I had never heard of this place until my father suggested I join him and his partner for a wander…read morearound this park. This park is a bit of a mission to get to for anyone who does not live in the area but is worth the car mileage as it is a great place to hang out, have a picnic and roam around. I was not expecting much from this park but as soon as I entered the park, I realised how beautiful it was. There is something very serene about it, that instantly puts you at ease (so corny, I know). The park is very spacious too making it perfect for any picnic parties, it would be a lovely place to jog or walk around. When I visited the place, I even noticed people fishing from the deck over the Brisbane River, I doubt they would have caught anything good but they looked like they were having fun and enjoying the views. If it wasn't for its inconvenient location, I would visit this park more often as it really is a beauty.

If you like taking your kids to parks with playgrounds aren't guaranteed to be crawling with kids…read morealready, this is one of the secret parks you can still get a spot in. There are many trees around and 2 main sheltered areas with plenty of tables. There is also a boardwalk type play area and a rather large general swing and tyre play area about 20 meters away from the tables. Mostly under shelter too for those hot days. Bring sunscreen, a picnic blanket and some bug spray for hotter days, but mostly it's quite breezy if you're lucky. What I love about this park is that it's situated in the middle of Sherwood Forest, where Robin Hood lives. Okay... there isn't a Robin Hood living in this forest, but we're still on the lookout for him and his men. Or my single friends are anyway. There are plenty of dads here with kids, and I keep having to tell them, it's not okay because these ones are probably taken. Besides from the nice atmosphere, there are also BBQ facilities, toilets and lots of bins in case you want to orchestrate a kids birthday party here. There is a pretty big carpark and on the weekends there is usually a coffee van parked in one of the slots for your caffeine needs early Saturday morning. I love this park because it's hidden away and not that many people know where it is yet, for those mums and dads out there looking to take their kids outdoors somewhere for free, maybe have a picnic... this is a pretty good hidden gem of a park really close to the city. Not really that super close to public transport, but it's definetely driveable.

Did you know before I saw this park, I thought the Mansfield Place Wishart park was one of the…read morebetter ones for kiddies to go to... but I stand corrected. This park has all you need for your kids to have a super great time: 1) Shade - lots of shade for everyone, not just a big tree people hog! 2) A huge ass play area - which stretches about 50 meters! 3) Lots of things for little kids and big kids to play on, with space between so the little ones don't get clobbered! 4) It's across the road from Oxford St, hello... cafes! Restaurants! Food when they get feral. I love this park, it's definetely the best one. I stand corrected. It's in such a great neighbourhood too, really close to the Bulimba ferry which means... close to the water!

This little patch of land by the river seems to be a sop the developers provided to the council…read more(probably in exchange for some prime riverside land). There's not much in the way of trees (although they are growing as fast as they can bless them). There is a kids play ground and a fenced off leash dog area so if you have kids or pets you will no doubt see the point of visiting.

My local park which I visit atleast once a day with my son. There is a great play area for a…read moredifferent ages that has very good shade. It can get a bit crowded at certain times during the school day with the kids come out for a break but for the most part there is always a place for the kids to play. There is a large grass area for kids to run about, a basketball half court and a cricket pitch. There are afew picnic tables that many people use for parties on the weekend and one bbq. There are many locals that frequent the park for a walk for their dog, take part in a bootcamp in the early mornings or even sometimes there may be a yoga class. Oh and there is also free wifi. There are toilets close to the park that are clean most of the time.

Gregory Park is a large sprawling park occupying the space between Baroona Road and Milton State…read moreSchool. It has a cricket pitch in the middle of it that is surrounded by a large circle of fairly-healthy grass and little else until you reach the extensive perimeter. There's a basketball half-court and a respectable, brightly painted public toilet in one corner and a playground in another. (The playground seems to be open to the public during the day, but I've seen the local school kids using the equipment during school hours.) Flanking the playground corner is a series of fence posts, carved and coloured to look like a rainbow spectrum of coloured pencils. Even as a (technical) adult, I have to admit this is a pretty cool effect. Another corner features a tennis court where I've managed to whack a ball over the net and the fence itself a few times. I can't remember the fee for using the court, but I remember thinking the price was insane even by the standard of already-exorbitant court rental fees across Brisbane. (If you don't care about price, the courts are pretty decent hard-court ones and the owners can be contacted on 0437 953 980). It's a friendly park and a lot happens here. Families have picnics and barbecues, people play informal games of cricket, football, basketball or soccer and some others come to just relax and just read on the grass. I went to a martial arts class here once and found being outside and training on the grass was a fantastic experience. I should warn you now, however - at night, I've seen fire twirlers and bongo players having a good old hippy hoedown in the middle of the park. Next thing you know, it'll be hacky-sack or soulful guitar playing. It could eventually turn into a Hippy Jam-Band Festival of epic proportions.

What is there for two recent university graduates do on a Tuesday afternoon other than chill out in…read morePerrin Park and play in the playground? Perrin Park is quite beautiful with is expansive grassy areas, footpaths, fenced area to unleash your dog, plenty of parking spaces, clean toilets, fresh play equipment (some of which is still under construction since the recent flooding), and plenty of trees and shade to rest under. Tucked away in Toowong, this park offers a place to escape. The park is deceptively big with different sections split in the middle by a little creek. There are also some quite fun bike-things to play on. And the best bonus of all is that when I visited it today, there was a mama and a papa duck and 5 little ducklings (one for each star I give this park).

