
Shiny new Leslie Patrick Playground
Arana Hills has a shiny new place for kids to dig, twirl and climb. The old Leslie Patrick Playground has been shifted five meters away from the road (Dawson Parade) to a shadier location and a whole beach-load of sand now forms the base of the playground, which makes for a soft landing should they fall off the space like monkey bars. There is a music area with drums and bells to ring to the heavens and several different types of swings.

Modern Rainbow equipment
Upgrading the playground at Leslie Patrick Park will be money well spent as it is such a hub of activity - with Hills District PCYC on one side, Arana Leagues Club on the other and an athletics track, netball, soccer, softball and hockey fields all in between. On the afternoon we visited, the playground was busy with excited children of all ages getting extremely sandy.
The playground itself, named after pioneer grazier, Leslie Patrick, is protected by a rainbow fence and has climbing areas to challenge both older and younger children. This is not your wooden fort-style playground - everything here is shiny and
way too plastic for me, but the kids had a ball.
I recommend taking bikes or scooters, as there are gentle tracks surrounding the playground and meandering all around the sporting grounds.

Fun climbing for all ages
If you plan to go for lunch, there are free BBQ facilities at the playground, or use the pedestrian underpass to cross over to K-Mart Plaza where there are several fast food outlets and a Zarrafas Cafe.
Finish your visit to the park with a visit to nearby Kedron Book where you'll find a gaggle of resident ducks wanting bread crumbs.

Plenty of sand to dig and create with