About Acacia Play

Acacia Play was born from the desire to connect with others amongst nature + surrounded by families in the same season of life.

Over the last three years Acacia Play has continued to grow and evolve, welcoming many children and their families to experience the simplicity that comes with connecting to each other, themselves and the land on which we gather.

Held on two beautiful permaculture properties Acacia Play offers holistic nature based play sessions + farm immersions in Lake Macquarie and the Hunter Valley. Acacia Play values and strives to follow the ethics and principles of permaculture - Earth Care, People Care + Fair Share, inspiring our children to love and care for the earth.

Acacia Play is named after Pioneer Plants, these are plants that are planted along side smaller trees that grow quicker than the others in order to provide support and strength to the smaller trees. As the faster growing pioneer plant grows and then dies back it allows for the smaller trees to out grow them once they have been nurtured enough to develop strong roots and good foundations. Acacias make a wonderful pioneer plant and are often used for exactly this purpose; you will find many Acacia trees here at Purple Pear Farm doing exactly this. Acacia Play honours and reflects the values and permaculture lifestyle of where it all began, it was the most perfect fit and the beginnings of the Acacia Play you know today.

At Acacia Play we view us adults as the pioneer trees, nurturing our little ones, supporting them to grow and develop with strong foundations and a connection to the earth. Once they are big enough we can step back and move further away to let them grow even further into themselves.

Our vision for Acacia Play is more than just another play space, it is nurturing future generations love for the world around them through holistic experiences inspired by nature and the principles of permaculture.

Earth Care, People Care + Fair Share

Our Team

Meet the full team…

  • “Time spent in nature is so special for us all, and at Acacia Play the children are completely immersed in the natural world. Feeding the chickens, meandering through the extensive veggie garden, using natural resources for craft, cooking damper- my son just loves it all. The best part is that he is given the time and freedom to explore Acacia Play his way, doing wonders for his confidence, independence, creativity and communication skills.”

    Mel - Mum to Archie

  • “I cannot speak more highly of the experience my sons and I have had at The Paddock.

    There are activities you do just because your children will benefit from them and enjoy them and then there are the activities that you genuinely enjoy yourself, and this is on of those rare occasions.

    The Paddock has perfectly struck the balance between structure and freedom in this beautiful space. There are always activities planned such as cooking or art but never any pressure for the children to join who just want to explore the veggie gardens or the food forest.

    Its been lovely to meet other like minded mums and such a nice place to meet with friends and their children. All children and adults could do with more of the experiences that The Paddock has to offer.

    Alyce – Mum to Owen + Heath

  • Acacia Play has become like a second home, a safe place, somewhere we can just be. Landing here each week has had such an amazing influence on us all. We have been attending for almost 18 months and in that time I have watched my boys grow and learn, connect and thrive, build confidence. I too have grown and connected, learnt so much and forged some incredible friendships. Forever grateful for finding Acacia Play.

    Emma – Mum to Jasper and Eli

  • Acacia Play is something we look forward to every week! It is such a friendly, welcoming and warm environment that both Sarah and Sam create. I love that the kids get to spend time in this space, creating magical memories and learning so much through play and socialisation. It makes me so happy seeing all the different things our children get to experience here, planting, juicing, baking, and interacting with animals and lots of messy play!

    Skye – Mum to Reine