TreeTops Adventure Park offers high ropes, ziplining, flying foxes and many more fun (sometimes scary!) courses for kids and adults to try. We visited the park at West Pennant Hills to test ourselves on the Treetop Adventure course, high in the sky!
The TreeTops Adventure Park experience is definitely a memorable one! The adventure course is set high above the ground, and consists of four courses for adults (ranging from challenging to…less challenging!) plus a separate course area for children.
We headed to the park to test out the adult challenges, which are also suitable for older kids and teens.
The sky-high challenges are accessed via wood-and-rope free-hanging ladders
When you arrive, you first check in at the reception area where you sign a waiver and store your things.
As part of the Cumberland State Forest, the area is a gorgeous sprawling bushland landscape. There’s a glorious plant nursery, sensory trail and a lovely cafe on site as well, just in case you change your mind about the climbing (or need a break afterwards). Here’s our review of Cafe Salinga.
At the check-in, you can purchase gloves for $3 a pair and this is highly recommended. All four adventure courses are strung with taut wires, which you’ll struggle with hanging on to if you don’t opt for the protective gloves.
The climbing area, showing the laddered starting point for the easier courses
TreeTops Adventure Park: The different courses
There are multiple courses at TreeTops, with a separate course area for younger children.
For children:
- Easy Course: White
- Medium Course: Yellow
- Harder Courses: Orange and Purple (with Purple being the most challenging course)
These courses are designed for children 3-9 years old (children MUST be 3 years and older). A booking covers you for a 2-hour session including 30 minutes harnessing time and training and 1.5 hours climbing time. Children can complete the courses as many times as they like within their session.
At least one adult is required to supervise children at all times from the ground (no fee) and while the climb is supervised by an instructor, you can’t climb with your child – adults aren’t allowed on the course.
For juniors and adults:
- Easy Course: Green
- Medium Course: Blue
- Harder Courses: Red and Black (with Black being the most challenging course, and only for over 16)
For these courses, participants MUST be 10 years and older, at least 1.4m tall and under 120kg*. One adult MUST accompany juniors 10 – 15 years old on the courses (one adult can supervise up to four juniors).
Sessions are led by qualified instructors and start at the booked time. 2.5 hour session including approx. 30-minute safety training session and about 2 hours of climbing time.
Yes, that’s a climber on the aerial obstacle course, where the high points are 25m
Before you climb: The safety briefing
Before the session, you are given the equipment you need for high ropes and checked by a staff member:
- Ascenders
- Belay Devices
- Harnesses
- Helmets
- Karabiners and Connectors
- Rope and Accessories
- Slings
Once you’re prepared, you are taken through a tiny practice course (30cm off the ground!) to ensure you are able to ‘clip in’ and ‘clip out’ correctly once you’re climbing alone.
- Once you start the course, you can’t turn back as other climbers will be on the challenges behind you
- You’re climbing usually alone, or in pairs, but without a supervisor or guide; you can climb at your own pace
- You’re encouraged to leave belongings on the ground as anything you carry into the trees is at risk of slipping from your pocket and injuring the people below the course. Phones are forbidden above ground.
The aerial obstacle courses: What to expect!
TreeTops has a crazy collection of obstacles – it’s aerial adventure park!
We chose the easiest course, the Green track, and found it to be challenging, while the harder courses seemed best for the more fit among us, or the braver climbers. Our guide told us to allow half an hour for each course we wanted to do, but we found an hour was the more realistic timeframe.
Every course is accessed at the start by a rope-and-log ladder, which takes you to your first circular platform. When you’ve made it up the ladder (each course has a different length ladder, with Black being the longest and steepest) you’re then ready to journey along the course and tackle each challenge.
Challenges include:
- Flying foxes (some as long as 200m)
- Wobbling bridges suspended between ropes
- Cargo nets
- Tarzan swings
- Tightropes
- Suspended rafts
- Trapezes
- Twisted ladders
- Tunnels
You can see some of the challenges such as crosswalk bridges and ropes
What should I wear to Treetop Adventure?
Comfortable clothes that are easy to move in are recommended, so pants (or shorts) are definitely the best choice. We saw lots of variations on leggings, workout wear, hoodies and shorts with sneakers. Closed toe shoes are of course required. You will be wearing a helmet, so hats aren’t an option; the park provides a hairnet to protect your locks.
And for those wondering ‘Can you wear glasses ziplining, the high ropes course or the flying fox?’ the answer is yes, sunglasses and glasses are allowed.
Essential Details: TreeTops Adventure Park
- Cost: Child (3-9yrs old) $28 | Junior (10-17 yrs old) $41 | Adult $51
- Location: Cumberland State Forest, 95 Castle Hill Rd, West Pennant Hills
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 02 9871 3345
- Website: www.treetops.com.au
