Our first trip to check out the upgrade of Beauford Avenue Reserve in Caringbah South didn’t go quite as planned. There seemed to be more people than play equipment so we rolled right past. At least we’d managed to suss out that even on the busiest of days there’s ample parking right next to the reserve.
Four days later we returned, a little later in the day, and found only a few families were there.
Most playgrounds are more pleasant on a sunny day, but this one with its sprawling open space and picturesque view of the Port Hacking river makes a particularly lovely spot if the sun is shining and you’re in the mood for a picnic.
Packing a picnic would be a wise idea since there are no shops in close proximity to the reserve, but there is a water station if you’ve forgotten your drink bottles and a picnic table and a few benches if you happen to forget your picnic rug. Unfortunately, there’s no bin though, so you’ll need to take any rubbish with you when you leave.
Beauford Avenue Reserve is not one of the Sutherland Shire’s bigger playgrounds. My 5-year-old, likely comparing the play equipment situation to our recent visit to Henry Lawson Reserve, observed pretty quickly that “there’s not much stuff”, and yet we went on to spend almost two hours there.
Kids six and under will be right at home on the large, singular play equipment apparatus, which includes climbing poles with flat foot-holds, a small climbing net and bridge, two mid-sized slides and a pretend shop and playable noughts and crosses game set up beneath it.
Beside it is a small balance beam, stand-and-spin pole and three swings (a baby swing with back support, a traditional swing and a large round netted swing.)
All of the equipment is set on artificial turf and surrounded by a path suitable for small bikes and scooters. The larger equipment got good shade around lunchtime but the rest of the swings were in full sun.
The reserve isn’t fenced off from the road, but it’s set back a little and Beauford Avenue is a quiet, no-through road, so this shouldn’t present too much of a problem for anyone with ‘runners.’
There’s a couple of little pathways through the bush that heads down towards the water, so you can take the kids for a safe, little nature walk without getting lost and keep popping out at the ground that’s perfect for ball sports.
For anyone whose kids love to climb there’s also no shortage of trees around and these may come in handy as a substitute for the toilet, because there are none on the grounds.
While my five and three-year-old had no trouble spending 90+ minutes here, kids older than six may not find it quite so interesting.
If you’re looking for a playground more suitable for your kids, have a read through more Mums of the Shire playground reviews.
