Nature Play & Water Fun at the Awesome Lizard Log Playground

By: Kylie Purtell, ellaslist explorer

ellaslist explorer Kylie had family playtime at Lizard Log playground inside the Western Sydney Playgrounds, and boy did they have a good time! She has shared her top tips to help make your visit to this award-winning playground a memorable one:

What Makes The Playground A Great Option For Parents And Kids?

This playground is one of the best we’ve been too. It’s created so as to blend comfortably with the natural environment and allow kids the opportunity to both play and explore its natural bush setting. 

What Equipment Is There For Playtime?

There is no brightly coloured play equipment here! Because of its natural design, at first glance you wouldn’t even know there is a playground there until you start looking.

There is a flying fox, a giant slide, rock-climbing wall, tire swings (with a metal grate in the middle hole so kids can sit comfortably on them with no chance of falling down through the middle), metal diggers, a spinning top to sit and spin on, as well as a rope bridge and lots of timber stepping stones and logs for kids to climb & jump across.

Each play area is surrounded by fine, soft sand, perfect to absorb any falls the kids might have while playing, and providing the perfect sandpit for building castles! There is also a really cool water channel with a pump, where kids can watch the water cascade through a series of wooden channels down to a final waterfall created by the naturally occurring rocks & bush.

The playground is definitely geared towards kids from preschool age and up, however younger kids can enjoy playing in the sand and climbing on the lizard log (that gives the park its name!) Older kids will enjoy this park just as much as the 4-6 year age group and their imaginations will get a real workout!

What Facilities Are Around?

The cafe is a short walk up the hill from the playground, and there is heaps of parking. When we visited on a late winter weekday afternoon the playground was basically empty, but I imagine it would get quite busy on the weekends. It would be a perfect park for birthday parties & picnics. There' also picnic areas, seats and toilets, and a system of walking paths & bike tracks that cover the whole parklands area which is perfect for both bikes & scooters.

What Was The Kid's Verdict?

The kids absolutely LOVED it! From the flying fox to the giant slide to the log area, they couldn’t get enough of it and had to be dragged away. It’s also the kind of park where parents can get really involved with their kids if they want to, and let’s just say, my husband had just as much fun playing and exploring in the playground as the kids did. He can’t wait to take them back!

What Was The Highlight Of Your Day?

There was nothing boring about this park. It’s designed in such a way that it blends into the environment and half the fun is discovering new sections that look like nothing much, but on closer inspection are filled with things to do and play on. The flying fox was, of course, a big hit with the 6-year-old.

The slide is really tall, but big enough that parents can comfortably have a go with younger kids who might be a bit intimidated by the height.

The log area is great for testing kids balancing skills, and the girls spent a lot of time navigating their way from one side to another, choosing which stepping logs would make the best path, and pretending that the soft sand surrounding it all was lava. It’s the kind of park that is designed to allow kids the opportunity to use their imaginations, and I believe we could spend an entire day there and not get bored.

Top Tips

There isn’t a lot for kids under 4 years old, however they would enjoy playing in the sand and climbing on some of the smaller logs. Because of its bush setting there are warnings around the place to keep an eye out in summer for snakes in the area so having a chat with the kids about being aware of snakes would be a good idea before visiting in the warmer months.