Pirate Park is the big custom pirate ship on the bank of Currumbin Creek at Palm Beach. It was rebuilt in a $1.4 million upgrade and reopened in July 2022, so what you get now is a proper destination playground: a timber-clad ship with portholes and climbing holds down its hull, a crow's nest tower council puts at seven metres, and a long enclosed tunnel slide, eight metres of it, curling down onto the sand.

There is a lot more around the ship than the ship. A flying fox runs along a twenty-metre cable beside it, and there is a blue spinning globe, a big basket swing on a steel arch, a rope climbing tower, giant chimes, cannons, telescopes, talk tubes and treasure chests, plus a sandstone rock scramble and a sand pit at ground level. Under the deck are quieter cargo-hold spaces for children who would rather potter than climb. One thing to know: the playground is only partially fenced, with open entry points rather than gates, so bolters still need watching.

The setting is half the appeal. The creek lagoon alongside is calm, shallow and protected with no surf, and there are outdoor showers for afterwards, but it is not patrolled, so children in the water need an adult with them. Dune Cafe is on site with takeaway from 6am and a kitchen from 6:30am, and it keeps a few dog-friendly tables outside. There are barbecues, shaded picnic shelters and two toilet blocks with change rooms and showers. Parking is free with over a hundred spaces, limited to three hours only between 8am and 4pm on weekdays, though the carpark fills on sunny weekends, so come before mid-morning.