Cott with kids: more than a beach day

If you just want a simple Cott afternoon with kids, this is probably it.

Beach, grass and food nearby. The Cottesloe Beach Playground is close by, along with the Main Beach public toilets, showers and change rooms.

The playground sits on Marine Parade opposite Napier Street, while the public toilets and showers are underneath Indiana Teahouse. There are grassed areas, seating and drinking water along the foreshore too.

A swim and a playground stop can fill an afternoon. With food nearby, there's a fair chance of heading home before everyone reaches the point of no return.

Town of Cottesloe: Cottesloe Foreshore

Treat the water as its own decision.

Cottesloe Beach is patrolled by Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club on weekends and public holidays during the October-April season. When the red and yellow flags are up, swim between them.

The protected swimming enclosure is also installed seasonally, generally from around late October until late April.

That doesn't make the ocean risk-free, and it doesn't replace supervising children closely around the water.

Look at the conditions when you arrive. Check for the flags. Read the signs. Then decide whether it's a swimming day.

For more on which part of the coast suits what you're doing, see:

CottBuzz: Which Cottesloe beach is right for you?

Surf Life Saving WA: Cottesloe Beach

Head south along Marine Parade and you'll find another good family combination at Dutch Inn Beach and playground, opposite Beach Street.

It's smaller and simpler than making Cottesloe Beach the whole event.

There's a playground, a small grassed area, seating and seasonal shade sails, with South Cott Beach just across the foreshore.

That makes it particularly good for the classic family compromise:

"We'll go for a walk, but there's a playground halfway."

Or:

"You can have another twenty minutes at the beach, then we're going."

The shared path runs all the way along the Cott foreshore so you can ride or walk to the playground.

CottBuzz: Cottesloe without a car

One thing to know before you arrive - there are currently no public toilets at Dutch Inn.

The Town has been investigating a new toilet facility in South Cottesloe, including a possible location near the playground, but at the moment that's still a proposal rather than an amenity you can rely on.

So make the toilet stop before you head south.

Town of Cottesloe: Public open space and playgrounds strategy

Town of Cottesloe: Proposed public toilet facility

Keep heading south and the play changes again. Beside the Vlamingh Memorial on Marine Parade is the Cottesloe Nature Discovery Space at Vlamingh.

Logs, rocks and winding paths encourage climbing, balancing and games the kids invent themselves, with cubby-style elements to explore.

The coastal dune bush setting has been restored by Cottesloe Coastcare.

It's also a nice addition to a South Cott walk. Stop here, let them scramble around for a while, then keep wandering along the coast.

There are no public toilets at Vlamingh.

Town of Cottesloe: Cottesloe Nature Discovery Space at Vlamingh

For bigger kids - and plenty of smaller ones - this might be the easiest choice of all.

John Black Dune Park and Cottesloe Skatepark, at 20 Napier Street, has a bowl, plaza, pump track and hang-out areas.

It's built for skateboards, scooters and BMX bikes, with different areas allowing riders to progress from easier sections to more challenging obstacles.

Bring their favourite wheels - and something for the parent who may be sitting there considerably longer than promised. Or join in on your own.

Town of Cottesloe: Cottesloe Skate Park

One of the best things about the John Black Dune Park and Cottesloe Skatepark is where it is. You're on Napier Street, only a short trip from the main foreshore.

That means a morning can easily become:

Skatepark → Cottesloe Beach → swim → food.

Or the other way around.

It's enough variety to keep kids interested without putting them back in the car for half the day.

There aren't toilets at the skatepark itself, but they are close by across Napier Street at the Civic Centre public toilets - Napier Street.

The Cottesloe Civic Centre and grounds are among the most useful family spots in Cott precisely because it doesn't feel like the beach.

At 109 Broome Street you've got big lawns, gardens, seating, public barbecues, Civic Centre public toilets - Napier Street and a Cottesloe Civic Centre Playground on the southern side of the grounds.

That makes it a good picnic stop when everyone needs some space.

The kids can play. Someone can lie on the grass. Lunch doesn't need to cost a fortune.

And if Marine Parade is getting blasted by the afternoon wind, the gardens can feel like a completely different day.

The grounds are public, but they're also regularly used for weddings and other booked events, so give private functions plenty of room.

Alcohol isn't permitted in the Civic Centre grounds.

Town of Cottesloe: Civic Centre Grounds

Here's one that's easy to overlook if you think Cott begins and ends at Marine Parade.

The East Cottesloe Nature Play Trail runs along Railway Street between Perth Street and Albion Street.

It's another nature-style play space, but with a different mix again - climbing and balancing, an enclosed sandpit, shady seating and a nature trail joining it all up.

It can also save the day when you've arrived at the beach to discover the Fremantle Doctor has other plans.

Beach too windy? Go east.

There are no public toilets at the playground, but it's close to the town centre where you might want to buy a coffee and use the cafe's facilities.

Town of Cottesloe: East Cottesloe Nature Playground

These combinations keep travel between stops short.

The easy beach day

Cottesloe Beach + Cottesloe Beach Playground

Swim if the conditions suit, picnic on the grass, playground, home.

The wheels day

John Black Dune Park and Cottesloe Skatepark + Main Beach

Ride until everyone's hot, then head down to the water.

The South Cott adventure

Dutch Inn Beach and playground + Cottesloe Nature Discovery Space at Vlamingh

Walk or ride south along the coast, stop at Dutch Inn Playground, continue to the Nature Discovery Space and turn around when you've had enough.

Just remember there are currently no public toilets at either stop.

The picnic day

Cottesloe Civic Centre and grounds + Cottesloe Civic Centre Playground

Bring food, use the barbecue, let the kids disappear into the playground and gardens for a while.

The no-beach beach day

East Cottesloe Nature Play Trail

Ideal when the wind is howling or everyone has had enough sand for one week.

There is no great secret to this. Fed children tend to enjoy outings more than hungry children.

Cottesloe Beach and the foreshore have plenty of nearby options for takeaway, coffee, ice cream and meals, while a picnic opens up the Cottesloe Civic Centre and grounds and South Cott options without having to organise the day around a booking.

Water bottles, hats, sunscreen and snacks will solve a surprising number of problems.

A John Black Dune Park and Cottesloe Skatepark session can become a swim; a coastal walk can end with climbing on logs at Cottesloe Nature Discovery Space at Vlamingh. Having the stops close together makes it easier to change plans when the weather - or the children - have other ideas.

Before you go

Consider going car-free so finding a place to park doesn't take up half the day.

CottBuzz: Cottesloe without a car

If swimming is involved, check current beach conditions and patrol information and reassess when you arrive.

For South Cott playground trips, remember that public toilets are currently limited. Cottesloe Beach and the Cottesloe Civic Centre and grounds are the useful facilities to know about before setting out.