The recent upgrading of this park makes it one of the best equipped of all the parks along the…read moreWynnum, Manly and Lota foreshore. It's right at the end of the Esplanade, so has a great view over the bay to Straddie and also around to Wellington Point. It has a huge new playground, with shadesails, slides, forts and timber walkways. It also has very nice new picnic tables and barbecues, accessible toilets, shared walkway/bikeway and a seperate area with fitness equipment for anyone keen to do some circuit training. Oh, and obviously these days you can't camp at all; this name is an historical reference to its turn of the century popularity as a holiday camping spot by the bay.

Good old Wynnum jetty. It's so popular you'll always see a great range of people doing their thing…read morethere - dressed up day visitors, dressed down walkers, joggers and cyclists; kids, dogs, seniors, fishermen, brides with their whole bridal parties, even an idiot doing sun salutes out at the very end early morning (that would be me, though not so much lately). What it is that draws people to the sea? This gorgeous structure with its solid stone foundation, built as a job creation scheme during the Depression years, beckons you to get along it, to go as far as you can out into the bay. It's great at high tide, just ask the fisherman. Above those 80 year old foundations is the very modern upgrade. In 2005, the Quandamooka, or Moreton Bay, Project was completed. Elements in the project are the result of a public design competition in 2002 won by designer Paul Songhurst entitled Bulka Booangun: Calling the Dolphins. The main features include a timber and ceramic sculpture made from three recycled hardwood pylons at the entrance to the jetty, six mosaics and lots of little silver fish set into the jetty depicting stories from traditional Quandamooka lore, and a direction-finder dial at the far end of the jetty. Go take a walk along Wynnum jetty - you know you want to.

I came to Wynnum jetty yesterday with my Dad. We got takeaway fish and chips and wandered down to…read morehave our lunch on the jetty. It was a warm day with a nice cool breeze and all in all, a great way to spend an hour. There was a young boy and his parents near us fishing off the end and down a bit further, there was a group of kids enjoying themselves playing some unknown game involving a tennis ball. It made for a fantastic atmosphere, relaxed and fun. It was great to sit and eat and watch the water.

Tucked away in a bend of Brisbane River is Colmslie Beach Reserve, aka the Octopus Garden Park…read more It's so much fun and has something for everyone. It's on the river, with a little sandy shore, so you can fish; there are quite a few picnic tables and barbecues (but get in early on weekends); there are wide open spaces for kicking a ball around and lots of shady trees to spread a picnic rug beneath. The funnest part, however is the kid's playground. The Octopus Garden has lots wood and rope climbing areas, big sandpit, water play features, giant colourful fish and octopus play areas and a flying fox. For kids and kids at heart, this place has a lovely vibe, with a backdrop of the river and the Gateway Bridge in the distance, Brisbane City Council's done a really good job here. Check it out.

Love this park. Lots of kids call it the 'lighthouse park' because it has this fantastic play…read morefeature about four metres high with an internal spiral staircase. There are other play areas too, big green spaces for kicking a ball around, and lots of barbecues, all within a stone's throw of the waterfront. This park is always popular and busy, but really comes alive each year for special events, including a massive Australia Day brekky and the Spring Festival, when rides and fireworks are the go.

Wynnum Water Park is an ideal place for a fun family day out. Grab the kids and head down…read moreespecially if it is a hot day. There is plenty of shade for the grown ups and a bunch of take away food and coffee places near by so you can make an afternoon if not a whole day of it. Take a book or some friends and sit back and let the kids run wild. The Water Park is next to the Wynnum Wading Pool along the esplanade and opened in May 2004. It is a funny sort of place that makes you wish you were a kid again and had an excuse to run under the water jets. The blue domes spurt out rays of water and the kids have a ball running in and around the water and crawling up and over the domes.

It was great when the water park was built and gave new life to the section of Esplanade…read moreimmediately east of the central shopping area of Wynnum at the end of Florence Street. The K.Poole Park formerly had a bunch of nice trees and grass and was the way to cut through to walk out on the jetty - that was about it. Now it has a great playground and picnic area and gorgeous little blue whales that spurt water and have the kids squealing with delight. It's these upgrades that are bringing a fresh new life back to the Esplanade, not that people seem to need much encouragement to flock here on the weekends.

Damn, this is one fancy suburban park. They don't make parks like this on the south side. Since…read morebecoming a full time mummy, my sister has become an expert on Brisbane parks. She could tell you which park is suitable for different age group, which park has the cleanest BBQ areas or has the most shade or has easy parking or has the best slides. It's a real eye opener tagging along and watching how kids interact with the playground. Whoever designed the Hamilton playground has thought of everything. There are three different designated play areas. One area is clearly for toddlers because the steps are low enough for them to climb up and there are simple slides and seesaws low to the ground. There's an adventure style playground for the older kids (and short adults like me!) with a climbing net and flying foxes. What I was most impressed with was the miniature road set. My nephew was worried that it was a 'real road' and pronounced in a sing song voice that I should get off the road. Once I explained it was a 'pretend road', he happily raced around the track on a pretend motorbike breaking all the road rules but at least giving way to pedestrians. There's an off-leash dog area attached to the park. This looks like gambolling doggy fun with an obstacle course for the bigger dogs. And when you're tired of running around, pop across the road to Portside for a coffee and cake.

Manly Foreshore is a fantastic place to take the kids. There is heaps of open space, a fun rope…read moreplayground and plenty of undercover areas and parking. It is perfect to have a barbecue or picnic with family or friends. Last weekend my boyfriend and I grabbed a coffee and some fish and chips and relaxed on the grass in the shade. It is so peaceful looking out to the bay. We went on an overcast day but it didn't matter in the slightest. The space is really well kept and the grass always seems green, even on a cloudy day. Next time we go, we are going to take the pushbikes and make use of the bike track.

This park has something for everyone. On any busy morning you'll find kids climbing the spider web…read moreropes (hence the nickname spider park), boot camp slaves jumping up and down on the grass, lycra clad cyclists stopping to use the loos, walkers, joggers and dog lovers making good use of the pathways and plenty of early morning visitors having coffee or cooking breakfast at the plentiful barbecues and picnic tables. At high tide, little kids paddle and keen sailboarders launch from the tiny beach area at the park's northern end.