Heart at Home

Summertime Love

After several days of car problems and general hiding from the heat, it was time to get out and stretch our legs a bit. This is Colmslie Beach Reserve, a lovely park on the river not far from our house. It has a delightful little sandy beach on the river, but that's not what we visited on this day.

We were far more interested in the pathways designed just for kids to swoop down steep little hills on brand new scooters and let momentum carry them to the top of the next one. With swerving corners and intriguing little detours.

With a flying fox that's enough thrill for the ten year old and not too scary for the five year old.

With a dark cool cavern in the middle of the sandpit.

And a musical ship wreck. These pipes have clappers at the base, which make a soothing hollow music.

There is so much more to this park than the parts I have shown here, slides down the side of a hill, swingsets for many, an obstacle course of little bridges and tunnels shaded by sprawling fig trees, an avenue of jacarandas which turn the park purple in October. And then there is the river bank, with lovely trees and a passing parade of boats.

This is one of the most fun parks I have been to. It used to be for wet play, with fountains and oldfashioned pump taps, but the drought brought about change. Not necessarily a bad thing.