Very nice, small and calm park with great water harbour views and beautiful palm trees. Good place…read moreto play with your dog, read, rest or just enjoy the nature. It has a super clean bathroom, drinking fountain and a restaurant around.

During our visit to Manly, since we thought it was a bit too chilly to hang out on the beach, we…read moretook a nice walk along the Manly Scenic Walkway from the corner of Manly Beach by the Manly Life Saving Club to Shelley Beach, and back again. It is a relatively safe, mostly fenced in path by the water. Basically, you would have to be taking some large risks to fall in, though there are places you may venture forth onto relatively flat rocks or around a neat outdoor swimming pool. With a leisurely pace and pauses for photos or just to sit back and relax, the round trip took us an hour and 15 minutes. I particularly enjoyed the metal sculptures set in the rocky ledges along the walkway leading towards Shelley Beach, known as the Cabbage Tree Bay Eco Sculpture Walk. Also outstanding, at Shelley Beach, there were quite a few wild turkeys wandering about.

The Manly to Shelly Beach Walk is located in an area known as the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve…read more The boundaries are from the south end of Manly Beach to the north end of Shelly Beach. This area is full of rocky shores which you see numerous people walking around in. The waters of the reserve is home to more than 160 species of fish along with kelp and seagrass. While the actual walkway on Marine Parade is a nice place for walker and joggers/runners to get some physical activity while being amidst some natural beauty. Along the walk you see a lot of waterfront houses. Saw a number of houses perched on top of rock formations and walls. It must be nice living in these homes as they are seaside, but in walking distance to the city portion of Manly. At the end of walk you arrive at Shelly Beach which is a pleasant beach that is more secluded than the larger Manly Beach. It is also covered in trees so it has an island paradise vibe to it. If you are looking for a relaxed beach, Shelly Beach is a good spot. While Manly Beach is the main attraction in the area, this beach walk is nice too as you can get an opposite side view of Manly Beach. The rocky shores and rock wall formations in the area also are reasons to take this walk.

This is one of my favorite open spaces in the inner west ..... it's full of life ..... wild and…read moreotherwise ....... full of history too .... Did you know this is where 'Bradman' scored his first ..... first class century ..... no ! ..... well now you do. It's a place to chill ..... exercise..... have kiddie parties ..... take your pet for a walk ..... or watch a cricket or baseball match ..... also perfect for a picnic with some special or anyone at all !! ...... it's Green and looks great !!! Please keep it in a great state and it will be around for many many years for another generation to enjoy. Ps ..... a great swimming pool is incorporated in the park too ..... !!! ..... bring your swimmers !!

Also known as Petersham Park, this is a great park to have a picnic, watch a cricket match, or go…read morefor a swim. It is the biggest open space in the area and you'll find lots of people exercising and playing with their kids and dogs. It almost deserves five stars, but the people using the park don't take especially good care of it. After a weekend of heavy use, there is rubbish everywhere. I take my kid to the playground here almost daily and spend a good portion of my time picking up broken glass -- I've come to the conclusion that if somebody breaks a bottle anywhere in Petersham, they pick up the pieces to distribute across the playground. Pick up after yourselves, people!!!

This entire garden is a landscape architecture gem. It has won numerous award and is the staple…read moreproject on every architecture fan's lips. A must visit. Arguably one of the best adaptive reuse project in Australia, the reservoir promotes and celebrates the beauty of its past life while revels in the future and its potential. It's wide enough to host functions and gatherings etc, and when I was there, people used it for work meetings or simply just to meet up with friends. The bench initiative where you get to grab a deck chair and sit wherever you want is genius. Protip: come during sunset and watch the world go by as the sun goes down. It is stunning.

D1 and 30-40 of her boho buddies had her 21st here. I got the food organised and dropped it off for…read moreher. Then I was told I was no longer needed. Three things amazed me about this place. First it is a brilliant restoration of an archeologically important site that can actually be used. It is not a museum 'look but don't touch' place. Second, it was kept away from developers even though its location must have made them hyperventilate at the profits that could have been made by destroying it. Third, its free. Her 21st was free! I cannot believe my luck! Apart from some students making a short film and a couple taking wedding shots there was no one else there. Chairs are provided and there are undercover areas if the weather turns, it has everything. I was overcome by my creative side, a side that appears only to me and which is denied by my family who say it is simply boredom. Anyway, I took some photos, some of my best work I think. Its a great spot.

A small local park located away from the busy main streets. Great to stop by and relax if you need…read morefresh air and there are a facilities here which might suit you. There are public bbqs here if you want to have some lunch or dinner and there is a small playground for the kids. Sometimes I come by to sit here and take in the breeze. This is a great place for the locals to relax after work or for the parents to take their kids or even the random passerby. Also for dog owners out there, this park is an off-leash park, so another good reason to go.

Found this great little hidden headland after reading reading David S.'s review on Yelp. Thanks…read morebuddy! It's right out of the way, near the Waverton naval base, not an area of the world you end up in unless you're there for a reason, which means it's largely undiscovered. Drive in, park anywhere you want, and trot down the bush path, past magpies and bush turkeys with their red heads and golden collars. You'll stumble upon sweet little reserves and lookouts, and charming picnic and play areas. Go further down and you'll find paths down to the water, where you can dip your feet in and cool those bunions, or say what the hell and slip into the Harbour itself for a dip. There are gum trees waving gently at you and on a sunny day it's a minor, uninhabited paradise.

I have to say that the views from here are simply outstanding - you get great views of the bridge…read moreand the city, and all from a natural bushland in the heart of the city. I have intended on going was a harbourside walk on the Northshore and had, for some reason, randomly picked this place, and it was one of the most awesome random picks that I have ever done. I disappeared into a tunnel at the Coal Loader and stepped out into what appeared to be a national park, and when you walk about the bluff, the view you get is nothing short of awe inspiring. In fact it is one of those places, if you are so inclinded, to set up and easel and paint. Definitely a great place to go for a bush walk if you don't want to travel too far out of the city.

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.

I debated if I should write a review about Strickland House because it is one of my favorite places…read morein all of Sydney. But, in the spirit of sharing I've decided to go ahead. A bit off the beaten track, Strickland House was once home to a Lord Mayor and then once a nursing home so the history here is in abundance. The grounds are spectacular and they boast some of the best views in Sydney. If you creep down the hill you'll chance upon a secluded beach which is now busy on the weekends, but during the week it's like your own private beach on Sydney Harbour. This is a great spot to take anybody who has never been here before - people who live in Sydney and those who don't. Creep round the back of the old house for maximum impact - when you get around the corner the revel of the view is spectacular.