Dunstan Adventure Playground in St Peters has reopened after a major upgrade and still features a huge super-sized tunnel slide!
Review By Claire Davill
The upgraded Dunstan Adventure Playground is better than ever! A brand new, extra long slide, plenty of climbing ropes, water play area, large flying fox and big swings make this playground the perfect spot to spend the day.
With an extensive upgrade completed in November 2023, the playground extends over a large hillside along the Torrens River Linear Park. The old slide has been replaced with a shiny, super-long tube slide, with a large caged platform at the top where you can look over the whole playground and down to the river. You can also get a great view of the buses rushing past along the O-Bahn track.
The slide and platform are the big drawcards for this playground. There are rope ladders and climbing nets to access the platform. The slide has a couple of bends in it to slow you down, but it’s not too fast regardless.
The whole playground is nestled under huge gum trees, and there are lots of areas of lawn, landscaped gardens and rocks to clamber up and down. A new path winds its way from the car park at the top, all the way down to the linear path at the bottom, with reminders to ride carefully and small speed bumps to make sure everyone slows down and makes it down (or up) safely.
This has greatly increased the accessibility of the playground, and provides a slight barrier to the main linear park path. You will still need to be careful not to run out onto the path in front of cyclists and walkers, but the playground is much more “separated” from the path now, a welcome improvement.
The path also features indigenous-styled carvings and animal foot prints to follow. There’s a new toilet block right at the top too, with lots of room inside, and a drinking fountain and rubbish bin outside.
A new swing set with extra long chains sits at the top of the playground, next to a small, but accessible in-ground trampoline and new picnic shelter with tables and BBQs.
Up here you’ll also find a large rope-log style swing that’s lots of fun for groups of children to play on together.
Further along the path you’ll find a new flying fox with a helpful soft fall launching pad. The flying fox doesn’t move too fast, so it’s perfect for kids who are a bit worried about bigger flying foxes.
At this end of the playground you’ll also find some new climbing frames, each with local bird statues at the top. There are huge wooden stepping stones to follow up here as well. Further down, the original rope climbing frames have been retained, along with the soft fall steps up the slope.
The rest of the hillside has been landscaped with large rocks for steps and clambering. A new water play section includes a pump and gate, and water runs down a creek channel, under a footbridge and under the linear park pathway.
Things to consider:
- There is lots of natural shade from the big gum trees, but the lower parts of the playground are in full sun. You’ll need to take sunscreen and hats.
- The tube slide is in full sun in sections and the lower portion will get quite hot on sunny days. Check the temperature at the bottom before you slide down.
- The playground is not fenced. At the top it’s open to Winchester Street, and at the bottom it’s open to the linear path and then the Torrens River. Keep an eye on younger ones, especially at the bottom. Bikes move very fast along this section of the path.
- We saw a few mosquitoes around the slide and water play area, so mosquito repellent might be a good idea.
- The slope is steep in places and the landscaped rock steps are quite big. It might be challenging for smaller children. You can access the top and bottom of the playground via the winding path, which is also suitable for wheelchairs and strollers.
- The toilets are accessible and have plenty of room inside, but there are no change tables in the toilets.
- There is a small, off-street car park accessed from the corner of Winchester St and Eleventh Ave, or you can access the playground on foot or by bike from the Torrens Linear Park path (east side of the river).
- At the time of writing (December 2023) some of the landscaped gardens and the lawn areas were roped off to help them get established.
Location:
Corner of Winchester St and Eleventh Ave, St Peters
For more information and all enquiries please visit the Norwood, Payneham & St Peters Council website.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: Play & Go Adelaide December 2023
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