If you’ve never stopped by Livvi’s Place, you are missing out! These impeccably planned, gorgeously designed and well-thought out playgrounds are the ultimate sensory experience for kids of all abilities. Kids adore the huge range of textural and aural experiences like hanging xylophones, metal bongos, sandpits, flying foxes and hand-operating water pumps to fill their buckets. It’s a MUST visit!
From the moment you arrive at Livvi’s Place, your life gets a whole lot easier! Livvi’s Place at Ryde is part of a playground project from the Touched By Olivia Foundation, so everything is brilliantly planned for the easiest possible parent (and child) experience. The playground itself is a dream for families, because of its focus on access. This means:
- A generous parking area directly beside the entry (with disabled spots)
- Wide, flat walkways for prams, wheelchairs, and the less mobile (such as elderly or frail people who don’t want to navigate rocky, steep tracks)
- The playground is gated and fully fenced, so your children can run wild (but can’t escape!)
- There are accessible, clean toilets housed in a purpose-built building just outside the fence
- The playground interior has meandering paths, levels, textures and all-abilities equipment
The parking area is directly in front of the playground entrance, with lots of spots
The playground is fully fenced and set in the centre of a green expanse of lawn
A closer look reveals the incredible, colourful play equipment on site
Outside the boundaries are picnic tables under the shade of a gazebo
Inside the playground, an amusement park of fun to be had on the equipment
What’s it like?
To start, we enjoyed the lunch we had brought from home, sitting under the shade of the gazebos that are just outside the playground, and enjoyed the sound of the kids playing on the equipment. Soon we couldn’t wait any longer and decided to join the fun ourselves!
The EntryWay As you head into Livvi’s Place, you can spot a mazelike structure of spikes, sticks and silhouettes of native animals. You’ll then encounter a set of three silver bongo-gongs and a hanging, multicolured xylophone. These audio structures are to support play for the hearing-impaired, but provide and amazing tactile and audio experience for everyone with the vibrating metal drums and hanging, clanging xylophone bars.
Get lost among the metal formations at Livvi’s
The top of the towering spikes are adorned with animal shapes
The metal bongos and the xylophone
The vibrating metal instruments support play for all abilities
The Upper Playground, while fun for all ages, has some setups best enjoyed by older kids. It’s replete with a giant flying fox and big-kid equipment like climbing towers, catchers and turners. There is a swing set which is perfect for any age. This area is above the candy-coloured fencing.
A flying fox runs between the red poles on the upper playground
The swings are perfect for old and young alike!
The Lower Playground is divided from the top area and includes softplay climbing formations, green plastic moderate slides, a tunnel, a sandpit and water pump (that the children operate themselves)
Heading off to explore the lower level of Livvi’s Place
Spring-mounted cars and trucks provide hours of imaginative play
The lower level also has a tunnel set into the sides and whirling metal cauldrons
A sandpit at the bottom is divided into two areas
Kids operating the child-sized water pump to fill buckets
What is a Livvi’s Place playground?
In 2006, John and Justine Perkins, lost their baby daughter, Olivia, at just 8 months old, to a rare disease. In the darkest grief an adult might experience, two inspiring parents decided that their daughter’s death would not be in vain. Touched by Olivia was formed in Australia in 2006 by the Perkins Family, following the loss of Olivia, their baby daughter, to a rare disease. During Olivia’s sickness, the Perkins realised the blunt reality that many children, including children with disabilities, are not afforded a basic human right—the opportunity to play. It was clear to the Perkins that the perfect environment to fulfill their dream and be true to Olivia’s memory, was through the creation of inclusive playspaces, called Livvi’s Places.
Facilities for older children and family get togethers:
- For the enjoyment of older children, such as swimming facilities, skate parks, bike tracks and playing ovals
- To enable family BBQs and get togethers like tables and benches and toilet facilities.
- Providing ample and accessible parking
- That create a family friendly environment where people choose to meet and socialise as children play
Essential details:
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- What: Livvi’s Place Playground, Ryde
- Address: Yamble Reserve, 194 Quarry Rd, Ryde
- Parking: Plenty of free parking in the area off Quarry Road in front of the park (including disabled
- Facilities: Includes toilets, shaded picnic tables, BBQ, cycleway, wide walking paths. BYO coffee (no kiosk!)
Want more Parks & Playgrounds? Browse our dedicated section in Out & About.
