Overall ranking- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price: FREE
Time of year we went: September
Quick Breakdown
Play equipment- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amenities- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Surroundings- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Popularity- ⭐️⭐️
We LOVED this playground! It will definitely be added to our list of favourite playgrounds to visit. It is fantastic for all ages, including adults, and PERFECT for a day out. We highly recommend paying this place a visit!
Tip: if the gate is open (even before 10am- sometimes even as early as 7:30am), that means the playground is open! We were told this directly by the caretaker.
PLAY EQUIPMENT- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(This current ranking is for the ages 5 and under).
There is something for all ages! I know my focus is currently for five and under, but hear me out. Large equipment such as massive swings, flying fox, a maze, a court, high climbing equipment, and large open grass areas with trees is all great for older kids.
Now for the under fives, there is a small creek between the ponds great for water play. Plenty of grass, trees and even sand. There’s a lot of different sections to Monash Playground, each for a different age group. For under fives in particular, there are slides, climbing equipment, swings, spring riders, climbing webs, sand pit, and an in the ground spinner.
Our children BOTH loved this playground! One just enjoyed playing on the grass with the leaves and the other was all over the climbing equipment. We spent close to four hours there, having lunch, lazing in the sun and watching the kids explore.
AMENITIES- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(This includes toilets, baby change tables, seating and tables, BBQs, and drinkable water fountains available).
We found this very accommodating. The toilets were very clean, there were picnic areas, BBQs for cooking, and a water fountain for drinking. Unfortunately I can’t remember if it had a baby change table, so I apologise for this!
Everything was clean and well kept, making the space incredibly inviting and very hard to leave.
SURROUNDING AREA- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(This refers to grass, sand, enclosed perimeter, and undercover availability).
As you’ve seen in the video there is a bit of everything. Most of the space is filled with lawn that is kept tidy and trimmed. The play equipment is usually surrounded by bark chips lined with edging. There are paths weaving throughout the park and plenty of seating to watch the kids.
The perimeter of the park is enclosed, however, it is such a large area that you could easily lose a kid if they went running off. So be sure to keep an eye on them!
There are a few picnic seating areas in undercover, along with the undercover BBQs. The rest of the park is shaded by some trees but nothing to stop the rain.
POPULARITY- ⭐️⭐️
(This is more of a personal preference, but we prefer playgrounds that aren’t busy. A high ranking means there is little to no traffic).
We visited Monash during a school day in September, so thankfully it was not busy at all! There were about three families (including us) there at any given time.
However, after speaking to the caretaker, we learned that Monash is an INCREDIBLY popular place to be. Which is understandable, I can’t rave about it enough! During the school holidays the car park, next door oval parking, and street parking is usually full.
For this reason we suggest either getting there early (around 7:30am), OR going during the off season (although we know this isn’t possible for everyone).
A BIT OF BACKGROUND
(This is what we learned while there, either from speaking to locals or reading information signs).
According to some locals, there is an amazing story behind this playground. Click the link here if you want to read a more in depth article, but I’ll just give you a quick summary.
A very creative engineer, by the name of Grant Telfer, started building this playground in the 1960s. It began with a humble slide, in which Grant wanted something more for the kids of his town. He took it upon himself to invent and add new pieces of equipment, slowly growing the playground until it became the attraction it is known for.
Unfortunately, the original playground was closed in the 1990s and the new Monash playground was created.