BEACONSFIELD PARK PLAYGROUND

Beaconsfield Park is one of three new playgrounds that have reopened to the public in July 2021. The main feature here is the climbing rope dome that we’ve seen a handful of times at playgrounds such as Trout Lake and Nobel Park. Inside this web of ropes is a vinyl mat and plastic seat, a rope ladder, sliding pole and plastic plank.

The most unique feature here is the overheard spinner that has a spherical cage in the middle, which invites different ways for kids to hang or sit while spinning like a maniac.

Because these two play components are catered for older kids, the younger children tend to gravitate towards the other side of the playground which has a sand area, pergola-like play hut and embankment slide. 

Interestingly, the fine sand here is evenly mixed with jagged rocks, which I found to be strange. I am not sure if this is a new type of ground cover, but it did make for imaginative treasure hunting type play. Another thing to note is that the fine sand makes the rubber embankment hill quite slippery for some kids. There is also a dust factor with the sand being so fine, because it’s been a very dry summer. My childhood tells me there should be damp sand underneath the top layer of dry sand but no matter how deep we dug, the sand remained dry. Which was also strange. 

Although some parts of the playground are surface accessible, there is very little here that make it inclusive. I point this out because it’s a new playground and it should be something to expect. It just felt like something was missing in this space that would make it feel special. 

On the other hand, there is a wonderful community garden behind the playground that’s worth exploring. There are beds lush with growth as well as cute fruit trees. A grand willow tree sways in the breeze and there’s also a bunch of logs from the remains of a tree that was cut down. There’s also the Italian Cultural Centre’s Il Forno Community Oven on the other side of the park for all your impromptu pizza making needs.