Livvi's Place is a nautical-themed, inclusive playground at
Westport Park in Port Macquarie. It is a fenced playground that is located by the blue waters of the Hastings River, with safe pool gates that only adults can reach. It is more than just a playground - it is a destination in itself, with bike paths that the kids can ride on, park benches in the shade to have a picnic lunch, a
takeaway coffee window at Westport Club for the parents and old fig trees to explore.
This creative and colourful playground is ideal for smaller children, as everything is designed for the littlies with a variety of interactive and imaginative things to do. Ensure you take the suncream (as it is quite exposed), the scooters, a picnic lunch... and some energy!
Walk the plank on the pirate ship at Livvi's Place Playground
Steer the ship on the high seas!
Parents and carers can pick up coffee from Hastings Coffee Co, a short walk from the playground. Image: Hastings Coffee Co Facebook
Livvi's Place Playground is a joint project between Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, the
Touched By Olivia Charity and the local community. It is called Livvi's Place after a beautiful 8 month-old girl Olivia, who passed away from Lymphatic Malformation. Her parents John and Justine Perkins were determined that Olivia's life had meaning and they wanted to bring hope to others through their loss. They created the charity
Touched by Olivia, which creates inclusive play spaces all across Australia - see
here for a full list of their playgrounds.
This scenic playground has a large, colourful pirate ship in the middle (which is wheelchair accessible), with twin slides and even a plank to walk on. Also in the playground, there is a sandpit, a nest swing, musical instruments, a crows nest tower to climb, a spinning carousel, water play, traditional swings and a stepping obstacle course! There is also a shaded BBQ area, which is popular for birthday parties each weekend. The kids don't know where to explore first!
Step on the colourful stepping stones (with a shady seating area behind)
Spin on the wheelchair-accessible carousel...
...climb the crows nest tower...
...and play on the musical instruments!
This playground has plenty of free car parking nearby, however, the closest toilets are at the nearby shopping centre (which is the only drawback to this playground). The best part about this colourful playground, however, is that it is a lot of fun for toddlers and preschoolers and the adults also get to enjoy the scenery and a coffee, right by the water. It is also inclusive for all abilities, which makes it a welcoming space for all children and adults.
If your kids love to watch pelicans, like mine do, they are also going to love the wildlife that is flying by, right by the playground. The pelicans love to see what the fishermen have caught, so you are sure to see one or two, flying in...
Pelicans and views, at Livvi's Place Playground
