Ron Barassi Snr Park, Docklands

Splash parks in Melbourne, Australia

This playground in Melbourne's Docklands has a water play area that features two mushroom springs, a traditional hand pump and a sandy, cobbled bluestone artificial stream. Water enters the stream when kids operate the water springs and hand pump, and trickles down past several elevated blocks and stepping stones towards a small sandy marsh around 20 metres downstream. Above: Playing with the mushroom water springs next to the bluestone cobbled stream (Order this image)

For me, this playground typefies everything Docklands. It's shiny and new, and the panoramic views of the cityscape are amazing, including a view of the Melbourne Star. However, it's terribly windswept, noisy and somewhat desolate, particularly as it is situated at the western-most end of Docklands, directly under the Bolte Bridge. There is a constant drone of vehicles overhead, including a noisy click-clack as each one rolls over the small gap between one section of bridge and the next. This is coupled with the reversing beep-beeps of trucks and forklifts in the docks only about 200 metres away on the other side of Moonee Ponds Creek.

On my visit, the playground was empty, and the only people around were office workers from Docklands going for a silent lunchtime jog. After having visited, I think the best times to visit would be when there is no wind forecast, on a Sunday morning or evening when there might be less overhead traffic, and near dawn or dusk (if the kids are awake at that time) to see the city change colour. Above: The bluestone water channel under the bridge at Ron Barassi Snr Park in Docklands (Order this image)

There was one other small hazard in the artificial stream, where small pointy rocks from the gravel mound nearby had been moved or washed into the stream. These little rocks can be painful if you step on them the wrong way in bare feet, so I suggest you bring sandals or crocs for your kids when playing in this water feature.

Aside from the water feature, the main attractions in the playground are the two tall, enclosed steel slides and the surrounding large sandpit. Kids will need to climb tall vertical ladders with relatively large spacing between the rungs to reach the top of the slide, so it is only suitable for proficient climbers. The sandpit has lots of cast iron spades, chains, pulleys and pipes that you probably need a mathematics degree to fully work out how to move the sand from one place to another. For those supervising kids, I liked the large white sandbags that form a barrier around the sandpit and were also comfortable to sit on. If you are planning a picnic, there are two barbecues in front of the pavillion next to (but hidden from) the playground. Lastly, there is next to no shade here at the moment, so bring plenty of sun protection. Before you head out, make sure to read the water safety information and check with the managing authority for any current change of conditions. The marker indicates the approximate location of the playground. If the map is not zoomed in locally, as can occur with some browsers, simply click or tap on "View Larger Map" below.
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