By: Jane Hammond
Bike skills parks are popping up all across metropolitan Perth, providing kids with fun and safe places to learn the road rules.
Bike skills parks are special playgrounds with a theme, developed specifically for kids and their bikes. They contain the infrastructure needed to help develop balance, cycling skills and road awareness.
These small-scale versions of real-world streets can include road signs, traffic lights, pretend fuel stations, parking areas, speed bumps and even pedestrian crossings.
They are free to use and designed for both a quick visit and an affordable family day out.
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For more experienced riders there are also many new "Pump and Jump" BMX tracks being set up in the suburbs and regional WA.
These looped tracks are designed for ‘pumping’ - moving the body up and down to get up the mounds and around the berms- rather than peddling or pushing. They allow riders to develop advanced off-road riding skills and are also a great way to get some exercise.
So put the bikes in the car, pack a picnic and enjoy a day away from the screens, honing the family bike skills. But don't forget to bring your helmets.
Here are some of our favourite bike skills tracks in Perth.
1. Pitstop Park, Banksia Grove
This innovative play space is proving popular with locals but is also well worth travelling to from further away. It is part of a bigger green space so offers lots of activities for all ages.
The highlight is the PitStop track that enables young riders four years and up to experience the feel of riding a race track away from the danger of cars and other road users.
2. Shipwreck Cove, Golden Bay
This nautical themed park includes a BMX pump track and an underwater themed road bike and scooter circuit. When the kids get tired of cycling there is also a lookout to climb and loads of exciting play equipment. The park has easy access to the beach for a cooling dip and even barbecue facilities. It's the perfect day out for your little "pirate" or "mermaid".
3. MacDonald Park Playground, Padbury
This highly rated park has a popular bike skills track that includes a place to stop and fill up with pretend fuel and even to visit a make-believe ice cream van. A parking area for bikes and scooters add to the real-life experience of the circuit. Nearby oval facilities, barbecue areas and a nature playground make for a great day out for the whole family. But leave the four-legged member of the family at home when you visit this park as dogs are not allowed even on a leash.
4. Rendell Park, Koondoola
A winding bike track is a feature of this play area. It compliments a playground for younger children and offers entertainment for pre-schoolers and primary school-aged kids alike. Road signs highlighting pedestrian crossings, no-through-roads and speed bumps provide a realistic road challenge for young riders.
The bike track includes some undulation and even has a gravel section, complete with warning signs, to add realism and off-road excitement to the circuit. But be sure to make your own pit stop before leaving home as this wonderful play area does not have toilets.
5. Hossack Reserve, Parkwood
This slightly longer bike track is suitable for the whole family. It is only a few hundred metres long but great for getting everyone on their bikes, from toddlers to teens. The track has many road signs and offers a great way to teach young riders about roundabouts, no-entry signs and other travel safety rules.
When you are done riding the circuit there’s space for a game of frisbee or soccer on the oval and a couple of playgrounds. There are toilets, a water fountain and plenty of parking to make for an easy day's outing.
6. Lake Monger Reserve, Wembley
For older children and even adult BMX fans, the Town of Cambridge has developed an exciting pump and jump BMX track as part of the Lake Monger Reserve. This asphalt track is not for the faint-hearted and suited to more experienced riders. It is new and very popular so space can be at a premium on the actual track.
The jumps are exhilarating and perfect for those wanting a challenge. The rest of the reserve includes everything a family might need for a great day out. While older kids and teenagers are perfecting their BMX kick jumps, the younger ones can be enjoying the nearby playground equipment, watching the swans or riding their bikes around the shared paths that circle the lake. Toilets, barbecue facilities and plenty of parking make the reserve easy to access and use.
7. Shepherds Bush Reserve, Kingsley
This special racetrack is perfect for younger children and even includes a filling station to top up the bike or scooter with make-believe fuel. The track is small but perfect for racing and road skills development. For older children there is also a pump and jump BMX track. Shepherd's Bush Nature Reserve contains interesting nature walks that offer the perfect break between racing and jumping. Dogs are welcome but must remain on a leash.
8. Leatherback Oval Bike Track, Alkimos
Toddlers to middle-primary-school aged children will love this enticing little bike circuit. While designed for bikes, it is also well suited to ride-on push toys and scooters. A bigger bike track circles the larger area of the park providing a perfect distraction for older riders while their younger siblings learn about road rules, signage, speed bumps and pedestrian crossings. A highlight of the park is a tool station for bike repairs.
Toddlers can play at tuning their ride-ons while older kids and adults can use the full-sized tools to repair their bikes and even pump up their tyres.
9. Madox Playground and Pump Track, Piara Waters
This is a compact playground brimming with different activities. The bike track has all the elements needed for building road sense for toddlers and pre-schoolers, including arrows to keep riders on the correct side of the road. Meanwhile older kids can practice their skateboard, scooter or BMX skills on a small pump and jump bowl. The size of the bowl means that children still getting their confidence on different types of wheels can build their skills before progressing to a larger skate park.
Interactive arcade-style games tables are a surprise addition to this little park. They provide the perfect excuse for a break between racing the track or perfecting those jumps. But you will need to bring your own pocket ball to play the popular Foosball game.
10. Peachey Park, Kewdale
The bike tracks at Peachey Park are more about helping kids develop confidence and good riding skills as opposed to learning road rules. The simple tracks here are popular with families and beginner riders with some easy looped tracks for the little ones to take on. There's also a small playground within the park.
11. Waabiny Park, Northern Parklands Bentley
This special park has many great attractions but its bicycle racetrack is hard to beat. The track includes a start and finish line, multiple lanes and traffic signs. It’s perfect for those with a competitive side or who simply want to test their speed against their peers.
If racing isn't your child's thing, then there are several other bike and scooter paths that wind their way through the play areas, including a ‘learn to cycle’ track. The park is built of recycled materials and with sustainability in mind. It includes nature play, an outdoor classroom and an area for traditional games like hopscotch, four square and noughts and crosses.
12. Reg Williams Reserve, Armadale
Looking for a full-sized bike circuit to test those training wheels or even to take them off? Then this Armadale reserve is the answer. The bike track is just like riding on a road and is suitable for the entire family. There are roundabouts, stop and give way signage and no cars. The reserve also includes a full-sized basketball court and skate park that is well suited to beginner BMX skills training. For older children or for mum and dad there is also outdoor gym equipment.
13. Lions Park, Armadale
This small park has an excellent training circuit for young cyclists. A pretend fuel pump is a popular pit stop for scooter and bike riders and perfect for imaginative play. The park has plenty of shaded areas and clean public toilets. The main path abuts a creek that is partially fenced so parents of younger children do need to stay vigilant. Although small, this park is great for nature play between circuits and a lovely place to relax.
14. Calista Bike Skills Track
The 200m Calista Bike Skills Track features speed humps, mini traffic lights, road signs and roundabouts. The track also includes a play charging station to ‘top up’ their bike or scooter, along with other play areas.
The track is located on Gilmore Avenue in Calista, just north of the Edge Skatepark and east of the Kwinana Adventure Park, and is fenced along the Gilmore Avenue side.
15. Honeycomb Park, Brabham
Marked by a giant domed play structure in the shape of a honeycomb, the bee-themed Honeycomb Park in Brabham also features a BMX pump track and scooter trail. The BMX track is well suited to younger riders and is surrounded by tall trees.
The park also has a toddler playground, barbeques and picnic benches, and a dog socialisation area so you take the whole family. Honeycomb Park is located at the end of Sideslip Street in Brabham.
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