Norwest business park was started in the late 80's and the developers built this large lake smack…read morein the middle of it with the shopping centre, restaurants, and grassed areas along its shoreline. The lake is great for kids as there are a heap of ducks who live there are jettys along the edge allow the kids to reach out and feed them with bread etc. On the weekend there are often groups of older men racing their radio controlled yachts around the lake which is also great to watch. Or if you just want to relax head to the side closest to the shopping centre and there is a few grassed areas shaded by trees. Theres also a great seafood place in the shopping centre so fish & chips by the lake is a great relaxing arvo!

Little Bay Beach is a gorgeous little spot, still not very well known. It's the last sand beach…read morebefore Botany Bay. Because it's a sheltered cove, there isn't any surf, but the place is great for paddling and snorkeling. Don't be put off by its proximity to Long Bay Gaol, or by its proximity to Malabar sewage treatment -- they've got that stuff all sorted out now, right? Little Bay Beach has wonderful sandstone outcrops, perfect for having a picnic with friends, and a nice mix of sun and shade. The abundance of little outcrops and cave-like spaces means you often find canoodling couples in various states of undress, spread out on towels and picnic blankets, with grapes, hummus and watermelon strewn about ... it gives the whole place a relaxed, bacchanalian sort of feel. There was an old hospital in Little Bay (long since closed down), which used to make the entrance to the beach quite creepy. In recent times they've built a housing subdivision at the old Prince Henry Hospital site, so the place isn't quite so spooky or derelict, but the development isn't too close to the foreshore, so you can't see buildings when you're sitting at the beach. It was quite a creepy hospital: used during the Bubonic plague in 1900. There are still a few heritage hospital buildings around, otherwise the rest of the structures are very new. There is a golf course nearby, but the risks of getting hit on the head by a golf ball are probably lower than your average Sydney bluebottle sting risks, so I reckon it's worth it. Little Bay achieved art-world fame back in 1969, when Christo wrapped it up in fabric. The whole bay. There are some great photos of it here: http://kaldorartprojects.org.au/project-archive/christo-and-jeanne-claude-1969 Little Bay's remoteness means that you can still find a park, if you drive there. But it is also accessible by bus. Just go down Anzac Parade, almost forever... The best bit? Feels like a holiday retreat, but it's in Sydney. The worst bit? No waves. Flat as a tack.

Gorgeous little beach. Not many people around, especially on a weekday. The water is crystal clear…read more& depending on the weather, some waves. Perfect place to relax. Free, non metered street parking near by & access to toilets.

I sure do love the Northern beaches. This one is complete with multiple rock pools, a strip on the…read moremain road with diverse food options, and lots of locals gallivanting around... so you know this beach is solid. Compared to the other Northern beaches, this one is super accessible by public transport (and also a 20 minute walk away from the B line). Palm Beach, Dee Why, and Collaroy are in the top 3 of my favorite Northern beaches.

Got a long-haired surfer mate that lives right on the promenade, a veritable stone's throw from the…read morefoam. Nay, less than a stone's throw. Here, then, is a morning spent in his company courtesy of Dee Why. Up at 5am. De-zombify as much as is practical at that hour. At his place by half fivey. Say good morning to his attractive flattie as she wipes the sleep from her eyes and stretches like a cat. Wettie top on, pick up our sticks, trot over to the south end of the beach. Wait 5 mins while mate hits the crapper (nobody likes an aquabog). Wait 5 mins more. What is he doing in there. Pick our way across the rocks to the end of the point, time our jump between sets and spend an hour surfing classy right-handers with a handful of like-minded souls. Follow the swell and paddle across to the beach. Sun is up now, everything's gold. Half the board riders in the drink disappear to get to work. It's all ours for another precious hour. Finishe with a giant brekkie -- acai with seasonal fruit or full clacker with a side of potato rosti -- at one of the dozen beachfront cafes, take your pick, throw down an Earl Grey, fist bump, chest bump, high five, draw the line at an ass slap, and start the day proper. Perfsies brah. Yay Dee Why.

This is the perfect park for kids and big kids alike! The newly built playground is fantastic and…read morealways full of Energetic kidlets! Spend an afternoon with family and have a BBQ - the park has 2 electric BBQs with shelter and tables.. Bring down some bread and feed the beautiful ducks, swans and if your lucky try and spot my mate "Eel" - he's massive and loves eating bread!!

Awesome park for kids and families. There's always a lot to do. There is plenty of parking near by…read more My sister bought her kids here several times to feed the birds. The BBQ shelters are a great addition.

