Apparently the new St Ives Showground Playground is the biggest playground in the Ku-ring-gai council…. now that is quite some claim! We had to go and see it for ourselves.

So back to St Ives, the suburb of our initial arrival. It’s so lovely to be back on the leafy North Shore. And to hear all those South African accents, almost feels like home. But let’s not get distracted… what about the playground!?

In short, it was worth the visit. I just wish I had picked a cooler day for our visit so we could have stayed longer.

In this post I’ll touch on the features of the New St Ives Showground Playground, its facilities, how to get there and tips on visiting. I’ve also added some interesting information down at the bottom of the post too.

The new St Ives Showground Playground

As I said, we came up here to check out the New St Ives Showground Playground. Boy was it worth the drive!! It’s a really lovely, well thought out playground that ticks most of the boxes. Most, not all but I am critical.

The playground is fully enclosed with different areas for different age groups. Space to play and spaces to sit. There is even enough space for a scoot around. I’ll talk to the features of the playground and those different areas before highlighting the facilities but if you want to go to a certain section just click on the table of contents below.

St Ives Showground Playground Features

The four play areas have to be the best features of the playground. Then there is the great setting. It was great to be out in summer listening to the trees rustle and the cicadas going crazy. Out in the showgrounds you feel a far way away from the City or the suburbs even.

The Double Flying Fox

I reckon this had to be the highlight for my littlest. I reckon my almost 6 year old spent 45 minutes hanging out in this section of the playground. . Granted my 8 year old also enjoyed it a lot, he just wasn’t keen on the queue.

It’s great to finally have one on this area of the North Shore. This one is great because you don’t have to climb up to start it like you do at Flying Fox Playground in Mona Vale. This means that even little kids can have a go. This one also has two lines running next to each other. The kids got to go alongside one another which they loved and hadn’t done before.

The flying fox is also is not covered by shade, another reason to make sure you have hats on hand.

The Farm Playground Area

For smaller kids there is a farm yard setting with a cubby house. The cubby is one of those lovely ones from Konpan. It’s really cute but aimed at kids smaller than 4/5 probably.

A tractor and a windmill complete the theme. I’m not sure what the windmill contributes but it does spin… the tractor is a little miniature for the budding farmers to climb and play on.

This area is largely under shade, thankfully. It is also set away from the big kids structure so you can keep your little ones to themselves.

The “Big Kids” Area

The main structure for the big kids is a set of two towers joint by a climbing net. The steel net joining the two towers has been called “The Skywalk” and a sign attached to it says it’s for ages 5+. It’s very similar to that walkway in the playground next to the Capybaras at Taronga.

This big structure seems a mix of the famous Pod Playground in Canberra and the Rocket Playground in Warriewood. It’s actually almost identical to Livvi’s place Elara.

To get up into one of the towers kids have to climb either of the nets. The only way down in by a super fast slide. The nets and the two towers seem far more sturdy than the pods in Canberra.

Swings, roundabout and seesaw

In a third play area there is an inclusive roundabout and a big seesaw. There are swings just over the path. I love that there are 8 swings, two is just not enough, ever.

There is also a basket swing but it’s been given its own allotted area. You can’t spend much time at the basket swing though because it has zero shade cover.

The Natural Elements

I love the natural elements of this playground which help it fit into its surroundings. With the natural expanse of the show grounds, all those trees it would have been a shame for something purely metallic to have been erected. While the playground equipment is still very metallic and bright there are elements of nature. The wooden walkways over stone water ways, although there was no water when we visited, maybe it’s just meant to be a dry river bed for kids to climb around. There are lots of giant logs, in the playground and through the trees for kids to balance on. It’s very pretty.

St Ives Showground Playground Facilities

Seating, Picnic Tables & BBQs

For the moms in the group who feel like an old lady like me, there is plenty of seating. Thankfully! There are lots and lots of park benches dotted around the playground, more than I’ve found at other playgrounds. This coupled with the little stone walls means there are plenty of places to sit and watch your child and still be close to them.

There are picnic tables but no BBQs. I wonder if those will be coming. What is nice though is that there is enough space, flat grassy space that you can picnic on.

I also struggled to spot a lot of dustbins other than the ones outside the gate. I would be interested to know the thinking behind this. Next time I will pack my own little bag to keep our rubbish in.

Bathrooms & Bubblers

Fantastic. There is a bathroom within the confines of the playground. Unbelievable how this is so often overlooked.

I spotted two bubblers in the playground but there may be more.

Shade

Three shade cover sails are up over parts of the playground. And of course, the trees provide additional shade. There are little saplings growing so in future times there will be loads of shade.

It’s just not enough though!! While there are the three shade covers it’s not enough. The slides are almost redundant when the sun is out.

What could be improved

Parking

Parking is an issue as there is not a lot and by the time you’ve driven past the playground thinking there may be more, there isn’t. We had to pull up and park on some grass which left me wondering the whole time if that was acceptable. There are no signs prohibiting parking but you just never know.

No Coffee Kiosk

The other thing that could be added is a little kiosk. It really is the type of place you could spend hours and hours at, especially with young kids and to be able to grab a coffee or a water or a drink would be ideal.

How to get there

The showgrounds are set off Mona Vale road between Richmond Road, St Ives and Forest Way Terry Hills. The actual address is 450 Mona Vale Rd, St. Ives NSW 2075.

Going East along Mona Vale Road (towards the sea) If you see Bunnings on the right you’ve gone to far.

Coming west along Mona Vale Road (with your back to the ocean) – There is a little sign that says St Ives Show Grounds, it is in the 90km zone. You will have to move to the right lane which splits into two lanes turning right. If you hit St Ives suburbia or the sign that said 60kms you’ve gone too far.

Tips for visiting

1. Pack a picnic and picnic blanket.

2. Sunscreen and hats are a must, there is shade but not enough.

3. Take scooters. My 8 year old told me that this is not a bike path and our readers should know that, scooters would be much better to pack.

4. Pack enough water and snacks if you don’t take a picnic and pick up a coffee on the way.

5. Another contribution from the ever-moving 8 year old “pack a ball”.

6. If you’ve got little kids, not school age, wait for a school day to visit. It is definitely getting busier as more people become aware of it.

A video of the playground

If you’re keen to get a better visual of the playground then head over to the AllThingsMomSydney Facebook page. I added a video of the playground which you can find HERE.

The video will help you get an idea of what it looks like as well as the scale of the playground and its equipment.

Some interesting info…

P.S If you’re interested in seeing what the showgrounds used to look like before the new playground, you can check it out HERE.

P.P.S If you’re in the area for the day, you should also check out the wildflower garden. All the details are HERE.