HOT: Curtain Square, Carlton North

Prepare to deck yourself out in yummy mummy gear or jogging lycra if you're going to fit in at Curtain Square!

This elegant park, and the spacious playground within it, is a real community hub for the affluent young families of North Carlton. It's the best green space for kids in the area – even on a freezing winter's day it was busy – and it's been decorated with terracotta tiles etched and fired by schoolkids at nearby North Carlton Primary School. Lady AB liked walking around the circumference pointing to all the objects she could name – ‘bird', ‘fish', ‘stars' etc.

The playground has toilets, sun shades, seating and lots of play equipment for different ages.

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Lady AB quickly dismissed the ‘baby' slides and climbing frame and headed straight to the tall slides, see saw and big swings (the toddler swings are in a separate area by the basketball courts, for some reason).

For older kids there are monkey bars and spider's web climbing ropes. If you are bringing kids of multiple ages it's a one-stop shop!

Even better – there are plenty of child-friendly cafes on Rathdowne Street (including blog favourite Depot de Pain) where you can get a bite to eat or you can head to somewhere like Rathdowne Village Delicatessan or Clay Fine Food to pick up some provisions for a picnic on the grass or under the large sheltered rotunda.