Life in Adelaide’s rapidly developing northern suburbs has become even more attractive as developer Villawood Properties officially opened the area’s newest tourist attraction – a spectacular playground designed to promote children’s health, physical, mental and social development.
Opened Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Mayor Glenn Docherty, the $1.7 million St. Andrews Reserve at Andrews Farm is designed to create not only a space that will enhance the lifestyle of local residents, but also a destination for families from across the state.
Opened with a family celebration featuring music, a barbecue, children’s costumes, crafts and face painting, the reserve is the first of many high-end infrastructure projects planned by the developer at its William Lakes, Oakden Rise, Aldinga, Seacliff Village and The Quarter sites in Adelaide.
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The grand opening of St. Andrews Reserve. Delivered
Olivia and Susanna Vodopianoff with Rapunzel at the opening of St. Andrews Reserve. Delivered
Ben Moore and Playford Mayor Glenn Docherty at the opening of St Andrew’s Reserve. Delivered
The park’s amenities include a challenging castle maze playground, kickabout areas, giant kookaburra sculptures, and barbecue grills.
Villawood chief executive Rory Costelloe says too many children are being exposed to the dangers of obesity, diabetes and mental health problems when parents can’t keep them away from their devices and playing and exercising outside.
“Many parents are concerned about how much time their children are spending in cyberspace, how they are glued to their devices and are exposed to all sorts of unhealthy issues on social media platforms,” he says.
“This raises many potential and evolving problems – mental health problems, obesity, allergies, asthma and immunity problems, diabetes, poor physical coordination and social development, to name a few.”
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“Today’s Villawood playgrounds are designed to engage children with challenging, fun and educational activities that support their development on multiple levels.
“Experiences abroad, for example in Denmark, provide convincing arguments for playgrounds where children are exposed to a certain risk when playing.
“They insist that risk is an integral part of playgrounds. Teach them to young people.
“The idea is simple: Children prefer to play on almost anything other than traditional playgrounds.
“They want a sense of adventure, exploration and excitement.
“They love it when their imagination can run wild.”
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Kudrat, Simmie and Manpreet Kaur at the opening of St Andrews Reserve. Delivered
Hiren Prajapati, Russhi Prajapati with Anvie at the opening of St. Andrews Reserve. Delivered
Bordering more than 100 riverine gum trees in a reserve that provides local wildlife habitat, the project is the latest highlight of a 700-lot project launched in 2021 that combines Villawood’s signature quality with easy commuter access to the city via the Northern Expressway.
According to Villawood, it is an “outstanding contemporary heritage for a historic wine and agricultural area with small ornamental orchards throughout the open space”.
Professor Katie Allen, from Murdoch’s Children’s Research Institute, says the benefits of playing outside are huge.
“The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health says one in five children are overweight before they even start kindergarten,” Mr Costelloe says.
“There are many factors that contribute to this alarming statistic, but there is one simple solution that jumps out at us: we need to get kids off the couch, away from screens, and out the door where they can run around in the fresh air.”
