Gladstone Park is a beautiful place to lie in the sun or sit in the shade of their big, beautiful…read moretrees. Situated opposite The Little Marionette, a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop off Darling St in Balmain, Gladstone Park is the perfect place to enjoy a coffee/bite to eat without having to sit in a noisy or cramped cafe. Across the road on Darling St you'll also find a pizza shop, a Thai restaurant and a Vietnamese restaurant, making it the perfect location for early dinner picnics too. What's more, the Park's location opposite the Balmain Hospital makes it a nice escape from the hospital walls (this is coming from someone who hates hospitals, so having a park directly across the road is perfect for me). The Gladstone Park Bowling Club shares the park's turf, and the neighbouring primary school seems to also, making it less of a peaceful escape around lunch time. Often filled with Mum's Clubs and lunching locals, Gladstone Park provides a giant green and grassy mattress/lounge chair, ideal for sun soaking and coffee sipping. NB: Dogs on-leash only.

Gladstone Park sits atop an old reservoir. Once upon a time developers wanted to turn the reservoir…read moreinto an underground parking lot, which might have made this park less enjoyable ... but so this has not happened. This is a good flat park, with a nice mix of big trees for shade. There are the obligatory palm trees too, now getting very old and rather tall. There's an old basketball court, some rudimentary looking play equipment, and a few old brick relics. Gladstone Park is adjacent to Balmain Primary. The Park also has its very own bowling club (Gladstone Park Bowling Club) right in the middle of it. That effectively means you can be inside Gladstone Park, drinking a cold schooner, watching the old folks in their whites. Not bad. These days Gladstone Park is looking a tad dry and brown (but then again, so is everywhere). They have recently added an accessible ramp on the Darling Street side (for a long time this park was inaccessible from most sides, so this was long overdue). Gladstone Park gives you a feeling of being up high, elevated off the main drag of Darling Street. It's not super lush, but it has a great community vibe. One drawback, as Rachel said - it's on-leash only, which sucks, if you're a dog. (So - not a great dog park.)

Wow, great place! A park by the harbour with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge…read more This park is a great place to relax when you want peace and quiet. It has many public bbqs for you to have a bbq, a lot of space for you to have a picnic, space to lie down and it has a playground so the kids can have fun as well. There are a lot of parking so you can drive there, you can catch a bus which takes you back to city and also it's a short walk to Darling Harbour. If you want to relax and want to get out of the cbd, then this is a great place for you.

Pyrmont Village is a beautiful spot these days its been beautifully restored and is looking great,…read moreheaps of original Sandstone Terraces and shops which seem to be thriving currently. Walk through there on your way to the Harbour end of Harris Street and you'll come accross one of the inner citys premium spots, Pirrama Park. Its quite a recently landscaped locale and is interestinly shrouded in some controversy but any ways, its looking good these days, there is a spot you can easily access the Harbour and have a paddle, plenty of green space a fully equipped Kids Play ground not that I partake in the monkey bars and swings on my lunch break from work or anything. Theres a small cafe as well. You can park just off Harris Street on Pirrama Road. Its actually the start of a really nice walk through Pyrmont and along some of the old wharfs which now house a lot of Sydneys Media power houses. Or flip it reverse that how about a picnic? you can get the train to Town hall walk across the Pyrmont Bridge and wind your way here to finish up and eat. Nice Spot check it out.

What a fabulous green space. Sydney is full of wonderful areas to sit or take a walk and just enjoy…read morenature. This being the largest park and smack in the middle of the city, it is quite impressive. Large mature trees, walkways, seating areas, multiple fountains, memorials, an art gallery and even a museum. My favorite part was the huge chess game and the watching the folks playing getting into heated discussions as bystanders were taking sides of the two players and loudly voiced their continued advice. What a fabulous addition to the city. The only problem are the birds as seems to be the case all over Sydney. Mostly the Ibis, which seem to be also called bin chickens. They are everywhere, quite aggressive and therefor not so well liked.

Australia's oldest and most well known park is in the heart of Downtown Sydney. Its featured…read moreattractions include Anzac Memorial, Archibald Fountain and many other monuments and statues throughout the park. Close to transportation include Saint James and Museum train stations are located right next to Hyde Park. Bus and light rail are also near by. Plenty of trees surrounding the area providing lots of shaded areas to sit, relax and enjoy the city. Public toilets surround the area. Divided by Park Street at the southern portion. The northern portion features the Archibald Fountain and many different gardens including Sandringham and Nagoya Gardens with all types of art work and monuments. Hyde Park can also hold a number of events throughout the year including the Sydney Festival, Australia Day, and the Food and Wine Festival. It's the perfect place for tourists to enjoy the sights and office workers to appreciate a green and central public space from the congested CBD of Sydney.

Large urban park located near the Broadway Sydney shopping center, Victoria Park has a large pond…read morenamed 'Lake Northam' in its northern part. We were in the area while visiting Sydney, so stopped by. Unfortunately, the pond was so full of blooming algae, that it appeared as if you could walk across it because it was solid ground. It's nice to have open green space in an open area, but it must be difficult to maintain any body of water if there isn't much water flow. We did two Australian white ibis pecking away at something.

Great park in the middle of the city and a stone's throw fro km Sydney Uni…read more It's got a lot of great play equipment for kids, a basketball court for shooting hoops and a large duck pond to sit by and ponder about the world. There is also a pool and gym complex in the middle which is a bit steep for a single visit but well priced if you join as a member. The only downside is that the huge grassy area gets easily water logged and becomes a muddy mess because local frisbee teams (yep you read right) play there rain, hail or shine tearing up the surface. There are plenty of other grass areas so it isn't too big of a deal but the council should really put in better drainage on the big area. There are events held at the park on the odd occasion too which are always worth a look.

