By Michelle Barry, the Team Leader for Child Health Promotion for Healthy Cities Illawarra
Basketball is one of those things where you can pick up a ball and straight away start having some fun. It’s ideal for when the kids need to burn off some energy and get in their 60 minutes of active “huff and puff” play a day to keep them healthy. I love that it also helps tough to open up! Kids (especially preteens and above) will chat more when on the court – we’ve had the best conversations with kids through basketball.
Here’s my top 3 suggestions for half courts in the Illawarra.
1. West District Park, Calderwood
Calderwood is a newly developed suburb and I find this basketball court is relatively unknown, even to those living in the suburb. It’s across the road from the main Calderwood Park with water play, sand and toilets, and adjacent is the newly opened Plough and Ale. The court is new, and fresh, surrounded by the lake and lovely parklands, plus has shaded picnic tables, a BBQ and a bubbler to hydrate. It’s perfect for kids to walk or ride their bikes down to shoot a few hoops after school or on the weekend with their mates.
2. Oakleigh Park, Warilla
This basketball court is on a main road, but with ample parking and easy access to the local suburbs, it makes for a great place to stop and shoot some hoops. It’s fenced, so no worries about the ball ending up on the road, and always open and relatively lit up, great for late-evening energy burn-offs. It is next to Shellharbour Aboriginal Community and Youth Association, where Healthy Cities Illawarra’s Active In-Betweens runs a healthy living and resilience program for kids 8-12 every Wednesday from 3 to 5pm in the school term. Come play with us, we love basketball!
3. Curley Bay Reserve, Shoalhaven
Have kids of different ages and with different interests? Keep them all happy and actively playing without the argument at the Curley Bay reserve. It’s a great choice for all as it has the basketball half court, skate park, BMX and playground all adjacent to each other. Including seating and bubblers to relax and hydrate in between, this court is sure to be a winner for the whole family.
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