Don't feed the waterbirds. (So says the sign). Do sit under…read morea tree. Do bring the kids to play on bright, shiny new play equipment including a pirate ship. Do bring a picnic, or food to bbq. Do keep an eye out for the endangered Blue Mountains Water Skink. Do marvel (well, be slightly impressed) at the 'hanging' swamp on the hillside. Didn't know swamps were capable of hanging. Do bring canoes. Do walk around embankment to the far side and seethe with envy at the people who live there. Do watch kids jump from ropes attached from trees into the tea-coloured water, or have a go if you consider a millisecond of flight worth the risk of major spinal cord injury. Do appreciate the organic stone carvings that look like they've just popped up from the depths of the earth. Do let the kids run around near one of the very few largish bodies of water in the Mountains.

150 acres of bushland and a big lake within a few km's of Parramatta CBD - what else needs to be…read moresaid? Lake Parramatta is like a little piece of the Blue Mountains in suburbia. It's tucked away between James Ruse Drive, Pennant Hills Road and North Rocks Road and surprisingly there are even locals that don't realise its there or haven't been there. The lake has only just re opened for swimming this year (2015) and there is a smallish roped off swimming section with a few life guards watching. (Not sure if these are only there on the weekends though). Plenty of people were swimming elsewhere anyway and the area off the wharf at the Southern end seems popular for people to swim with their dogs and the rocks on the North Rocks Rd side popular with kids for jumping off the rocks into the water. If you drop in during the week, especially in the morning, its like a 'who's who' of govt departments and local tradies. They all seem to drive there and pull up for the morning coffee and newspaper overlooking the lake. Weekends in summer are extremely busy and parking within the reserve can be a struggle. A vacant picnic table is about as rare as a flying unicorn unless you get there early so bring a rug as there is plenty of grassed areas to lay about on. In terms of facilities there are BBQ's, kids play ground, toilets, and a cafe serving decent food, okay coffee, and gelato. There are also great marked bushwalking trails right around the perimeter of the lake. Great place to escape the hustle and bustle without needing to go too far!

Nice on lead dog walk with the opportunity for a good dog swim. Depending on our walking pace it…read moreshould take just over an hour.

Who knew that there was a dam in Manly, let alone one in which you can swim with ducks and swans!…read moreThis gorgeous spot has pretty much everything you want in a bushwalking spot - walking tracks, picnic areas, wood fired BBQ pits, play equipment, swimming, a waterfall... there's even what looks like a water ski jump ramp in the middle of the lake! Stay late enough and you might get some furry visitors, particularly if you have food out. We had to chase away a greedy possum, but were also lucky enough to see a heavily pregnant bilby! If you ever visit do go for a swim. The water's gorgeous and you might even find an orange frisbee at the bottom of the lake, lost during what seemed like a genius idea of playing water frisbee. Who knew that frisbees didn't float! Let me know if you find it, yeah?

Build a viewing tower!…read more Hello .... did you hear me? BUILD A VIEWING TOWER This lovely bushland walk in the hills above Manly has so much potential. It's a circuit walk of just under 7.5km, accessible from various points but most commonly reached from the park near the dam wall off King Street. You can complete the circuit in either direction, following red arrows that keep you on track. Be warned that these are a little intermittent and there are cross paths that share access with various mountain bike routes of the Manly Warringah War Memorial Park, but if you keep the dam consistently on one side of you, you can't go far wrong. It's certainly a blessing to be able to feel this far from civilisation so close to the city. The track is unsealed and you do not come across buildings, roads or cars for its entire length. It is just such a shame that there is no point at which you are high enough or sufficiently clear of the tree-tops to see the view across the dam and down to the coast, which I am sure would be magnificent. An aesthetically thought-through viewing tower would add a great deal to an already pleasant outing. At the park near the dam there are picnic facilities, toilet blocks and barbecue pits that can be booked through the council. It is possible to swim in the dam, and it is used by kayakers, stand-up paddle boarders and so on. I would hate to be unlucky enough to land there on a day that the ski jump was in use though - the power boat noise would be ruinous.

I finally got around to being able to explore this place. Well, not quite since this place is…read moremonumentally huge, and it is absolutely impossible to pretty much explore every nook and crany in the limited amount of time that was available to me, but I did get a decent chance to wander around a large part of it, and at least say that I have been to Centenial Park, or at least more than just running in there and looking for a toilet. They do have barbeque areas, and quite a few of them, but they also have lakes, and just plain old good parkland to wander around.

Better than a hundred parks! This park is huge! It's a…read moresprawling park, full of all kinds of amenities! There's so much to see and do here- it's a fantastic park in the middle of Sydney. I rode a bike through here on the many improved trails that crisscross through this public space. Through here, there were teams practicing rugby, enough bicyclists to start a biker gang, joggers, runners, and people who were out to just take in the sunshine. As you cross through this park, you find lots of green open spaces large enough to play a full game of rugby, without running into a park bench or a tree. There's restrooms available. My favorite thing about this park is the huge stone gates at each entrance that remind you that you're entering an important public space. There's monuments throughout the park, and plenty of parking! I felt safe riding through here, just due to the sheer number of people who were out having a stroll in the park!