What a great park!! Previously the Milton Tennis Centre and Milton Bowl this location had been an…read morearea of wasted space that did flood during the floods in 2011. I am so glad this was turned into an amazing park and not another set of apartment buildings. The park is home to the Roy Emerson Tennis Centre which has 6 courts for hire and also has lessons. The playground area is packed on the weekends as it's an a amazing area for kids. While its way more advanced then for my 10month old there is still some great places for him to crawl around but I can see that the amazing rock climbing wall, huge slide and the curling slide would be heaven for any kid. There are 4 different bbq areas with 8 total BBQ that have picnic tables around them. There is decent shade for these areas but also a large grass are perfect for a picnic if you don't want to BBQ. Kids love circling the grass area on there bikes and scooters and it's all within the parents eyesight. There is also a table tennis table and some exercise equipment. Early mornings you may even have a boot camp or personal trainer working out there. Only wish there was a water feature for kids to play in but I guess with the past flooding that may have not have worked. Oh and there are toilets onsite and a cafe which I need to still check out.

Got a chance to see the Belle Lume Sculpture and just wow! So very aesthetically pleasing to the…read moreeyes. Very sturdy and beautiful!

From the owner: Over the last 40 years the staff of Natureworks has produced the masters for most of the "high…read morequality" fibreglass life-size animal art currently being sold on the world market. Natureworks has been sculpting moulding and casting life-size wildlife for almost 40 years. The collection of moulds of sculptural features now numbers over 2000 different individual pieces. Casts can be made in a variety of materials from Fibreglass, Glass Reinforced Cement (GFRC), Hard-Coated Urethane Foam and Cold Cast Bronze. New pieces are being created all the time. They can be adapted for domestic use, playground or zoological standard and are designed, reinforced & finished to varying standards as appropriate to its use.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Like many of Brisbane's parks, Woolcock has gone over the last decade from being nothing more than…read moredirt, grass and a few lonely old swings to a respectable modern park. Woolcock is part of Brisbane's sweeping overhaul of park beautification and standardisation: sprawling, rolling and well-maintained grass; a playground including awesome swings that regrettably weren't around when I was a kid; and a path for power-walkers... in Woolcock's case, the path is stone and called Reflexology Walk. I'm no reflexology follower, but after loudly reading the sign with amusement I figured if I was going to talk the talk then I'd better walk the walk, so off went the shoes and I was taking the path to better health. Well, that's what the sign said; aside from the pleasant sensation of smooth pebbles on my feet, I did not develop the inferred health superpowers. However, it snakes by a creek and call me a cynic but it's damn pretty. Overall, like a park should be, the vibe is relaxed. Though not officially a dog park, many people bring their pets here for friendly interaction and some off-leash playing. The park also draws in a weekend crowd of families wanting to BBQ somewhere picturesque and not overcrowded: no one likes having to duel a stranger with tongs for the rights to a picnic bench. In terms of events, around a year ago I accidentally stumbled upon a fair at Woolcock. Though I'm not sure what it was in aid of, there were many real estate company tents set up, looking lonely beside stalls selling trinkets and fairy floss. People with dogs chatted with others about their respective pets and blocked the pathway (me included). There was also a sausage sizzle which I lined up for and heartily enjoyed even though I knew the meat was probably 40% cardboard. My dog also loves it here, as it's frequented by some of the people outside of our family who can actually stand her.

Ah Woolcock Park. I lived around the corner from here in 2002 and was among the first residents…read moreto enjoy the then newly upgraded facilities. I used to congregate here with my friends for a vegie-q, some yo ho ing and maybe a spot of fire stick twirling. Look I was young alright? It's nice to see the facilities have been well maintained in the intervening decade. This is a lovely park for families, friends or, yes, groups of urban hippies to enjoy and the BBQ's are still available (God I love that Brisbane parks have BBQ's, take that Melbourne! We finally win a point!) If you're in the area this is a little urban oasis that you should definitely come visit.

One of my top 5 places to hang in Jindalee. It helps that it's right around the corner from where…read moreI live. Having flooded a year ago almost exactly from the January 2011 floods, Jindalee has gone through a lot. I remember driving down to the park and seeing nothing but water. The river swelled so much that most of everything and the houses across the road had been over run by the brown muddy waters of what used to be a higher level. Flash forward to Dec 25, 2011 just a week ago and the council has made this place better and finished it with a bang. There is an awesome boat ramp with a new platoon, for you to go fishing, take your jetski (if you have one) or dingy or boat or whatever you fancy. They have concreted over the old car park and made it kind of bigger with a one way drive. Next to the car park, there is an enclosed doggy park. It's not very big and it's on a big hill which I found a bit weird, but anyway. Your dogs won't care, it's a place for them to socialise with the next breed. Hell, it's a place you can socialise, everyone loves to have a chat there. Further up the footpath there are benches, and places to have barbeques... and there is what I can only describe as being a Swedish playground. It's the kind of playground which no one understands, and the play items in the playground look more like structures from the gallery of modern art you're not allowed to touch. I think this is the only let down of the whole place because the slide is a weird thing you have to stick your legs on either side of, the swings are only for big people. It's not too friendly for kids, it's not too friendly for adults and as I saw teens as well. Kids walked around wondering what they were supposed to do (which is a bit weird even for kids) and besides the social aspect (people in Jindalee are really friendly) it's a puzzle. We might ring the council to say a friendly 'what the' as a matter of fact. Because that's what everyone there was thinking. What the hell is this thing, and couldn't you just put a normal playground in? Bit of a disappointment for my 2 kids and many other kids. Definetely worth a visit with the family. Evenings are the best time, bring your frisbee, bring your dog. Bring your social.

Great park! Nice walkway to the many other options this park offers I.e 3 other play areas…read more. bike/skate park.. A lot of picnic and family areas to spend the day lounging and in the outdoors. Main playground had great options and coverage with a good enough sized car park. The only concern was the lack of toilets and general protection/barrier from the lake for that child that likes to not listen and run off but space is not an issue! Beenleigh is a real family spot especially with the parks it has so this was a nice surprise.

One of my good friend's first introduced me to Mansfield Park in Indooroopilly on one stressful day…read moreI was having. He told me that this park is one of his "happy places". It is small and quiet and there are never many people around. It is a tiny triangle tucked in amongst some grand looking houses. We play a game when we go there about what house we would own. There is one that looks like a New England beach house that makes me wish I was back visiting my family in America. The park itself is lined with trees and has a few nice little benches in and around. There is also a small playground for kids. Mansfield Park is definitely a nice little spot to escape to.