Did you know that playgrounds weren't a thing before the 1930s? Swings and slippery dips represent a shift in how society saw kids and their place in the world.
Play equipment at Woolloomooloo Playground in the 1960s included slippery dips, chain ladders and climbing poles.
Hula hoops were all the rage at this Woolloomooloo playground in the 1960s. Did you know that hula hoops date back to around 500 BC?
Children on a balance beam, throwing quoits, at Coronation Playground, Prince Alfred Park, 1950s.
A young girl does a headstand, watched by other children at Camperdown Playground, 1938.
Children gathered around a slippery dip at the official opening of Camperdown Playground, 1935.
Children play in the grassed area at Maybanke Playground in Pyrmont, 1930s.
Children on the play equipment at King George V Playground, Millers Point, 1930s.
Girl’s practice gymnastics at Moore Park Children's Playground, 1936.
Discover more photographs showing historical children’s playgrounds in Sydney in the Archives & History Resources catalogue.
You can also join us for a lunchtime conversation with City of Sydney historian Laila Ellmoos to learn more about how playgrounds came to be.
Published 2 May 2022
