Bikes & wheels,  Playgrounds

Runaway Bay Bike Park

The Runaway Bay Bike Park is so unassuming it doesn’t actually seem to even have an official name! You’ll find this shady bike park with playground tucked in beside the Runaway Bay Library and Community Centre. Here the kids can ride around a large, flat, concrete bike path with learn to ride features, have a go on the small skate bowl, and stop by a fun rock climbing wall at the playground.

For such a great bike path, this park is surprisingly always very quiet. Each time we visit, we usually only see one or two other families! Mostly fenced off from the road and the carpark, the bike path has two loops you can take. The outer loop takes you around the entire park area, while the inner loop has the learn to ride signs, roundabout and shorter paths. A large part of the bike path is under huge, well established trees, so this is a great spot even on those hot days. There are seats for parents to sit on and watch from too.

For those looking to try out a few tricks, there is a small and simple skate bowl, ideal for the younger kids but suitable for older ones too. Then there is a small playground to try out when the bike riding is done – a slide and swings, but also a great rock climbing wall! It’s great to see a few unique features at this park.

The pros of the Runaway Bay Bike Park are that it is really shady, quiet and nicely spread out. However, the big trees do bring with them a lot of fruit seeds at certain times of the year and the lorikeets love to eat them!! After big rains you will find that the playground area in particular does have a lot of the seeds on the ground. It’s nothing too bad, but worth a mention. Also, after rain (like most parks) there can be mosquitos about, so bring insect repellent as well as sunscreen for this one.

Need to know:

Address: Lae Drive, Runaway Bay (near the intersection with Morala Avenue and opposite Runaway Bay shopping centre)

Facilities: bike park, playground, skate bowl, drinking fountain, on site parking