More playgrounds

Seeing lots of prams on the streets it’s clear that more and more Southbankers are raising families here. However, not enough has been done over the years to make it family friendly.

One of the major headaches for the families is a lack of good playgrounds – many have to drive to Albert Park, Port Melbourne or Middle Park to entertain their kids. That’s not good for anybody, including our environment ...

Frankly, existing playgrounds feel like attempts to tick the box rather than make a great space for kids to play and for parents to connect with the community. Grant Street Reserve is tiny. The Boyd playground also has very few play features and doesn’t have a cover making it very hot in summer. The new Southbank Boulevard playground, for which our community has been waiting for years, is also quite small and focused on climbing for older kids. Its safety is also yet to be tested.

We could take a lesson from Vienna, now the world’s most liveable city, where most main parks including Stadtpark have unashamedly spacious and fun playgrounds, which comfortably coexist with beautiful, landscaped gardens and historical monuments. 

Wouldn’t it be amazing to have Melbourne’s best playground in Queen Victoria or Alexandra Gardens for kids from Southbank and all over Melbourne to come and play? Who knows, it may even help move us a few notches in the most liveable cities list ... 

Max •

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Caption: A children’s slide, which is one of the very few play features at the Boyd playground.