Fabulous park with a massive off leash area for dogs. Tons of people out with their dogs walking…read moreenjoying the sunshine and hanging out at the kiosk. This place used to be a dumping ground in the old days and has been transformed into a gorgeous park. Sydney Park includes a series of visually prominent hills which provide panoramic views of the city skyline and Sydney Airport. There is a massive skate park, kids play areas and some of the heritage of this area has also been preserved nicely. Loved going here with our dog.

Located just south of Newtown is one of Sydney's best reclaimed green spaces. Sydney Park…read more Identifiable from the historical heritage listed brickworks chimneys from the days when the area used to be the brickworks for Sydney, it's a vast green area that is perfect for any recreational activity. Lovely open green areas perfect for walking the dog, and a large kids playground equipped with a large sandpit, climbing frames, swings and slides, it's got everything a kid needs to explore, play and wear themselves out. There's a challanging skate park, and a learn to ride bike area for the kids. There's also a sports oval where I believe a local Sydney grade cricket team plays during the summer months. Lush green grass is plentiful, and perfect for a picnic. Climb up the steep hills and you will find yourself with views stretching to the City and lower North Shore in the north, to the Aiport and Brighton le Sands region in the South, and on clear sunny days, free of smog and polloution you can glimpse the sprawling Blue Mountains and Great Dividing Range. Whether you're jogging or cycling through for a bit of quick fitness, or spending the day relaxing, it's a fantastic park with plenty of amenities. One downside is the toilets aren't the cleanest, and probably need more attention especially during weekend periods. There's a small cafe just outside the childrens play area which serves a good range of coffees and light meals. I'm sure in time that'll get a review on it's own. But with two young kids, it's going to be a regular destination for myself. And with walking distance to King St, Newtown, I'm sure there's plenty of opportunities for a cheeky beer or two in one of the many pubs and bars located along the strip. Or, if you're my wife, plenty of (window) shopping.

This was the location used for the starting area for the Sydney Marathon. It was large enough to…read morehandle approximately 40,000 race participants spread across the half marathon, 10k, marathon, and 3.5 km family run. The park looked to be well maintained with a nice view of the underside of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. One thing about the park was that it was slopped towards the harbour, so some of the portapotties weren't quite stable.

What a great use for the underside of a bridge. It helps that it's right on the water and has great…read morebreezes. It features: great views, well maintained lawn, not as many seagulls as on the south shore...which is kind of weird, right? There are a few benches and you can get some shade by hiding under the bridge. There's a playground and public toilets (did not use). It does slope so be prepared to chase a ball if it goes astray...which is a good way to tire those kiddos out should that be needed. Great spot to fly a kite, have a picnic, enjoy outside and read a book.

I don't even know whether what I write will give justice to this wonderful local park after Jessie…read moreA's review below which captures what this park is like so well. It is without a doubt one of the best maintained parks in Balmain and us locals are so fortunate to have it. There is an eclectic planting if trees: figs, palms and elms that give shade and uniqueness. Right in the middle is a beautiful gazebo for picnics, parties and weddings. The lawn is always lush and beautifully manicured and there is a small rose garden so you can smell the flowers during a sunset stroll, watching the kids on the excellent playground or walking the dog. The wonderful and historic Dawn Fraser tidal pool is at one end and as the park is on a small peninsula you have glorious views of Cockatoo Island around to the Iron Cove Bridge. Ellington Park is a wonderful place a quick stroll or lying on a blanket with a book and a glass of wine on a sunny day.

Elkington Park, ye King of Parks. This park juts out on a…read morerocky Balmain Peninsula, looking out to the Parramatta River and Cockatoo Island. It has the well-manicured but rambling feel of an old English estate - picturesque pretend wilderness. There are tall palm trees and wide, heavy figs. Plenty of shade, and a bit of a hill to climb when you're walking back home. There's peculiar postmodern play equipment (it used to be excellent creepy wooden stuff, before they made it all "safe"), and a public toilet that gives you the heebie-jeebies. There's a grand central rotonda (available for hire for parties), and it's a 1 minute walk down to Dawn Fraser Pool. Best of all, if you go right to the end of the peninsula, you can explore rocky sandstone caves and alcoves (a favourite haunt of Balmain bong-smoking teenagers). The end of the peninsula is also an off-leash dog area, so long as you don't get too close to the kids' play equipment.

This park has got to house one of the most interactive playgrounds in the Inner West - for kids and…read moreadults alike. The play equipment here is great (yes, I have sampled it personally), and tailors to the Inner West's musical inclinations. With a giant glockenspiel amongst other musical/play equipment, it's great place to try out that new song you've been working on - the neighbours here must relish the sound of silence. In saying that, Foley Park is a pretty peaceful place. Despite the constant chortlings of the Wireless House, a sound-art installation designed to replicate an 1930's wireless radio that once lived here (this is really cool despite being somewhat creepy at night), this provides a more interesting and relaxing soundscape, as opposed to just being irritating white noise. Foley Park fills with people lying in the grass on their lunch breaks, and as a free wireless internet hotspot, its a common and lovely spot for uni groups to meet. It remains pretty well lit at night, and the pathway running through the park doesn't feel like it should bear signs of warning. And the best thing about it? It's directly opposite both Sonoma bakery/cafe and Fish On Fire, and thus makes the perfect picnic spot.

This is definitely an urban park. It's only a square block, but it's neat, it's clean, and it has a…read moreplayground for little kids. The small park is almost designed like a running track where there's a lawn/greenery in the middle and paved way with benches scattered throughout the track. Because it's so small, it doesn't really block out any of the traffic noise nearby, but visually, you can try.