Grinstead Park (Ship Park)

Grinstead Park is our local large park. It's a walk away from us yet still is a cool park in terms of the structure and imagination of the park. It's one that your playground seeking parents from around Brisbane have probably had recommended to them. Map is here.

The name Ship Park is obvious - the playground itself is built entirely (well, with the exception of a set of swings off to the side) as the body of a ship. There are places to climb, deck holes to poke through, walkways to run along and perhaps one of the best slides in town. Always having a gaggle of kids running to the top of the ship to line up for a turn, this slide is an enclosed slide which has a clear section in the roof so that you get a glimpse of sky amidst the red and green plastic as you slide down. Apologies, I only have one very terrible picture of the slide in question!

As Cody gets older, I find that she is more enamored with the exercise park which is at the top of a hill nearby. This presents more of a challenge to her with the monkey bars, climbing wall, balance beam and sit up benches. She spends more of her time here than in the classic park, which leads me to suggest that this is a park for a younger crowd on the whole. The last time I was here there were lots of school age kids climbing all over the park, but they seemed to be bent on causing havoc rather than enjoying the facilities.

The sails create a lovely shade which covers a large part of the ship and there is an abundance of grassy spots on the nearby hill to sit and look down over the park. What this park excels at is the picnic or BBQ. Its not popular enough to be cut-throat about getting one of the two main BBQ areas (there are a few other tables around but only two covered tables next to BBQs) so you can safely arrange your weekend party here. We grabbed a table and bought a picnic style afternoon tea and had a lovely chat whilst the kids ran off to play.


I would suggest that if you have very young kids that hovering may be required. There are lots of high bits and open floor within the ship itself as well as lots of areas which are tucked out of view so if you are sitting back you won't always be able to spot your kids. That said, the middle deck of the ship is large enough (and has benches) for you to sit in the middle and let the kids run around you! It works very well in this regards.

The surrounding area is picturesque. A nature reserve, this is also accessed via a bike park which runs from Mitchelton through Everton Park. As such, its a great destination at the end of a long pram walk.

The theme is lovely and really lends itself to imaginative play so it deserves at least a 7.5 rating.

RATED:

Age Groups: Monitored walkers will thrive here, but best suited to your 3-4 year old crowd.

Kid Friendliness: we've been here a ton of times and the kids have never really interacted with each other.

Parent Friendliness: there tends to be a ton of mothers groups here - which I find very excluding to the non-group mum. This said, I've met some fabulous parents here.

Shadiness: there is a sail cover in place playground is shaded by a canopy of trees

Tricked Out: nah, not at all really - the ship theme is nice though

Picnic/BBQ: there are two BBQs but a lot of additional areas for picnics

Shabbiness: neither here nor there really

Toilets: ithere is a toilet block by the car park which is small and clean

Hovering Required: Yes, there are lots of places under the ship where you can lose your kids and lots of places on the ship where they could fall.

Bring Yr Bike: The playground itself is not good but its surrounded by a bike path

Crowded: not super crowded but definitely popular

Wow: no wow just a solid park

Enoggera Memorial Park (Shapes Park) Update

A quick update on Enoggera Memorial Park (AKA Shapes Park). I mentioned that it was due to get its sunshade shortly - well its been erected and its amazing. We have been down there almost every day since the shade went up and we've never seen so many people there before! The park is being put to great use.

The other somewhat monumental occurrence at Shapes Park this last week was that the younger of the crew - MK - has reached an age where she can become a bit more interactive with the parks. She's just turned 18 weeks and had her first solo swing, pushed by a very, very, very happy big sister. And doesn't she look thrilled. I think she's getting a little glimpse of her future right there.

Enoggera Memorial Park (AKA Shapes Park)

Firstly, I have no idea why this is known to CK as shapes park. She talks about all the rectangles and diamonds here (and waves her finger around in a random direction when I ask about them) but they just aren't jumping out at me. For me, this has always been "New House" park - as when we were stalking our new house waiting for settlement to happen we would come here for a reason to drive past the new house. Map is here.

This is another park which you are not going to go out of your way for, but if you like in the Enoggera/Alderley area then I'd recommend coming past. I'm highlighting it today for two reasons. 1. because it is about to get a shadecloth covering it - part of BCC strategic plan to invest more money in parks and gardens and ensure that every child has access to a local playground. 2. because I've met the most amazing people at this park.

(I have to digress with the above photo - CK in full pose mode - I asked her if she deliberately put her hand on her hip and stuck out her bum and she nodded. I'm unsure how to feel about this).

Number 1 is obviously quite an incredible fact and I'm seeing lots of evidence of this commitment in my local area. Not only is Enoggera Memorial Park getting its shadecloth but Sedgeley Park (on the Newmarket/Alderley border - by Newmarket Pool) is getting a brand new playground which looks pretty swish. Enoggera Memorial Park is a long neglected park and we've always said that it would be awesome if there were just some shade to it. There are barely any trees nearby and in the heat of the day its just unbearable. I was thrilled the day I went there and there was a guy measuring it up for shadecloth.

Number 2 is a slightly longer story. Well, its not really I guess. Fact is that every single person we've met at this park WITHOUT EXCEPTION has been really really interesting. From the first lady we met who was a single mum with a daughter of CKs age (who was really warm and welcoming and confessed of co-sleeping and all the other completely natural things that people seem ashamed to admit to strangers) to the grandfather from Rocky who was skirting around the fact that when he went out mushroom hunting he wasn't looking so much for the type you put in your pasta. Both interesting characters - thoroughly engaging and thought provoking (and not as dodgy as I've made them out to be here).

This is triumphed by the day we walked down and met a film crew who were filming a story about a transgendered army officer (from the Enoggera barracks nearby) who was raising her two children with her wife - who had stuck by her during her realisation that she wanted to be a woman. They had an incredible story and were really lovely to talk to (indeed the camera crew filmed us as the "normalising" couple and the wife was a teacher's aide who was telling us how accepting and open minded the kids at the local school - where CK will go - were).

Whew, I digress from the park itself but sometimes parks are more than just swings and slides. This one certainly is.

This morning the park was school were CK went with her imaginary friend Alice (we'd watched Alice in Wonderland the night before). CK and Alice baked cakes in the "everything for sale" shop under the slide and did lots of climbing and lots of running.

This park is exceptional for bikes and (if you must) scooters. there is a bike track complete with a roundabout and lots of stop/give way signs. The number of times CK has run around the track and fallen over terribly and grazed her knee/nose is more than I can count on my fingers these days. There is one slide, two swings, some old school climbing frames and little else. Oh, and some native bees in one of the trees nearby (which I think is awesome and CK and I had a huge talk about flora and fauna today inspired by the bees).

Perhaps I should rename this "hippy park" for I sound like a complete hippy when I say that the park itself is neglected and has very little bones but its the families and nature which make this one of our favourites.

If we are talking about facilities alone - CK rates this park at 6 and I would give it 5. But you know that I'm talking more than this!

RATED:

Age Groups: I think they'd probably need to be walking to enjoy this park, but it would cater to quite an old crowd given the bike paths
Kid Friendliness: best I've found
Parent Friendliness: best I've found
Shadiness: awful - the worse! But BCC is fixing in the new few weeks.
Tricked Out: nothing. nada.
Picnic/BBQ: nope.
Shabbiness: its not dirty, its not vandalised, its just neglected.
Toilets: no toilets nearby
Hovering Required: No, the park isn't big enough to need to hover
Bring Yr Bike: Yes yes yes
Crowded: never seen more than two kids here
Wow: it has no wow within the park itself but the clientele is great. Is that reflective of the park or the area - not sure.