Having regularly holidayed at Port Macquarie since BJ was a baby, we welcomed the news of the opening of Livvi’s Place Port Macquarie. An inclusive play space makes Port Macquarie an even more accessible holiday destination.
The playground opened in December last year and reflects the seaside environment with a nautical theme. The stand out feature is the beautifully painted pirate ship. It is gorgeous and is certainly a wonderful way to inspire imaginative play. And guess what? It has wheelchair access!
There is a wheelchair accessible carousel which always proves popular with the kids.
These carousels provide a great way for children using a wheelchair to be included in play with other kids at the park.
Binoculars attached to the side of the ship are positioned at perfect wheelchair and toddler height and gives kids a great vantage point to check out all the activity on the river. There is a double slide which is gently sloped and accessible from the pirate ship.
Be warned though parents, you may have to walk the plank! For children who are walking but need some work on balance the gang plank may provide fun motivation to add a bit of therapy to a visit to the park.
Birds nest swings are great for children who cannot sit or need support. AJ, BJ and myself have all fitted in one and had fun swinging.
It was over 30 degrees (86F) on the day we visited so the water play area was proving very popular with the kids at the park. I love the fact that more and more of these water play areas are being made available at parks. When BJ and AJ were younger I couldn’t manage taking them to a swimming pool or beach by myself. In the summer holidays it would have been wonderful to take them to a park where they could cool off paddling around in the water without me needing another pair of hands to help me. I would have put BJ in his swimmers, put a poncho over his wheelchair and let him loose.
Kids love to make noise so the musical instruments at the park will be well used I am sure. They are set at a good height for a child using a wheelchair and for younger children. I can imagine great collaborative efforts making music.
Port Macquarie is a wonderful location for the latest Touched By Olivia play space. It further enhances the Port Macquarie Hasting’s Council commitment to providing great wheelchair accessible features in the region.
Livvi’s Place is located at Westport Park. There is disabled parking, barbecues and the playground area is fenced. This is a wonderful spot to picnic or take your fish and chip dinner in summer.
For more information on other Touched by Olivia playgrounds head to their website.
To read more about other accessible playground features we love head to our other blog which is imaginatively named, Accessible Playground Features I love
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