By Michelle Barry, the Team Leader for Child Health Promotion for Healthy Cities Illawarra

Skate parks can often look chaotic at best to us adults but they are great places for older children and teens to meet others and get some physical activity in, while testing their limits and learning not be afraid to fail!

Falls/stacks are many and they are celebrated for the bigger the stack, the bigger the cheer! Skate parks are a great place to build resilience, persistence and self-confidence, which can have a knock-on effect into everyday life. 

Here’s 3 great skate parks to encourage the kids to give it a go!

1. Albion Park Skate Park, Russell Street

This skate park is in the middle of Albion Park with plenty of parking and the youth centre, oval, pool and library surrounding it. It's a simple skate park but great for its accessibility to the local schools and for students who can come here before or after school. Bonus: the Albion Park Youth and Community Centre does a breakfast club on Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-9am and Youth Connections on Mondays and Wednesdays 3-5pm for all kids aged 8-14 years, providing support and extra fuel needed for those big jumps!

2. Holborn Park, Berkeley

An excellent skate park with lots of ramps of different strengths to challenge children, 4-footish open bowls, good-size ledges and rails and a great bank section! It also has shaded areas to watch the epic action and a basketball half court if not everyone in your group likes to skate! It’s very popular and is near a playground, jetty and picnic tables. Plus, it's on a cycleway so caters for all.

3. Harry Sawkins Park, McGrath Ave, Nowra

A skate park in the middle of Nowra town, Harry Sawkins Park is popular with skateboarders and next to a playground that is fenced and has some great accessibility features. There's also a duck pond and picnic tables where you can sit and watch the action.

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