PARC: Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre in Frankston

By Erica Louise

Great news for people of the peninsula. PARC swimming pool closed for a short period over spring due to a malfunction in the underground plumbing system but thankfully, all is restored and the aquatic playground is again open to the public.

This is great timing what with the large chunk of school holidays fast approaching, because PARC is a fantastic indoor play space to visit with the kids, regardless of what the weather decides to do.

We took our two children to PARC Aquatic Recreation Centre over the last school holidays to take advantage of the facilities and additional activities offered to families over the two-week break.

The aquatic centre is large enough to cater for all ages. There are two lap pools, a heated exercise pool, shallow wading pool for the tiny ones, a kiddie pool with water sprays and jets for splashy fun. The centre’s pièce-de-résistance for kids is the impressive water playground complete with slides and big buckets pouring water down onto smiley faces.

The beauty of PARC is that there are enough things to do to keep children entertained for hours. Kids can go wild on the waterslides. There are two slides in operation at PARC; the aptly named the Constrictor™ as well as Australia’s first ever PARC Python Waterslide.

The Python is an exciting activity hurling children and grown-ups down a high-tech tube of light and water whilst they are safely seated in an inflatable raft. This rather exhilarating waterslide, which pleased Dad just as much as our nine-year-old, uses sound and lighting effects that give slide-goers a spectacular multi-sensory experience whilst shooting down 114 metres.

The second slide, the “Constrictor™” shoots either single or tandem slide goers down a water tube that narrows to 2.1m, expands to 3.1m and then back again to 2.1m. This slide’s appearance has been designed to resemble snake skin!

Once the water slides had been conquered, our nine-year-old took to the “Ninja challenge” activity, especially designed for kids to complete during school holidays. The inflatable structure floating on the surface of the pool challenged kids to complete the course in record time, inspired by the TV show Australian Ninja Warrior, only this time on water. Those who won the fastest times went on to compete in the finals with a chance to win prizes. Activities for the younger ones saw our three-year-old decorate himself with a ninja headband at the craft table.

After a good couple of hours of water play, we took our hungry tummies to the PARC café, all located within the same complex. Kids’ lunch packs during school holidays are exceptionally reasonable, with nuggets and chips setting you back a mere $5. Healthier options are also available such as sandwiches, wraps and fruit.

On a side note, I should also mention PARC’s changing facilities are spacious and clean with the ability to choose a family change room if preferred. We would highly recommend taking advantage of the casual locker hire for just $2 for three hours. Visitors are given a waterproof wrist band that opens a coded locker. We could leave everything safely locked away and didn’t need to worry about losing a key in the process.

Why be envious of your friends cavorting in one of Bali’s water parks when you can splash about and have a whale of a good time at PARC in Frankston? Keep up to date with all the latest happenings and school holiday activities by visiting www.parcfrankston.com.au.