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The Best Climbing Trees in Brisbane

So where exactly are the best climbing trees in Brisbane? Everyone can agree that one of the best things to do as a child is climb trees. From scaling massive tree trunks and swinging on its branches to looking down at the park below, it’s easy to understand why it is such a popular hobby among children of all ages. Want to give your kids a chance to scale some of the best climbing trees in Brisbane? Keep reading to discover the top seven places in Brisbane to climb trees.

Cotton Tree Forest in Scarborough Beach Park, Scarborough

Brisbane best climbing trees - families magazine - Cotton tree

Ah, Scarborough Beach Park. Nestled beside Scarborough’s beautifully calm beachside, Scarborough Beach Park is a wonderful playground that kids of all ages can enjoy. On one end of the park sits Cotton Tree Forest, one of the best climbing trees in Brisbane. Cotton Tree Forest is home to several huge twisted cotton trees. The branches of these trees intertwine with each other, resulting in an awesome natural climbing frame that is perfect for kids to climb up and swing on. The branch size and levels vary greatly, ensuring all children from toddlers to teens can enjoy this tree climbing park. Fences surround the park, protecting any climbers from the road nearby. As well as this, the ground below the interweaving branches is made up of soft dirt and leaves, so any little jumping daredevils can be sure to have a soft landing. With everything it as to offer, Cotton Tree Forest is one of the best places to take the kids for a good tree climb.

Arthur Davis Park, Sandgate

Another park which can be found on the Northside, Arthur Davis Park not only has a great shady playground and close access to the nearby beach, it also has fantastic climbing trees. Featuring thick, sturdy branches that criss-cross in all directions, you won’t be able to keep the kids off the trees at this park. The trees and the park are surrounded by fencing and covered in soft dirt, ensuring a safe environment for hours of tree climbing fun. With plenty of parking spaces and a great location, it’s one of the easiest parks to get to and the kids will love it.

Neal Macrossan Park

Brisbane best climbing trees - families magazine - neal macrossan

Neal Macrossan Park is on Moreton St, Paddington, in Brisbane, right near the Suncorp Stadium. It has a great park with a fence around it with a few entry gates for different parking spots and it can get a bit busy. The trees in the park are absolutely amazing to climb! Their huge expansive branches and easy to navigate trunks make this park and its trees a crowd pleaser for most ages. Your kids can literally play ‘hide and seek’ in the branches as the trees are so huge! If they get bored of climbing the trees, the playground is also a winner with all ages. Definitely add this park to your ‘must do’ list.

Dorrington Park, Ashgrove

best climbing trees in Brisbane

Also known as the Enchanted Forest, Dorrington Park is a wonderfully imaginative playground in of itself. However, it is also home to several huge shady trees. Most of these trees are surrounded by little wooden benches, providing the perfect boost up into the trees. With much higher branches and smoother trunks, these trees are best suited for older or more experienced climbers.

Younger ones who wish to climb at Dorrington Park have another alternative which can be found on the playground. The House of Hex provides younger children with a fun, easy to grip spider’s web which is closer to the bark covered ground. For a fun tree climbing challenge, check out the trees at Dorrington Park.

New Farm Park, New Farm

Brisbane best climbing trees Brisbane New Farm Park

Surrounding and entwining with the quaint wooden playground of New Farm Park is a magical forest. The climbing trees of this forest are certainly unique and are sure to delight everyone who sees them. Better known as Moreton Bay Fig Trees, these beautiful trees feature long bows and roots which flow down the trunks of the trees like waterfalls.

This results in not just any ordinary tree climbing park, but an alien-like adventure playground which kids will spend hours climbing on and playing make believe. The large gaps between the roots and the trunks of the fig trees also make them the perfect place to play hide and seek for big groups of energetic kids. If you want to take the kids to a place they’ve only ever dreamt of, take them to New Farm Park.

Sherwood Arboretum, Sherwood

Sherwood Arboretum certainly lives up to its name when it comes to having the perfect climbing trees.  The Arboretum features a vast array of trees, including over 300 native species. Kids will have a field day climbing all the different types of trees, including native fig and plum trees.

Some of the best climbing trees in the Arboretum feature thick, sprawling limbs that kids will be eager to clamber onto and play on. Once you manage to convince the kids to climb down, the fun doesn’t end there. Just in front of these trees is the main playground and many other features of this great park, including a BBQ and toilet facilities. For a great variety of climbing trees the kids will spend all day playing on, check out Sherwood Arboretum.

Wellington Point Reserve, Wellington Point

A beautiful beachside treasure south of Brisbane, Wellington Point Reserve offers up some great fun for avid tree climbers. Surrounding the Wellington Point playground are huge Moreton Bay Figs. With wide spanning limbs that shoot out in all directions, even the littlest of climbers will enjoy playing on the low hanging boughs of the tree. Soft dirt and sand surround each of the trees, ensuring there are plenty of soft landing spots for jumping kids. Along with the awesome trees, Wellington Point Reserve has fun play equipment and a fantastic beach for kids to enjoy.

So where else can you find the best climbing trees in Brisbane? With awesome parks in North, South and Central Brisbane, you and the kids will never tire of visiting them. We would LOVE to hear where your favourites are… just add a note in the comments and we will investigate and add to this list!

This article was published in Issue 15 of our print magazine, April/May 2016.

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Janine Mergler

Janine Mergler is a veteran Queensland teacher, graduating from QUT with a BEd majoring in Social Sciences. After many years in the classroom, Janine moved on to academia. She has proudly trained new generations of teachers in her role as a lecturer at Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Education. She has also worked in the Queensland Government as an education specialist, developing education resources and delivering community awareness programs to help families conserve water. Currently she is the owner and editor of Families Magazine, a publication specifically targeted at parents who value a quality education for children.  Janine leads a team of professionals who write about family lifestyle, early childhood, schools and education information and family-friendly events.

1 thought on “The Best Climbing Trees in Brisbane”

  1. Love this article!! Thank you! And Wellington Point is a favourite .. I played on these trees when I was a child. I was at a Sunday School picnic at Wellington Point the day JFK was assassinated!

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