Wadanggari Park in St Leonards is one of the most spectacular playgrounds to open in our area in years. The $43.5 million banksia-themed adventure playground, built over the rail line and opened in late 2023, was meant to be a landmark community space for the whole North Shore. Sadly, it has spent much of its short life being trashed.
On Monday night 1 June 2026, things got a whole lot more serious. Police were called to a fire at the park, and in the chaos a 9-year-old boy was struck by a marked police vehicle on the Pacific Highway near Christie Street. He was treated at the scene and taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick in a stable condition. A crime scene was established and an investigation is underway. Read our full report.
Residents in nearby apartments reported seeing a group of teenagers running from the park around the time of the fire. At least one resident said they heard and felt what they described as an explosion. This was not just graffiti or a broken panel. Someone deliberately lit a fire in a children’s playground.
How did we get here?
The park has had a rough run since day one, and ITC has been reporting on it throughout. Here is how things have unfolded:
Late 2023 — Wadanggari Park opens to huge excitement. The $43.5m playground is unlike anything else in the area, a banksia-themed adventure space built over the rail corridor opposite St Leonards station.
2023-2024 — Vandalism begins almost immediately after opening, with repeated incidents reported to Council.
July 2025 — The worst incident yet. More than 30 panels along the elevated walkways and stairs are damaged in a significant act of vandalism, rendering the playground unsafe.
September 2025 — The playground is closed indefinitely while repairs and additional remediation work are carried out.
Late November 2025 — After roughly two and a half months closed, the playground finally reopens.
May 2026 — It happens again. The yellow enclosed section of the playground is vandalised and cordoned off. Council tells ITC that CCTV and lighting are in place but that it is investigating whether design changes could help reduce incidents. Lane Cove Council publishes a statement acknowledging “an escalating pattern of vandalism.”
1 June 2026 — A fire is lit in the park. Police respond. A 9-year-old boy is hit by a police car on the Pacific Highway. Residents report teenagers fleeing the scene and describe hearing what sounded like an explosion.
It is hard not to wonder whether the park’s location right next to St Leonards station plays a role here. Train station precincts after dark can be magnets for exactly this kind of behaviour, and no amount of CCTV fully solves that problem.
Council has acknowledged there is a design issue too, with the enclosed section of the play structure creating what it describes as a “surveillance blind spot.” It is now looking at removing some of the opaque walling to improve sightlines, and is working with police to try to get on top of the pattern.
This is a playground that the whole community loves and deserves to have. It needs a solution that actually works, because what is happening now clearly is not good enough.
If you see anything suspicious at Wadanggari Park, call 000.
Sources: Lane Cove Council | ITC Week in Review Aug 2025 | ITC Week in Review May 2026
