Bicentennial Park is a heritage site, opened in 1980's to celebrate Australia's bicentenary in…read more1988. Things to do - Walk, run or Cycle along the pathway - Feed the ducks and fishes - Hire a Bike - Enjoy a picnic on the grass - Barbecue or just grill corn - Ponder at the Sundial structure - Exercise on the bars and rails - View the surroundings from the Treillage Tower - Bird watch with or without binoculars - Seek solitude at the Hedge - Visit the wetlands - Sip coffee at Lillies Cafe If you want to get away from the city without leaving the inner suburbs head to bicentennial parklands. Avoid the weekends, if you're looking for peace and quiet time.

Great spot for picnic, barbecue, bike ride, or gently walking around. There is a kids play area,…read morelots of bike tracks (and a bike hire facility). Lots of different areas of vegetation to explore. There's a few ponds, the river and also an area with fountains. Parking can be quite difficult on the weekends though

This small park is set in bushland. It offers playground equipment and swings for littlies, BBQ…read morefacilities and some tables & benches. There is a council owned tennis court in the precinct too. I must have driven past the end of the street a zillion times, but being on foot this morning I wandered across the road & enjoyed the shade & coolness that this tiny piece of bushland offered.

We took a walk down to this pretty park from our nearby apartment. It's got a bit of everything -…read morewalking/running paths, great water views, tennis courts, play equipment for the kids and more! We walked along the bay for a bit, and stopped at the marina for a drink. There are signs warning you that sharks have been spotted in the bay, so not a place for a refreshing dip. But if you have a boat, it sure seems like a nice place to dock it. For a place so close to the CBD, it was quiet and felt like smiles away from the noise of the city.

Rushcutters Bay Park has a few hidden gems (ok maybe not that hidden) that are great if you are…read moreactive or not. The monkey bars at the south end are actually a great area to do a workout. Watch out for peak hour - right after work - sometimes there are groups of people being coached in that area so you might need to wait for specific stations. There are tennis courts at the south west side of the park - book them online but if you try for early evening there are some people that have standard bookings each week. Later at night is good since they have a great lighting system. Even better is during the day with fewer people around. There is a cafe here that is decent for a coffee but there are so many other coffee shops nearby that you may want to walk a bit. At the Cruising Yacht Club there is a restaurant as well. Fantastic outdoor deck seating and fish and chips are ok. Of course nice cold beer is available as well. You can get reservations and some weekends are very busy. Never tried the indoor seating (why would you when you are by the harbour?). The whole park is dog friendly so be prepared for some visitors if you are having a picnic. Some dogs running 'free-range' but never had a problem. Just make some new friends.

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.)

This was relatively close enough for an outdoor experience. It really is create your own adventure…read moreas there are a lot of things to do here. We decided to do the wedding cake hike, here was our experience. Directions: What's nice is that this is a common hike,; the directions are simple if you're at the main entrance. Hiking Difficulty: If you're coming from the main entrance, it really isn't that difficult, if you're on the trail, you don't need fancy hiking shoes. Overall: 4.5 stars. I enjoyed the hike here. I admire the different scenery from the ocean to the rock patterns. Shading changes now and then and it took maybe 1.5 hrs total. There are many more things to see, so be sure to plan and schedule things accordingly. TL;DR Tips: * Parking is free but limited * Bring hiking shoes to be safe. * Wedding Cake Rock is now gated off * 2nd Oldest National Park in the world!

Royal National Park is the second oldest national park in the world, with Yellowstone in USA being…read morethe first. About a 45 minute drive from Sydney CBD, Royal National Park is definitely worth a visit if you want to get away from the city. With the lush beauty, peaceful surroundings, various wildlife, scenic hikes, and relaxing beaches, Royal National Park doesn't disappoint. As part of a small tour group, we visited the Royal National Park back in January 2014 and enjoyed the gorgeous views from Stanwell Tops and Sea Cliff Bridge; the cool, calm waters and warm, soft sand from Jibbon beach; and a mild hike along The Coast Track for a breathtaking panoramic view of the blue Pacific Ocean. Whether visiting Royal National Park on your own, with family or friends, or as part of a private tour group, there's plenty of activities to suit your needs: hiking, biking, picnic lunches, canoeing and kayaking... the list goes on. It's the perfect place to spend a day or two to relax.

A relaxing place to come, besides that one time a creepy fat homeless person was walking the…read moreperimeter footpath yelling obscenities at cars and spitting every where. Except that one time, this place is great just to sit with friends and catch up. There is a shaded fenced off area with play equipment. I've never had the chance to check out the quality (seriously, a dude hanging around play equipment by himself is NEVER a good look) but the kids sound like they're always having fun. There are a couple of tennis courts (no idea if you need to book them or if you just rock up). A few open field areas where sports can be played. The trees here are HUGE and offer great cover from the afternoon sun. I use to come here with a old friend and just talk for hours.

Burwood Park is conveniently located across from Westfield Shopping Centre, and two hundred meters…read morefrom Burwood train station. During the day, this place is a hub of activity. From tardy school kids to meditating seniors, Burwood Park is a multicultural hotpot buzzing with activity. The covered playground is perfect for little ones, while the outdoor chessboard, tennis courts and barbeque facilities are great for people of all ages. Standing in the shadows of the War Memorial Arch and Sandakan Memorial are Burwood Park's beautiful gardens and duck pond. If you hang around long enough you might even catch a glimpse of the 'bird man', who marches through Burwood Park every evening, with a bulging bag of bread in hand and a determined grimace on his face. But be careful not to loiter too long, because after dark Burwood Park is inhabited by somewhat undesirable characters (despite the extensive lighting). So be careful, and don't walk alone.

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.