HOT: Royal Park Nature Play, Parkville

The Royal Park Nature Play is a Parkville park which is also known as the Royal Children's Hospital playground inside Royal Park Parkville.

Where is the Royal Park Playground?

The Royal Park playground an award-winning a nature-based play space built on the site of the previous Royal Children’s Hospital and is adjacent to the new hospital, on the corner of Flemington Road and Gatehouse Street.

The Royal Park Nature Play playground is huge, with lots of different play experiences to explore for kids of all ages.

The playground is separated into two areas – an upper playground and a lower playground. The lower playground has lots of climbing structures, from wooden, rope to metal, as well as a sandpit and nest swing.

The metal structure is actually meant to act as a nature cubby.

At the upper playground, there are four slides with varying degrees of speed and a large rope obstacle course suitable for older kids with long legs and more confidence.

The swings overlook the upper playground and provide city views!

Find Hotels and Airbnbs near Royal Park Parkville

On a hot day Lady AB and Baby 2.0 gravitate to the water play area, water jets and sandpit – so bring a change of clothes or bathers!

All the equipment is well-integrated into the natural environment and mainly natural materials have been used in the construction.

Note there’s no shade covering so it can be very hot on sunny days.

Another hit is the huge grassy knoll which provides an excellent vantage point over the playground, as well as being a fun place to pretend to go bear-hunting or for rolling down!

You can spend a lot of time there, as the facilities include picnic tables, seating, a drinking fountain and two BBQ areas and public toilets (plus the toilets inside the Royal Children’s Hospital). Free parking is available on most of Gatehouse Street (limited time slots) and there is paid parking on Flemington Road.

The Royal Park playground is a wonderful place to entertain patients and children visiting the Royal Children’s Hospital as well as families from across the city. It’s one of Melbourne's best playgrounds and well worth travelling for. You can even make a day of it by checking out the nearby family-friendly eatery Smith and Singleton.

Tips for Royal Park Nature Play:

• suitable for toddlers;
• suitable for older kids
• picnic tables, seating;
• drinking fountain;
• two BBQ areas;
• public toilets;
• free parking on Gatehouse Street and paid parking on Flemington Rd;
• walking distance to Smith and Singleton cafe.

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