New research has exposed a shocking inequality for kids across Australia, where some suburbs offer no local play spaces despite being home to thousands of children.
The new Purebaby.com.au study mapped child-to-playground ratios across the country, revealing stark inequalities in access to play spaces and green space.
Some communities had no playgrounds at all, despite large populations of children aged 0–14, with Queensland, Western Australia and NSW the most affected by playground inequality overall.
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Source: Purebaby.com.au
Multiple suburbs across Australia were revealed to have no playgrounds, despite having a large population of children
The analysis cross‑referenced ABS suburb‑level population data (for children aged 0-14) with a national database of public outdoor playgrounds and green spaces.
Queensland dominated the list of poor child to public playground ratio, with the findings revealing suburbs such as Marsden and Inala were home to high numbers of resident children, 4127 and 3647 respectively, but do not have a single playground in the area.
Other suburbs in the state with no playgrounds per 1000 kids were Gracemere (3138 total children), Dalby (2884 total children), Regents Park (2609 total children) and Indoorpilly (2429 total children).
Two suburbs in WA also made this list in South Hedland (2782 total children) and Waikiki (2531 total children).
In NSW, Green Valley and Woonona were spotlighted for significant child populations with no playgrounds per 1000 kids.
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Queensland dominated the list of poor child to free public playground ratio, with the findings revealing suburbs such as Marsden and Inala topping the list
The research additionally factored in access to green spaces overall, including parks and public access fields, spotlighting some of the greyest suburbs across the country that have a high volume of children living there.
AUSTRALIA’S WORST ‘GREEN SPACE’ SUBURBS
Punchbowl in NSW ranked lowest for green space per local child, with just one green space serving more than 4,500 children.
This equates to only 0.22 green spaces to share per 1,000 children, pointing to a significant gap in outdoor access for children.
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Source: Purebaby.com.au
Hillside in Victoria followed, with one green area serving over 3,400 children, revealing similar pressure of limited local infrastructure.
In WA, Nickol had comparable constraints, with one green space shared across a similarly sized child population.
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Mirabai Winford
Mirabai Winford founder of Purebaby, clothing for babies and toddlers made from organic cotton, said if children have limited access to free, outdoor public spaces it makes their world a lot smaller, with only a limited number of spaces they can be with their friends.
“Where you live can shape a child’s early experiences in ways we don’t always see, from their ability to socialise, to how they stay active and build confidence,” Ms Winford said.
“It’s interesting to see access to outdoor playgrounds varies widely, from regional areas, right through to busy inner-city suburbs.”
Green play spaces and playgrounds playing an important role in child development
Ms Winford said this research highlights a broader issue, that inequality can start in the environments children grow up in. Access to free, public play spaces was a critical part of supporting healthy development, she said.
“As cities expand, green space is often one of the first things to shrink,” she said.
“But without accessible places to play, families are left navigating environments that do not support healthy childhood development.”
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BEST CHILD TO PLAYGROUND SUBURBS
The study also revealed some of the healthiest child to playground ratio suburbs were found in Victoria, with Melton topping the list with 39.00 playgrounds per 1000 kids.
Other suburbs in the state also ranked in the top 10 including Tullamarine, Scoresby and Bacchus Marsh.
Mandurah in Western Australia came in second with 28.29 playgrounds per 1000 kids.
NSW suburbs to make the top 10 were Springwood, Tweed Heads, Glebe and Claremont Meadows also made the list while Kambah in ACT was also spotlighted.
State-by-state comparison of the availability of playgrounds
Rank State Total Suburbs Total Playgrounds
1 Australian Capital Territory 102 565
2 Northern Territory 46 125
3 Victoria 953 5948
4 South Australia 458 1136
5 Tasmania 141 225
6 New South Wales 1171 3496
7 Queensland 676 1846
8 Western Australia 390 1008
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