This is the sort of park I wish existed when I was a kid. As it is, I love it as an adult. Why?…read moreBecause finally they've put mini-roller-coasters in parks! Well, not exactly a roller-coaster - but as close enough as we'll get for free in a public park. What is described in elegant fashion by the Totaltravel website as "a pedal powered carson on a circular track" is like a giant toy train on a wheeled closed circuit. Unlike most trains, but similar to vehicular locomotion in The Flintstones, your feet are used to power the train. As fast as you peddle you can't break the kiddie-safe speed, but it's still awesome to ride, like you're a toy human in some giant's train set. I'm not the only immature one, either. The first time I glimpsed the roller-coaster addition to the park and yelled for the driver to stop the car, my companions (in their 20s and 30s) also got out and jumped on. That meant a few of us were late to uni classes. Totally worth it. There's old-school swings (read: new, but not awesome like a giant train) in the playground and there's also a rebound wall and off-leash park for dogs. *This biased review has been brought to you by the creator of the We Should Replace Public Transport With Roller-Coasters Facebook Group.

Something about this park makes me think of it as a smaller version of New Farm Park. A lot…read moresmaller. But New Farm Park is quite enormous so it's a bit of an unfair comparison. This one is certainly a respectable size; you could easily hold an impromptu game of cricket or touch footy here. It runs along the river, there's a kid's playground and there are trees scattered about, although they're not quite as huge and good for climbing as those in New Farm. It's pretty quiet thanks to it's sneaky location (take that New Farm). There's also a City Cat terminal here so it's easily accessible, if not by car then by river.

From Hardcastle Park, you can see the Woolstore Apartments that line Teneriffe, as well as glimpses…read moreof the beautiful city skyline behind it. It is a small sized park with plenty to offer. There are plenty of things to keep the kids amused at this park including, a half-court basketball court, colourful playground equipment, twisting slide and swing set. There are benches scattered throughout the park and plenty of healthy bushy trees providing lots of shade. There are BBQ facilities found within the park as well as picnic tables. The Hawthorne Ferry Terminal is also located at this park, making it a convenient and fun place to visit. If you plan on driving, you will find the area might be packed with cars with ferry commuters, so catching a ferry would probably be best during weekdays.

Wow, this park is pretty huge, but then again it does happen to be a river-side inner-city park so…read moreI probably shouldn't be all that surprised. In fact it makes a pretty nice end to the river-side walk that I took when I was last in Brisbane, and the park itself really does bring that trip to a lovely conclusion. There is quite a lot of shade, and also there is a converted factory to one side, which cafes and a bar. Yeah, this place is pretty good.

Just the best park in the Central Brisbane area. Beautiful gardens, roses, shady trees, great kids…read moreplay area. The Brisbane Powerhouse, Watt Restaurant and Bar Alto right on the park. Plus the beautiful river with a Citycat Terminal and Bus Stop right there. Always busy on weekends and find weather. The Rotunda is used for Weddings and small gatherings. Personal trainers, tai chi instructors use the large grassed areas. And there is a wonderful range of new bbq's and seating down by the river. Visit it often as the roses seem to go all year. The Farmers Market is there every second Saturday and it booms! Take a picnic, a ball, a kite, there is plenty of room. It's flat so easy for the elderly, it's also right there for the Free music or comedy from the Powerhouse. And you can keep walking along from the Park using the fabulous riverwalk all the way to Teneriffe. Just the best spot in Brissie for a weekend.

So many things come to mind when I think of Davies Park. The West End Markets, for one, which are…read moreheld there each Saturday. Over the years, various festivals have used Davies Park as their site. Believe it or not, back in the very early 1990's, Livid was held at Davies Park. It was also home to Triple Zed's Market Day, and more recently, the West End Carnivale. If you're coming from downtown West End, you'll walk past two fig trees, and if you turn to the left, it will bring you out to a soccer field. You can often have the field to yourself, especially if you go on a weekday. It's a favourite for people with dogs. There's a fenced off area behind the soccer field, which I originally thought was a dog park. It turns out that the fig trees in this fenced off area had a fungal problem (that is now treated and the trees are recovering well), and that's why the barrier was erected. I'll say this much- I have seen it used as a dog park, and have myself used it for this purpose and all seems fine with the world. You can enter in and out with no problems. Behind the fenced off area is a slight decline which leads to the river. From here, you can take a leisurely stroll along the watery parameter of West End which will take you to Orleigh Park, yet another delightful patch of land to enjoy. If, at the entry of Davies Park, you walk to the right, you'll find yonder the fig trees, the West End community garden (Jane Street side). The gardens are handsome, and well maintained. The beds are deep, and loaded with nutrients judging by the quality of the plants growing there. If you're a green thumb, or just curious, there's usually someone working away in the garden to talk to. In some downtime, do yourself a favour and go down to have a gander at what's going on in Davies Park.

I fondly regard this park as one of the best in the inner city…read more No it doesn't boast rainforest walks, fountains or play-pens for the kids. But it is quiet. And so much more peaceful than the packed New Farm park, South bank or Botanical gardens. Ease off a hangover, picnic or watch the douche-baggery of Jet-Skiers. This little stretch of land is just perfect to spend a lazy day. My favourite bit is the great little dog-park by the river, full of furry characters, puppy watching makes for highly amusing entertainment. (In particular look out for a hilarious pug that tries to squeeze in the railings.) A must-see in West end.

I recently took my son and daughter here for a 3rd birthday party and boy was I surprised at the…read moresize of the park. There were 2-3 separate areas with playgrounds for kids, all age appropriate and all catering to kids of all ages. There were at least 4-5 other birthday parties for kids happening here as well as ours and what a great place it was, there's lots of trees, shelter and barbeque spots, bins, toilets, a pretty good sized car park so it's easy access and mostly flat. Hardly any water. This is the perfect place to have a kids birthday party, where they can play close by and you don't have to worry about them. What a great discovery, i'll definetely be back here for a picnic or whatnot soon.