Moreton Bay Regional Council acquired the land of the old Petrie Paper Mill, which closed in 2013, and in 2020 built an impressive public water park, play space, cricket pitch and barbecue area. The playground is dominated by an eight-metre tall climbing structure with two big slides. This blue, yellow, violet and grey tower sits next to a flying fox and within a beautifully landscaped space with sandstone features.
On the other side of the toddler play zone is the summertime drawcard, a large water play space. Here, the looming bucket tower fills with fluid till it can't hold it any more and dumps it spectacularly over the delighted hordes below. Crabs spurt water from their backs, and a water channel with dams snakes through the space. There's a rotatable large fountain (watch out where the kids are pointing that thing). All will keep kids occupied in hot weather while parents look on from shaded sitting areas.
It's just a shame there isn't more shade. On a busy Saturday morning at the height of summer, it's standing room only under cover while over a dozen families have had to resort to bringing their own pavilion tents. The modern toilet block is welcome, but its cramped cubicles offer little space for getting changed into cossies.
These quibbles apart, the Mill is one heck of an impressive offering and clearly fulfilling a deeply felt need in this region. Splashtastic!