28 April 2008

Weston park gone to seed

| grunge_hippy
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Spending time with my daughter these holidays, I decided to take her and my nephew to Weston Park. It was a favourite of mine as a child, and remember many a day exploring the treehouses, playing with the water park, riding the train and going in the hedgemaze. It was the best damn park in the whole of Canberra..

Well it isnt now.

The hedgemaze is long gone, with the cypress trees used to create the maze are a tangled mess. The train, which has not changed at all, is pityful. It labours through what looks like a tip. I swear I saw a shopping trolley dumped into what was supposed to be a lagoon. It is lucky a 2 and 6 year old are easily amused. It must be the whistle, becasue it wasnt the scenery!

The water park, lays bereft of water (water restrictions perhaps) lays unused. There are some new spiderweb type climbing things and a couple of swings, but nothing to write home about.

Where oh where have the treehouses gone? Another victim of OH&S gone mad? Yeah, i guess they could have been considered dangerous for those who didnt take care, but thats what made them FUN!

We promptly left and took the kids to Black Mountain Penisula. At least the park there has something that kids want to play on. Again, another favourite childhood haunt, and its still good. I miss the coppers log playground, but I know they pulled that down after a child died… but from what i recall, it wasnt as a result of the playground itself, but an underlying heart problem. Perhaps someone can enlighten us.

Does anyone else feel the parks in canberra have gone to pot? I didnt dare go and look in commonwealth park today while we walked around the lake for fear that my favourite park, made of stone has also gone the way of the others. I know there was talk of it being dismantled because it wasnt safe.

Has fear of lawsuits made our children’s playground become so banal and boring!!!?!?!

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Hi, i know this is an old forum, but I am currently doing a project on weston park and trying to find out the more recent history of the park. Does anybody know of anywhere to find info about Weston Park since the 80s? I would love to see some photos of the treehouses and the maze and climbing playground equipment which was there originally. Any help would be much appreciated.

Deadmandrinking12:53 am 02 May 08

Yes…keep on…umm…flapping milord, woohoo.

The more you say this, the more I am less inclined to believe you. – that’s the funny thing, see, on account of I’ve heard it more from you.

flap flap flap isn’t a joke either, it’s a statement.

flap flap flap.

Last time I was down at the Cotter (near the site of the old cotter pub) there was a pretty good looking playground. I have yet to take the kidlets down to play-test it…

Deadmandrinking said :

When was the adventure playground built? .

It was post bushfires. One word of advice bring spare clothes for the little ones. They are bound to get wet pumping water at the top of the hill and following it down the ‘river’. You will know what I mean once you see it!

Deadmandrinking11:19 pm 30 Apr 08

WMD instead of DMD….very…uhhh…good. *Clap Clap* or should I say *Flap Flap* Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahehehehehoohooowhewhaherhameh
Good god.

I got no problem with you drinking, Maelinar – it’s just that I’m still laughing at your drunken post about how you’re so much better than me or something. Special Forces? Spy? Lord? The more you say this, the more I am less inclined to believe you. Then again, tossers have a place in the army, I’m sure.

I admit, I might have gotten too personal here. It’s just that your fish flapping joke is really, really sh*tting me. Not because it’s particularly biting or funny. It’s neither. It just makes me sad, real sad, that any mind could become as deluded so much that it has to repeat the same stupid joke over and over.

Back to normal conversations. When was the adventure playground built? I don’t seem to remember seeing one out there, although I haven’t been that way since before the fires, I don’t think.

Cool, I shall have to check it out next time I feel like going bush walking down that way.

Proud Local said :

I didn’t know there was an adventure park at Tidbinbilla. We are not talking Corin Forest are we?

Definitely not Corin forest! A very cool adventure playground exists at Tidbinbilla reserve. Something for big kids and little. The new wetland sanctuary is also very good.

WMD, you are a little bit rabid. I think you are crossing streams from about 6 separate threads – in 2 paragraphs.

you have no concept of what you’re talking about, as usual. Why do you post? – an incorrect statement, based upon your bias towards me. I have a different opinion to you, it does not make it either incorrect, nor does it imply that I have no concept about what I am talking about. I find it remarkable that you are still coming to grips with the knowledge that everybody else but you understands my posts, and you still think this is a fault at my end.

