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.)

A small local park located by the harbour but with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Great place…read moreto relax during your lunch break or in the evening where you can feel the harbour breeze. Close by to Google Australia, Fairfax and Channel 7. If you want to get away from the Star or the office or the cbd, you can go here to take your mind off things.

Beauty and the …read more... Jubilee Park lies at the end of Glebe Point Road and I can honestly say, has The Best views in Sydney. I am partial towards the Anzac bridge and prefer that to harbour bridge. The view is stunning. You can see the city skyline and the water is sparkling. I love running along the track but have to stop every two minutes as its a leash free park for Dogs and they like running too! Ugh!! I hate being chased by little puppies yelping away at my feet.. But what I detest even more is the bigger dogs who seem to be a bit out of control and should be restrained no matter what! (I apologise if you're a dog lover. I'm just terrified of them) To be fair, I do believe Dogs need places where they can run about freely too and this is one of the few parks I have come across which offers them that luxury. There are plenty of pets and pet owners who are enjoying the park, I guess it's just not a park for me..

Went here for a ladies only family picnic yesterday and I have to say that we loved the location,…read morethe views of Anzac Bridge were fantastic as it is such a majestic bridge. Oh and how could one forget the lovely houses along the walk around the bay? Without knowing I got rather sunburnt, however the day was spent eating, meeting new puppies that kept running up to our blankets and saying hello as well as going for a relaxing walk around the bay. If you don't like dogs then I would suggest you probably don't come here. It's a leash free park for dogs and they are also allowed to swim in the water which I think is a great option for the four legged furry beasties, especially in summer! I loved watching them play fetch with various items in the water. Entertainment plus! There's public toilets that aren't the best, however I have seen much much worse. At least they had toilet paper. There's also a lot of children and families having picnics and using the play area. But not so many people that you felt that it was over crowded. It's such a lovely spot that we're ear marked it again for our next months picnic!

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.

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.

Stop running in the middle of the city on crowded sidewalks and dangerous roads! Make your way to…read moreJackson's Landing, where the Foreshore promenade, found along the Pyrmont Point Park (say that three times fast!), makes for a relaxing and scenic jog, stroll, or sprinting session. Interestingly, the promenade actually reflects the natural shoreline. I've seen people do yoga and boot camp on the freshly mowed grass as well. Facing Balmain, this innovative waterfront park is beautifully designed and landscaped. The park, including the children's playground, was constructed with recycled and sustainable material. While in the park, you can catch glimpses of the area's industrial history. Huge rusted artifacts are reminiscent of the maritime industry and the Colonial Sugar Refinery that once stood here. Beautiful apartment complexes made of sandstone surround the park, as well as a few cafes and restaurants. The best time of day to come here is around sunset, where panoramic views of the city (from the Anzac to the Harbor Bridge) and the water are lit with an orange glow. I've also heard that jazz festivals take place here during the year.

This park is great for having BBQs because its a little easier to get access to a BBQ stove (as…read moreopposed to the beaches) - and because there is a supermarket and well stocked bottle shop nearby you can easily get supplies for the BBQ. There is also plenty of space for other activities as well as as a very nice view of Sydney Harbour from here. I think this is one of the few harbourside parks which have BBQ cooktops.

It's what I would like to call the underdog and hidden on the down low kind of beach that is right…read morenext to Bondhi Beach! Beautiful sounds of waves and the scene of the waves, is to have your eyes in awe and gaga all over! Encountered this because I only walked! If I took the bus, I don't think I would have walked next door to see this beach! I got the full experience of Australian beach shores! Reminder to self on playing the sounds of waves when I need meditation or a pause from the noises of life!

This was my favorite beach along the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk…read more Things to know: -This beach has the cleanest bathroom of all spots along the walk. And it also has private showers. -This is the best beach for surfing because the waves are HUGE. -This probably isn't the best beach for swimming (because the current is strong), but I highly recommend wading (or as my mom likes to say, "bobbing"). -Explore the rock area! Little tidal pools are sprinkled about and if you keep going around the bend, you will find a quiet secluded spot. -I noticed the beach got more crowded in the late afternoon (I went on a Tuesday - I'm assuming they're locals getting out of work?) -I don't think this is technically a nude beach, but there were a lot of lady parts hangin' out. Definitely recommend a longer visit here. It's stunning!

The Goods Line is Sydney's answer to New York's High Line. Running roughly between Central Station…read more(at the end of the Devonshire Tunnel, past Railway Square) and the Powerhouse Museum, the old goods train line to Darling Harbour has been redeveloped inTO a public space. With seating, table tennis tables (BYO bats and balls), fitness equipment, a playground and grassy open spaces, it's a wonderful area to walk along or chill out in. It's also offers the best vintage point of the new Gehry building at UTS, bubblers/taps with bowls at the bottom for dogs (on-leash only), signs about the history and apparently wi-fi (will have to test next time). It'll be even better once the construction of the new Convention Centre finishes and it goes all the way to Darling Harbour without the need to detour construction sites! (Once Barangaroo also finishes, it'll be a lovely walk from Central Station down to Darling Harbour, then along the harbour shore line all the way to Woolloomooloo!)

Not quite the High Line in New York, but this is the closest you can get. A short walk from…read more Chinatown and right in the UTS campus next to the Frank Gehry building, this entire walk is a landscape architecture gem. Done brilliantly by ASPECT studios, the Goods Line features sporting equipment, people watching podiums, gorgeous landscaping and fine architectural details. It might be lacking a bit in terms of trees and shade, but overall it was a pleasant walk if not to just revel in the site's history as an old train line and the atmosphere. A must visit for all landscape/architecture buffs.