The Joslin Reserve provided much entertainment for my good self in my teenage years and into my…read moreearly twenties. The younger version of myself went to practice tennis, whereas the older version would find himself there late at night, mildly intoxicated, playing on the swings and giggling! Really, it is a typical inner suburban park with a basket ball hoop, slippery dip and a bit of grass space for tge pick up soccer game. For me, it gets four stars because it was my old local haunt and it is a pretty nice park.

I tell you what, since I have been Yelping I have been doing more reminiscing over my old haunts…read moreand what has made me the super huge, baby faced ninja-samurai that I am today. Twelftree Reserve, in the back streets of College Park (a real rough ghetto where homies drive Merc's and Beemers), was where I would spend countless hours playing kick to kick with my mate Jimbo, shooting hoops, and playing on the spinning top thingy.....that last one was more me than Jimbo. The reserve has a bit of everything, play equipment, basket ball mini-court, picnic tables (all under dense leaf coverage) and a nice sized area to dob the footy to your mate for hours on end until you can't walk. I guess I have my answer now as to why my knees are comparable to an 80 year olds!

Twelftree Reserve is like a desert with an oil rig or cattle station. There's a wide expanse of…read moreblankness and a dot of a structure where most of the population gathers together. Of course, the similarity ends there. And, to an extent, it doesn't perfectly begin there either. The little playground has seen a lot of traffic, I'm sure, but all my visits to Twelftree have shown all the reserve's patrons to frequent the desert or, in this case, the grassland. The playground isn't bad, but I much prefer the expanse. It's big and long (which means I can find a spot to myself) and the trees provide plenty of shade (which means I can stay there for more than ten minutes).

A seriously pretty place, but not much to it. They are obviously trying to grab the children's…read moreattention by having the pencils sticking out of the ground, but there's nothing here but some whispering poles, bouncy things (you would think after all the playground reviews I have done I would've found a better name for them than that lol) and a climbing frame. Of course children are happy with the simplest things but I would want more from my local playground. Perhaps the saving grace of this area is the old steam roller. It's engaging and allows the children to use their imagination. *Dogs allowed*

Ahhhhh, Walky's Oval! Back in the days where I was of an age that beer, the nectar of the gods…read morethemselves, tasted terrible and I was astonished that any would want to drink such a liquid when Coke was also available! I used to head there with my folks and friends to play tennis, kick the footy, bat in the nets and randomly climb all over the ornamental steam roller. After most of these days of innocent frivolity, although I had grass stains on my knees and the odd splinter in my arm, I was completely exhausted and happy as a clam. The Oval is still as it was many years ago, plenty of space for picnics, lots to keep the little ones entertained and the cricket nets to pretend you are Warnie....I alway preferred Ooo Aaah, Glenn Magrath personally!

It's an oval. There's grass, room to play some foot, and some cricket nets to practice your bowling…read moreand batting. If you've ever seen an oval before (not the shape now, silly, but the sporting arena), you'll have a very, very good idea what Walkerville Oval looks like. There's nothing wrong with it and there's plenty right with it; like a table with four legs, it accomplishes all the purposes you'd expect of it, but at that we can't forget it IS just an oval. Which is my justification for the three-star rating. Although, I'd give it a three-and-a-half star rating if I could, just for the cricket nets. Not EVERY oval has THOSE, you know.

I've a partiality for parks. I never used to, but I do nowadays. It's how I achieve my vitamin D, I…read moreguess, though I (mostly unwittingly) tend to avoid what sunlight I can whilst I laze about on the green green grass. The more parks I visit, the more I've come to think of myself as a sort of park genius. My knowledge s'far extends thus far: a park NEEDS a tap. It's rare I'll drive to a park. It just doesn't feel parky (and that's about as far as I've reasoned into the disinclination). I'll walk (if the distance is friendly) or catch public transport (if it's cruel). And when I'm lugging around a bunch of notepads, pens and books, the LAST thing I want to do is carry a water bottle as well. So it's good to replenish my stock with a little tap water. And with a tap you NEED a toilet. I don't mind going bush (well, depending on the... matter of expulsion), but I've been caught WAY too often. Honestly, if I'm a parking genius I'm also a pissing dunce. And, though the long-winded intro sounded like the wind-rush judge's swinging hammer, I'm happy to report this park has BOTH of those things. And [insert groan-joke about the park fitting like a glove].

Roughly the same size as the Botanic Gardens. But most of it is used as a home for a couple dozen…read morehorses. Seeing them roam the fields with the Hills in the background is like a scene from back in time. The last holdout from the good old days when you were free to ride your horse down the street and it could poop where it damn well pleased. There's a dirt loop for there owners to ride around. Poor bastards probably get dizzy! Other than well-kept Glover Playground on Lefevre Terrace (western side) this park is pretty shabby. The playground has enough stuff to keep the kids entertained, probably longer than you want to keep them entertained. There are swaying chairs on big springs, forts, a sandpit, modern alien-looking monkey bars and a BBQ with picnic table all fenced in. Near to here are a couple sports fields with field hockey style nets. Considering the park is pretty close to Melbourne St. Mum and Dad can get a coffee after. There's a cricket oval and some tennis/netball courts down the hill on the south-east corner of the park.

If anyone else went to Marryatville High School, you'd probably remember wagging school and hanging…read moreout at Tuzzie instead. Ah, the days. Even before high school, I used to come here as a kid and always found it to be a safe and comfortable environment. Bordered by Rivington Grove, Kennaway St and Stirling St, Tusmore Park has a number of great facilities. In the summer there is a wading pool for kids, there are two playgrounds plus a fenced area for extra security, public toilets, and a large grass area for sports. BBQ facilities are also available, as well as picnic areas. There is ample street parking, plus the park provides a lot of shade from surrounding trees. It is a beautiful park, complete with five (I think) free tennis courts as well. It does get busy, especially in summer and on weekends, so get there quick.

A large and beautiful suburban park complete with a small creek running through, dotted with old…read morestone and wooden bridges and engulfed in the shade on ancient Gums. I used to come here a lot as a child and have many fond memories. Even in my older years I still frequent Tusmore Park for a spot of inner city landscape painting. There is a small wading pool for small children which is covered by a pergola for sun protection. The creek only really runs in the winter time and even then is quite shallow. There is a bunch of playground equipment as well as bbq facilities. The Hanson reserve provides a sizable patch of grass for ball games and the like. At the base of the reserve is a section reserved for the regrowth native vegetation, as well as a sort of little Forrest of older trees, which is great fun for kids to explore. The park gets quite busy on the weekends during summer, when lots of families have picknicks and bbqs. Probably best to get there early to ensure you get a spot.