Once a local institution with great kids equipment, and friendly staff within a spacious yet cosy ( due to fires) play venue. Average coffee, once great chips and gravy whereby Donna made amazing cakes and slices before she left. 😞 - Amazing food in general + lolly selection! The kids loved the old- fashioned milk bar style lolly selection whereby kids could select their treats which were placed into paper bags for them. It was the little things like this that kept children happy and wanting to return.
Really miss the previous management/owners who made everything smell so hygienic too with eucalyptus oil ( whilst cleaning). Centre once permitted more interesting equipment for ALL children up to age 12. The new age cut-off (up to 8 only) means if you have a few kiddos, say 4, 7 & 9 , they can't all attend together. Perhaps the new management means well (re-safety for much younger kid's/ attracting playgroups + little kid party packages etc ) however it's not the funbugs we all remember teaming with kid's every day after school ( $5 ) and on weekends (at full price).
Fun bugs also once offered rewards cards, every 5th visit = free coffee, and every 10th visit = free play admission. This incentive card encouraged patronage and made us feel welcome, valued!
Now, it's just a playgroup/function/birthday venue with mediocre equipment , expensive and limited food menue , some equipment suitable for much older kids still remains and isn't at all suitable for really young kids as the new owners kept the older kids equipment ( large steep slides x2 ). A friend of mines 6 year old became airborne on one of the slides and really hurt himself .
Sadly, this playcentre is going much the same way as the now resolved "Inflatable world".
Understandably so, it's the same owner and management.
The website photos still display trampolines and the centres former glory, yet where have the large trampolines gone? - Centre now filled with annoying coin
game machines
Response to owners reply --- "We can't give your play centre another try as my eldest child has now reached her funbugs expiration date (age 9) you prefer much younger children at Funbugs."
Please reconsider bringing back the old Funbugs and rather than employing inexperienced staff who lack confidence with managing playcentres & behaviours. re- employ someone who is mature with experience and capable+"confident of keeping all kids in line if necessary. Usually things went very well, we were frequent players, for several years and I can only recall a handful of minor incidents, which most parents would intervene and manage their own child's behaviours themselves.
When the kids would muck-up, ie throw balls out of the ball pit or down slides etc, Donna would get them to put the balls back, or put them on the bench for 10 minutes to think about their behaviour if it involved behaviour that might cause harm to themselves or others.
If the behaviours were serious enough (very rarely) , or continued she'd request them to leave the centre.
Children who hurt others were asked to leave.
She ran a tight ship and had a way of managing difficult behaviours ( kids + adults). Because Donna and previous owners set this standard, there were very few problems that I can recall.
As you now opperate the centre with much younger and fewer staff members trying to run the Cafe and observe the play area at the same time , they're too busy to notice what's happening out on the floor.
You won't permit parents in the play areas to supervise/regulate their own kids behaviours, so who's watching the kids?
The last time my 7 year old attended with her Nanna, she was bitten and thumped by a 5 year old , they left within 30 minute's. This little fellow obviously had a problem, though was thumping and bullying lot's of other children too and running an absolute muck while his carer sipped coffee and chatted with a friend. Most parents I speak to have an issue with the new funbugs only accepting kid's up to 8. Primary schools no longer use this venue or it's neighbouring bowling...
Read more
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AI.
