Inspired by the birds of prey that hover and soar overhead, Kites and Kestrels Playground is a large raptor-themed nature play space located near the entrance of
Cobbler Creek Recreation Park in Salisbury East. It features unique climbing structures and creative sandpits, as well as the traditional flying fox, swings, slides, creeks and stepping logs.
The climbing structures, which resemble tree nests, caught my eye straight away. They stand tall in the middle of the play space and give kids a good view of the area from above.
The main sandpit looks like bird nests, with giant "eggs" right in the centre, and kids are most welcome to climb on them. The other sandpit has pulley systems that enable them to move the sand around, which I think is just a brilliant introduction to science, design and technology.
There's also an ant city and native bee hotel for kids to explore. These provide a good complement to what they learn in school about living things.
Being a nature play space, the use of timber and rocks is evident in its design. However, there are some metal components as well, which you will need to be mindful of on hot sunny days. Nevertheless, the area is surrounded by lots of shrubs and trees within a bush-like environment. Facilities include shelters with seating and BBQ, park benches, toilets, drinking fountains, bike riding tracks, and a very convenient car park.
