In the early 1920s a guy by the name of Jimmy Bancks invented a part of Australian cultural…read morehistory. The character he invented was Ginger Meggs, a red headed little mischief-maker (who I am pretty sure I have no relation to). In any case, Jimmy apparently lived around the Hornsby shire area and this park was one that he played in while growing up. As such, in 1997 it was renamed in his honour. The park itself has all the things you would expect to see in a play ground these days. Under cover tables, swings, slides and an expanse of rope areas to climb all over. It also has a large open area in which the kids can safely run riot. The only thing to be careful of is that while the back of the park is surrounded by bushland, there is no fence. One of the attractions near the trees (all the way off to the left hand side) is a small little duck pond. In any case, not that you should ever not pay attention to your kids in a park, but this one may require more attention than most. Otherwise, it is an awesome park on a very quiet stretch of road. Come and check it out.

This park is hidden amongst houses. There is a playground and BBQs. It was once a lunatic asylum…read moreand soldier barracks. Care has been taken to erect signs with the history of the place. It is a wide open area and a terrific place for a picnic.

This little park tucked away in Castle Hill one is fantastic as the paths are long and in a big…read morecircle so, all going to plan, they kids come back to you! There's even a tennis court to potter around on, under cover picnic tables and playground equipment. Love our afternoon here.

As a parent, when I find a half decent cafe, on of the first things I do is to look around for…read moreplayground (and vice-versa). In this case I had been heading up and down the Northern train line to try and find decent cafe options for each stop. Having been given a suggestion from a twitter friend of mine, I went to check out the Corner Cafe in Pennant Hills (review http://frid.co/q5ju3Y ). On the way there I noticed this nice little park. While not massive, it is big enough for a picnic, it has a decent play area and... it is close to decent coffee... :-) Fair enough, I may have a little vested interest in being able to take my boys to parks that have good coffee in easy reach... but that can't be all bad... can it? :-)

This park is.... fine…read more.. In comparison to the other parks available in the area, while there is nothing wrong with this park, it is not spectacular either. It has a fun little flying fox and a small climbing gym... a mass of trees... and not much else. Though of you don't want.to go far, don't want to stay long, and don't mind parking your car in an area that could get side swiped by passing traffic, then you might like this park. I would however suggest also checking out Ginger Meggs park if you are in the vicinity (review http://frid.co/tbrLuQ ).

Well I had the opportunity to see the Jitterbugs perform at one of the performances organised by…read moreRockdale Plaza during the kid's school holidays. I think they were really able to draw the kids in their performance and offered a compelling and exciting performance for the young audience. Their performance was very fresh and energetic. It got all the kids and the parents up on their feet and just enjoying themselves. It's a great idea for a community event. Ellen her crew are really professional in what they do and really have the knack to keep the crowd enthralled. They have proven to be good crowd puller at various events. They are really good entertainers and cater for corporate, retail and private parties. Jitterbugs also have a Playland and a café at Castlehill.

While this park is primarily a cricket ground, it is a stunning space perfect for the kids to burn…read moreoff a bit of energy. The best part is off to the side it also has everything you need to have a picnic or bbq. With onsite picnic facilities, including undercover tables, as well as an electric bbq, this is a great venue. My boys of course love the playground. It is much the same as many of the new areas with the primary coloured climbing gyms, but hey... no need to fix what ain't broke. So next time you see a bit of blue sky, drag the kids out and get them to run laps or something... :-)

This little park caught my notice as I got off the train at Beecroft. While small, you have to…read morethink that it is designed for small people, so it is really not a huge issue. It has all the swings and climbing gyms required to remove the excess energy from little bundles of joy, and a couple of seats for parents to gather their energy. Most important about this little park is its close proximity to good (and child friendly) cafes. Check out Chickens & Fishheads for a great cup of coffee or tea ( http://frid.co/nuaVb0 ).