inside the Woodbridge Play Space, which is a fantastic place for a picnic and a play as a reward for the kids walking or riding the trail. Woodbridge Play Space is one of few all age and all ability playgrounds in

We've driven past Stirk Park next to the Kalamunda Town Centre on a number of occasions without realising what a beautiful park it is. I think it is at it's best in autumn when many of it's magnificent trees show their true colours! We set off to find a fairy on the Kalamunda Fairy Door Trail and as some of them are in Stirk Park this was our starting point. We found three of the fairy doors after much searching but believe there might be more - sadly many get damaged as t

EDIT MARCH 2026 - Playground is closed for renovation. Grab your picnic and head to Opportunity Playspace at Rotary Park in Wanneroo, a playground designed for a half day visit. It is an all abilities playground with barbecue and picnic facilities, water fountains, toilets and a bike repair station. Although the road side section is fenced the fence does not fully enclose the playground. Being so close to the lake there is a snake risk here and in Spring there can be swoop

Are you aware of the wetland lakes in South Perth? Set back from the foreshore cycle and walking paths in Clydesdale Reserve these beautiful lakes often go unnoticed. There are no paved paths around the lakes but the lovely grass is green and relatively flat so should be accessible for prams and wheelchairs. There are two boardwalks so you can either walk all the way around the outside of the lakes or loop around in a figure 8 to take in the boardwalks. The walk around s

Mueller Park is a wonderful 4.3 ha green space in Subiaco between Roberts and Subiaco Roads. It has long avenues of mature trees with some of the WA peppermint trees dating to the 1940's! The shady trees and straight paths invite kids on scooters and bikes to explore in a safe environment. The shaded fully fenced and gated all abilities playground (renewed in 2026) is particularly well suited to toddlers and smaller children with it's low level play features. It has a fort

Kwinana Adventure Park is an award winning play space located in Calista and is absolutely worth the trip to visit. Built under large shady trees and with a large landscaped car park attached this playground is easy to access and so big you can easily spend a day here. This all ages all abilities play space is designed to inspire imaginations and challenge expectations. The play space is made up of six main areas all contained within the double gated fences. Take the kids to

The corner of Saw Avenue and May Drive in Kings Park has been the site of a natural playground since 1974 but refurbishments in 2009 and 2014 have turned this into a beautiful natural play area with nature play features including interesting wood carvings. The playground features an elevated fort, tunnels and climbing rocks, rope courses and nets, and balancing logs and steps. Paved pathways wind through the landscaping with little play nooks tucked away in the bush. Th

The 3km Werrilyiup bush trail loops around Horse Swamp, a natural palusplain wetland that comes to life in the winter months, but is usually dry for the greater portion of the year. In the past when horses in the Swan Valley region went missing they were commonly found roaming in the lush pastures surrounding this wetland on the southern edge of what is now Whiteman Park. The area became known as Horse Swamp. Note the different spellings Werrilyiup and Werillyiup are both us

The Children's Forest situated between Whiteman Village and Mussel Pool in Whiteman Park provides an exciting link between the two main areas of Whiteman Park. The Children's Forest is an easy 200m walk from the Village and 50m from the Mussel Pool area. The Forest itself extends for about 300 metres north to south but because it is made up of a series of zones, each with separate gate entries, the walking trails around the forest possibly extend to several kilometres as th

Hyde Park is only 2km outside of the city off Vincent Street in North Perth/Highgate. Originally known as Third Swamp this area was gazetted as a public park in 1897. After falling into disrepair the park was restored in June 2012. It is a lovely park with lots of green spaces around two wetland lakes. There are lovely flat walking paths which circumnavigate the lakes. Total distance is 800 m so one lap will take around 30 minutes. Hyde Park is a great place to experienc