Abandoned: The Ascot Water Playground

These photos and written descriptions are from July 2014.

The Ascot Water Playground opened in the late 1970s and operated until about 2002. The cost of entry was initially free but then changed to just a gold coin donation. There was nowhere else like this at the time, and you'd be hard-pressed to find something similar today.

The location was ideal, situated right on the river with the Perth CBD visible from the edge. Ultimately, the river contributed to its downfall, however, as river run-off laws were introduced and new occupational health and safety laws shuttered the park (lots of wet, slippery concrete, you see.) As far as I can tell, there were never any serious injuries at the park but the world is now a different place. I guess the council didn't want/have the money to splash out on making it safe by modern standards or fixing the river run-off problem, and it was permanently closed.

What's left now is a swampy wasteland which reminded me a lot of a few locations in the video game, The Last of Us - nestled among multi-million dollar mansions as the location is now considered upper market. Luckily, there isn't much vandalism here, but nature has taken its toll on the place.

I was quite excited to visit. This is the first abandoned location I've been to which is part of my childhood. It was quite an experience to see it now when I have memories of its prime.

[2024 update]

While it’s still a nice part of the riverside to visit, the Ascot Water Playground is no more. The site was razed in early 2018. Now you will find sand, bushes and several new houses. It would be immature to whinge about that during the current housing crisis, but it’s a site I miss nonetheless.

The following photos were taken on different visit with a Samsung Galaxy S3 and… wow. Smartphone cameras have come a long way in the last decade. Regardless, I’ll add a few since they show a few things my fancy (for the time) DSLR didn’t.