Gribblehurst Park

Pros:
It’s a park, so all the standard park pros. Grass, trees, fresh air. Additionally this park has sports fields, and bleachers for that authentic Friday Night Lights feel. Best of all this park has a sweet playground with a flying fox. This is awesome if you’re a kid, but also awesome if you’re a slightly drunk teenager because there is nothing more fun than crashing into someone in the dark on a flying fox.
Cons: One time we went here to set off fireworks and a crazy lady yelled at us. Not because we were setting off fireworks, which you could argue would have been justified, but because she thought we were her old neighbours who had taken her things when they moved. Or something about her dog? I don’t know, but she was unpleasant. Also, I don’t know how keen I’d be to wander round here by myself after dark — remember those slightly drunk teenagers I mentioned earlier?

I used to live across the road from Gribblehurst park, and I got to know it pretty well — you get that when you are under the influence at 3 am. You find things. You see things. However, Gribblehurst park is just as good in the light of day. You have your basketball court, your adventure playground, your rugby field — and best of all, a flying fox. I wish there were more flying foxes everywhere. How much better would walking down hill be if you could jump up and hop on a flying fox?
Gribblehurst Park also hosts the Edendale bowling club and a petanque pitch, so it is more then just a vast green expanse in the middle of Sandringham.

Having grown up just off Sandringham Road, I spent many hours as a child playing in Gribblehurst Park. There are two playgrounds — one is more for the littlies, and the other (which is up some stairs so is obviously cooler) is a little more adventurous and appeals to slightly older kids.
Gribblehurst Park also offers a flying fox, a BBQ, plenty of room for picnics, a rugby field complete with clubroom, a bowls club situated in the far corner and a wee rose garden up the hill. This variety means it is a park that caters to virtually every age group, and I admit as I have gotten older I still frequent Gribblehurst often.
As a teenager my friends and I would grab hot chips and milkshakes from the local fish and chip shop and set up camp in the park for a few hours on summer afternoons. Then as a young adult I began attending 21^st parties, and many of them were held in the clubroom. It’s a pretty decent venue for parties and private functions — there’s room for a dance floor, there’s lots of seating, a full bar, projectors and TVs and it’s not too far to taxi in to town afterwards.
Tip: During rugby season try to avoid driving through Gribblehurst Park on Saturdays — it gets really parked up and there are kids and dogs running around everywhere. It’s a driver’s worst nightmare.