Market Garden Playground - Willoughby - Sydney - Review
The Market Garden Playground in Willoughby is built on one of 6 gardens which were located between Eastern Valley Way and Alpha Road from 1880 to 1950. The garden was farmed by a group of Chinese gardeners, who regularly carried vegetables in baskets around local streets to sell to residents. The garden continued until 1949 and was one of the last market gardens in Willoughby.
Photo credit: @busycitykids
The Market Garden Playground was recently completed in July and features a cute shaded sandpit with carved timber balance beams in the shape of carrots & beans as well as sandstone vegetable sculptures located around the playground by Mark Fallone which reference the horticultural history of the site.
Photo credit: @busycitykids
The Market Garden Playground also features a continuous rubber soft-fall surface which is great for little ones as well as a slide, a large dome climbing frame with some musical pannels, two swings and a 2 deep seats spinner.
Photo credit: @busycitykids
Photo credit: @busycitykids
Little Mister loved this playground especially the spinner and the sandpit with the timber carrot and beans balance beams. It also has a great little track for scooters and bikes. The playground is away from the main road hence why there is no fence however supervision is still required especially if you have a little runner like I do!
Photo credit: @busycitykids
Photo credit: @busycitykids
The playground connects Flat Rock Gully (south) to Castlecrag (north-east) which is a shared path through the reserve which allows cyclists and pedestrians to travel between these areas. A new traffic light on Eastern Valley Way allows easy access to Warners Park. From Warners Park, a bush track links up to the Sailors Bay track providing further access to Castlecrag and beyond to other Willoughby bushland reserves.
Photo credit: @busycitykids
There is an exercice station in the middle of the grassy area where kids can have a go if they wish but please be mindful that there is no fence around the exercise station or playground near Eastern Valley Way so supervision is required. Little Mister worried me a few times! Plan accordingly as there are no cafés, shops or toilets around the playground.
Photo credit: @busycitykids
This playground is located at Mowbray Place in Willoughby.
Our packing list for this bike park & nearby playground:
- Drink bottles
- Food for snacks, for lunch or for a picnic
- Sunscreen
- Sunhats
- Helmet
- Scooter
- Bike
This playground has:
- No toilets
- Picnic areas opposite park
- Park Benches
- Picnic Tables
- Community Garden
- Lawn Area
- Exercise Station
- Sandstone vegetable sculptures
- Bubbler
- Gazebo
- Free Parking onsite at Kingsmeadow Close, Mowbray Place and Garden Place which are all adjacent to the park
For more ideas on what to do with the kids in Sydney, head to our blog, our daily spots list or pools & beaches or playgrounds list. And for a full list of parents rooms around Sydney, head to our parents room page.