You don’t make intelligent comments, you couldn’t joke your way out of a paper bag and even your family must find you annoying – again this is your personal opinion. My family do not find me annoying, and a number of people on this site do actually find me quite funny. I’ll point to my closing statement in the previous paragraph, I think you don’t get it, buster.

if all you can do when you drink is direct posts at me telling me how great your life is – I think at the time I was responding to a question you asked me about the quality of my life. My life is great, thankyou very much, and since I am in my 30’s, yes I drink. Is this some kind of problem ? if so, I must have missed the memo, fcuknuckle.

Think about this (if brain work today, yes?), and (Warning: You may be dribbling at this point) I challenge you to still be understanding me at this point. I have long established the fact you stop reading and understanding beyond perhaps 2-3 paragraphs into a dialogue. I’ve yet to hear any comment back about my level of understanding, beyond your snide little comments about my personal traits, which are irrelevant anyway.

mean, if you haven’t had the chance to experience the adrenalin rush of potential danger, – I have an AASM, and 15 years of military experience, including time in special forces units. I think I have already had more adrenalin than you will ever have in your entire lifetime, this is a professional opinion.

you’re going to end up making silly ‘jokes’ on the internet and repeat them over and over till everyone wants to kill you. – haha special olympics nutter. Only you wants to kill me, and that makes you a retard.

You are a fish out of water, which is an analogy I made up specifically for you because of the consistent nature of your posts, hence flap, flap, flap.

You are also prone to firing missiles with the intent to cause as much shock-jock damage as you can, hence WMD instead of DMD.

So keep on flapping, WMD.

Deadmandrinking11:32 pm 29 Apr 08

Maelinar, you have no concept of what you’re talking about, as usual. Why do you post? You don’t make intelligent comments, you couldn’t joke your way out of a paper bag and even your family must find you annoying if all you can do when you drink is direct posts at me telling me how great your life is…

Nevertheless, I will address your comment.

Think about this (if brain work today, yes?), if kids are deprived of their natural need to take risks and experiment by over-protective parents, might they then conceivably decide to experiment and take risks when they can get away from parental supervision? (Warning: You may be dribbling at this point) I mean, if you haven’t had the chance to experience the adrenalin rush of potential danger, you’re going to end up making silly ‘jokes’ on the internet and repeat them over and over till everyone wants to kill you.

I didn’t know there was an adventure park at Tidbinbilla. We are not talking Corin Forest are we?

there were 4 drownings that are directly linked to the weir at casuarina sands, and probably another 5 that the weir played a major factor. I remember the last one in 1986 as the boy who died was a vague aquaintance, the reasons for demolition are on pg 71 of 161 at the following link

http://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/1991/pdfs/19910221.pdf

Got married at Weston Park in 2003. As far as we know we were the only folk to get hitched up in the treehouse, and then they pulled it down. Had rides around on the train after the ceremony, it was still relatively clean and loads of fun.

Oh sh1t – I’m busted.

Ari said :

Hey Evil, I thought I was the only one from Canberra chatting on-line with Ashlleeeighh

Wow, she really is popular then!

A word of advice – just be careful of the terrible back hair she has – it’s quite greasy and matted. And also, make sure you’ve got a case of VB in the fridge, as she gets a bit aggro if there isn’t any to drink when she comes for a sleep over.

Hey Evil, I thought I was the only one from Canberra chatting on-line with Ashlleeeighh

ant said :

Here’s a thought. Why don’t you and the other parents take a bit of responsibility, get toghether and clean it up? You adn your kids are the ones using it, and you can do something about it beyond complaining that “the government” isn’t doing enough. When I was a kid, our parents frequently combined with other parents to build or set up things they wanted.

No, they’re probably too busy developing their ‘careers’ and trying to kid themselves that spending half an hour/week of ‘quality’ time with their children is more than enough.

ant said :

Best keep them safely indoors playing violent computer games, or else if they go outside they might trip over and get a grazed knee.

