Coopers Beach Playground

Swings, a slide and a timber lookout tower sit about fifty metres from the sand at Coopers Beach, on the southern shore of Doubtless Bay in the Far North.¹ This small seaside playground belongs to the council's Coopers Beach Reserve beside State Highway 10, and plenty of visitors know it first as the place to park for the beach.²

Equipment

The play area is a single timber-edged bed of bark on the lawn. The main unit has a green slide, purple arch bars, a rope climbing net and a ladder, and beside it stands a tall black timber tower with climbing holds up one face and a little pitched roof on top. A stepped wooden climber with stacked bead uprights links the pieces. The swing frame carries one flat seat and one toddler bucket seat. It suits toddlers through to about eight or nine; older kids will run out of challenge quickly. One reviewer notes the timber is starting to show its age, while another mentions freshly laid bark.

Practical Info

The council lists the playground as next to the public toilets, a block at the edge of the play lawn, and the sealed car park alongside is the Coopers Beach Rest Area.³ Two picnic tables sit on the grass by the car park, which opens straight onto the beach. The play area is not fenced: a small stream mouth runs down one side and the highway and its bridge sit on the bank above the other, so keep runners in sight. The equipment stands mostly in full sun.

The beach is the real draw, good for a swim or a stroll, sandy in places with banks of shells and rocks in others, so reef shoes help. Reviewers describe kayaks, swimmers and parasailing out on the bay on busy days. For a second stop, Cable Bay Reserve Playground is a short drive west along the same highway.