Space age park opens at Mount Duneed

The new Nectar Drive park in Mount Duneed was officially opened. (supplied)

Mount Duneed is home to a new space-age playground and Darth Vader, a Star Wars stormtrooper and an astronaut were on board to help the launch with a family fun fair.

Hundreds of kids and parents packed the Nectar Drive park at Villawood Properties’ Armstrong neighbourhood for the opening.

Food, drinks, slushies, live music, face painting and a live reptiles show all made for great fun in between sampling the park’s Saturn V-sized rocket slide and other play equipment.

Greater Geelong councillor Ron Nelson joined with youngsters Isabelle and Grace Tumini and Villawood’s Monique Trajkov and Athony Bonanno for the occasion but, unlike the intrepid kids, he was keeping his feet soundly on terra firma.

The new Nova Park is the fifth by Villawood at Armstrong Mount Duneed and squarely aimed at getting kids outside and active.

“Getting their heart rate up helps reduce the massive strain on the public health system caused by diseases such as asthma, allergies and obesity,” Villawood executive director Rory Costelloe said.

“Villawood knows the lure of iPads, online games, Xbox consoles, mobile phones and computers is strong. So we design and build outdoor playgrounds, big and small, that are fun enough and challenging enough to draw kids away from potential digital dangers.”