Or chatting on-line to Ashlleeeighh – the 12 year old girl from Sydney, who actually is Trevor – the 47 year old truck driver from Wollongong.

hobbyhorse said:

hobbyhorse1 said :

A lot of the comments seem to be anti parent. I have two kids and regularly go to the parks. Yes the Kambah park is still as much fun and the kids love it. I am not sure if it just that we are ‘over protective’ but if a partucular park is not maintained properly and is littered with broken bottles would you take your kids there?

Here’s a thought. Why don’t you and the other parents take a bit of responsibility, get toghether and clean it up? You adn your kids are the ones using it, and you can do something about it beyond complaining that “the government” isn’t doing enough. When I was a kid, our parents frequently combined with other parents to build or set up things they wanted.

Wide Boy Jake, sure I remember the weir at Casuarina Sands. Everyone used to swim there at the Cotter back then. From memory, a kid? or someone got trapped by the turbulence of the water and drowned, and from memory it was during a flood flow when it was dangerous to swim there. I didn’t know the trees had died, that’s a real shame. Casuarinas are slow-growing… I have a bunch of the dryland ones and the older ones are like sculptures. I’d assume the ones at the river were the River species. Or the Swamp Oaks.

Wide Boy Jake10:33 am 29 Apr 08

Does anybody remember the weir at Casuarina Sands? It was a great swimming area full of large casuarina trees and sandy areas. There was a kiosk there and kids and their parents enjoying sunny days. I remember going there as an 11 year old kid in 1970 a few months before we moved here. Over the next few years I spent many long summer days there and remember it fondly. In 1991 the weir was demolished because the police said swimming there was unsafe. The pines began dying and shortly after floodwaters destroyed what remained of the area. I haven’t been there in several years but the last time I ventured there I felt nothing but deep sorrow at how such an iconic part of Canberra had been destroyed by a misguided desire to protect us from ourselves.

I’m getting the feeling that Canberra is letting loose a generation of pussies due to the legion of over-protective parents determined to remove anything that will be a conceivable risk. – So, to sum up, you are ‘concerned’ that society is becoming over protective of its younger members, yet you want to over-protect its most criminal element ?

flap flap flap.

grunge_hippy7:42 am 29 Apr 08

Kambah was awesome too, but has also fallen into disrepair… I agree tidbinbila is very good, we had my daughters first birthday out there… there is a good mix for little ‘uns and bigger kids. (since we had lots of friends kids who came, not nessarily for the 1 year old!)

shit I have swolled too much of it tainted with C2H5OH

If swalled inhuge quantties. But it very useful to clean driveways.

And it’s deadly.

It’s Dihydrogen Monoxide, guys.

Ingeegoodbee10:24 pm 28 Apr 08

Thumper, Dangerous indeed. I’ve heard that it’s the cause of hangovers!

A lot of the comments seem to be anti parent. I have two kids and regularly go to the parks. Yes the Kambah park is still as much fun and the kids love it. I am not sure if it just that we are ‘over protective’ but if a partucular park is not maintained properly and is littered with broken bottles would you take your kids there?

green_frogs_go_pop9:18 pm 28 Apr 08

the flying foxes and the spider web is still at kambah adventure..i’ll admit it, in high school, we pratically OWNED that thing 😀

and hey, one morning, i was on the flying fox there, i fell off (because it was cold, or slippery or something as lame as that?) and possibly injured myself? Did i complain or sue or anything? No. People just need to harden the fuck up.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy9:17 pm 28 Apr 08

Gordon park is really cool, as is the new adventure playground out at Tidbinbilla. Had Young Master BerlinaV8 out there a couple of times recently, and he had a blast!

Ingeegoodbee8:50 pm 28 Apr 08

ChrisinTurner you raise a serious point – dihydrogenoxide is indeed a lethal substance – it has been implicated in 100% of drowning deaths in Australia annually since records were first kept yet governments at all levels insist on the facade that it is safe – even facilitating its delivery into every household – hooked on the utilities revenue it provides

Deadmandrinking8:42 pm 28 Apr 08

I remember that, Proud, and the one at Fadden (?) with the three-story flying fox fort-thing. Tips on the kambah spider-web pyramid-thingie was the best game ever.

