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BY ELISSA TOMLINS, LOCAL MUM... LET’S TALK NEW OR RENEWED PARKS10ADDRESS DETAILS FOR EACH PARK:1 GOLDEN JUBILEE PLAYGROUND, Esk St, North Wahroonga.2 CAMERON PARK, Cnr Eastern Rd and Gilroy Pde, Turramurra.3 LAPWING RESERVE, 18 Carcoola Rd, St Ives.4 HALLSTROM PARK, Small St, Willoughby.LIVING LOCAL WINTER 17 “Dream, Inspire, Grow”SuburbSafari GREAT PLACES TO PLAYON THE NORTH SHOREI am pleased to see that our local councils are always working to build new playgrounds or upgrade some of the existing spaces.First in North Wahroonga, we looked at the brand new Golden Jubilee Playground. I used to go to Golden Jubilee Oval to use the bike tracks, but it now has the most amazing, cute little playground just perfect for toddler to preschool aged kids. It has a great safe bike track running though a toddler village, complete with shops and street signs. Bring your coupe or scooter and let their imagina- tions go wild. For the climbers or older children there is a great “spaceship” with a nice slide, swings and a bigger bike track. Well done, Ku-ring-Gai Council!Cameron Park in Turramurra is really nicely shaded. Atfirst glance it may not look like much has changed, butthe equipment is all new. It has a little cubby, truck, slide, swings, rocket climber, swirl, caterpillar and balancing steps. What is fresh about the park is its expanded size. There is now a large green space, ping pong table and a BBQ and seating area with toilets. What a great space to supervise both big and small kids at the same time. The park is also very close to Turramurra shops, and I hear from a friend who I bumped into that Rogers Bakery has the best value coffee in the area. Good to see this area opened up and revitalised.Now for something a bit different, nestled amongst houses in St Ives, we found the brand new Lapwing Reserve. What I really like is its very natural feel. The play equipment is built in natural tones and this makes the park feel very calm. It has a seesaw, rocks to climb, three slides, a round- about, and swings. Up the back is an interesting play space. This would be a good park for wide games with a group of children, and there are plenty of hide and seek places. Finally, we revisited Willoughby’s Hallstrom Park. They have upgraded the park, but stayed true to the original visionof the park, having been designed to reflect Taronga Zoo. There are lovely nooks where children can explore and find hidden sounds and animal sculptures. There is a new climbing turtle and wheelchair accessible roundabout. It has a fort to climb, sandpit, seesaw, 5 swings, very wide slide, rocks to climb, shade, toilets, and lots of seats for adults. Bring the training wheels and check out the fantastic bike track too. Another excellent park upgrade.www.livinglocalguide.com.au