I’m getting the feeling that Canberra is letting loose a generation of pussies due to the legion of over-protective parents determined to remove anything that will be a conceivable risk.

Logical Choice, now called Mind games, still has giant chess pieces inside them I saw the other day. Given their proximity to the old giant chess pit, I guess it’s still possible to play it? Was always interesting to stop and observe people play for a few minutes before moving on.

Is Kambah park still around? Used to have excellent flying foxes and a big disc swing that you jumped on from high on some stands and then swing out for miles. A tad dangerous but so much FUN! Worth the risk and all far more safer then daily car travel but that will always persist cause it’s just too convenient otherwise.

most of the parks are maintained very badly these days.
On another note does anyone play giant chess still? I am not interested in getting involved, just wondered if the chess pits were still used (I used to think it was really cool when I was a kid).

Whoa ChrisinTurner. Keep that water one to yourself. Someone might actually start campaigning to have water banned.

ChrisinTurner5:25 pm 28 Apr 08

But where does it stop? Children die riding bicycles too and they haven’t been banned…YET!! You can die from drinking too much water, and ACTEW still provides heaps of water!!

Although I agree with your general sentiment and agree that our parks are in a disgraceful state, as I understand it a young girl fell tragically to her death from one of the ‘tree-houses’ at Weston Park. I guess that there is a need for balance in these things but children’s safety must always be paramount.

Gordon Park is awesome. It has flying foxes, a play house and heaps of the usual playground suspects.

Ant,

High fives, those people you refer suck arse.

“Weston Park was always a huge treat when I was a kid. It was quite thrilling. But now we have cheap litigation, entitlement-minded parents and their cotton-wool kids.”

Not to mention rapacious developers and a “government” that sits right in their collective pocket.
Is it possible that the decline of parks in the ACT has anything to do with this?

Weston Park was always a huge treat when I was a kid. It was quite thrilling. But now we have cheap litigation, entitlement-minded parents and their cotton-wool kids.

Best keep them safely indoors playing violent computer games, or else if they go outside they might trip over and get a grazed knee.

Japaene was meant to be “Japanese”, for reference.

Fadden Pines was the shit in its day, but has been horrendously crippled by the fun police.
If I were in charge of playground design, I’d be doing my best to design something specifically to injure children.
(insert highlight reel of the Indiana Jones series and Japaene game shows)

The smart ones would soon work out a way to bypass the rotating shredders and learn to avoid the gigantic magnifying glass on hot days.

Sure, initially it would thin out the herd, but the risk management and hazard negotiation skills of any survivors would be of tremendous boon to the community.

Just one minor point to the original poster:
Quote: We promptly left and took the kids to Black Mountain Penisula.

You did what? See link: http://the-riotact.com/?p=3484

Maybe someone can confirm my vague memories of a massive coppers log fort in Kaleen that has apparently also gone by the wayside?

Yeah it’s a real sad shame these days, everything has to be so wrapped in cotton wool they pretty much don’t make anything fun.

It really shits me when some morbidly overweight lady in her 40’s goes on the kiddies flying fox and then falls on her fat ass, sues, and the whole thing gets pulled down. STAY OFF IT B#TCH

(add Fadden playground to the list, it used to be a 3-story kids wonderland. Now it’s just pathetic, like most of them are now)

THe fantastic tunnel/fort park was there in commonwealth park in 2007 at least. I suspect it’s probably still there..

Yeah this makes me very sad aswell. I remember when canberra use to have lots of unique interesting parks now they are all being replaced with plastic ones that are all the same and don’t encorage any creativity in children.

But if i am not mistaken the fantastic tunnel park in commonwelth park is still there. Also the snake park at johnnight park is still there and lots of fun for kids.

It is a shame about the mouse house and the water park in western park though. Weston park was the location of some of my fondest child hood memorys

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