Seen one kiddy playground, seen 'em all, right? WRONG,…read morehotshot. Hallstrom Park is built *into* the local nature, it's under a shade-dappled grove of trees and utilises the things in and around it to make a super unique park that the local kids lose their little 'nanas over. There's Elephant Rock and Gorilla Boulder, huge stones that have life-like animals carved into them which is fun, but they also have a speaker hidden in the bushes that plays jungle noises. What! How rad is that? There's a mini-race track for kids bicycles, a fossil are of old 'dinosaur bones', and heaps of slides and things to climb on, this thing could have been designed by Walter Burley Griffin it's so in sync with the environment. If you see a strange man lurking near the playground running an appreciative eye over the fixtures and fittings don't be alarmed, that's just me.

Great kids playground! the tower to climb to get to the slide is the center of it all. Lots of fun…read moreto climb and slide and climb and slide again( and again,...)

On the corner of Grasmere and Young Streets there is a small playground surrounded by a white…read morepicket fence and shady trees. During the week it is always packed with mothers, prams and little kids. There are swings for big kids and swings for the little ones, a white four horse seesaw I remember from my childhood, a whirl-a-round seat that's a bit hard to twist with more than one adult in there, two slides and a couple of different climbing apparatus. Only a five minutes walk from coffee shops it's a good for mums with prams that want to get together over a take away cuppa whilst their kids play outdoors. Unfortunately there are no bathrooms at this park so it's back to said cafes if the kids (or you) need the toilet.

Definitely the biggest playground I've ever been to! It has it all... swings, giant climbing…read morestructure and very high rope bridge, flying fox, tunnels and slides, rope climbing web, etc. We spent more than 2 hours here and had a group of kids ranging from age 1 to 12. We definitely will be back whenever we're in the area!!

Drawn in by the potential of the Armory Wharf Cafe (review http://frid.co/nikCOQ) I found my self…read moredriving a bit out of my way to give it a go. Not knowing a great deal about this park, when I arrived I was amazed to see the play area with the shiny slippery slides, climbing areas and massive swings. This is an awesome park. While some parts of it still seem under development, and there is a real lack of shade areas, this has to be one of the best play areas I have seen in Sydney. If your kids can not have fun here they are simply not trying hard enough. While it appeared there was a tonne of parking available, on the weekend you are going to find it challenging. As for what to bring when you come, if you have a bike, bring it as there is a huge bike track to check out. If you don't have one, you can rent one ( http://frid.co/qSpPMO ). Of course if you want to chill out and relax, perhaps with a coffee, then head to either the Armory Wharf Cafe or the Armory Wharf Canteen ( http://frid.co/nKLbIw - which is only open on weekends and public holidays). Alternatively you could grab one of the benches near the free BBQ hot plates and cook up a couple of snags. If you are looking for the perfect place to have a kids birthday party, this might be it! You just might not want to do it on the weekend...

This is the sort of park you buy a dog for just for the thrill of seeing it scoot around under the…read moreMoreton Bay figs like all its little Christmases have come at once. It's absolutely huge, with a picturesque cricket oval hidden at the back, a playing field at the front, a music amphitheatre in one corner, and a playground hidden in a copse of trees in the center. In all the other bits there's dappled expanses for you to sleep, play touch footy, read, or draw a girl you just met like one of your French girls. That's a Titanic reference. I don't even know how I remember that, it's not like I have a thing for that movie. But now it totally looks like I do. Ugh. What a way to end a perfectly serviceable review.

St Leonard's Park in North Sydney is a decent size if you're looking for a park to take the kids to…read morefor a play or go for a kick of the footy with a few mates after work. Cool things about it are the kids play area - they have drum kit and a few other neat musically inclined play things plus it's amongst the green which is great if you want the kids to be shaded on those burning summer days. The quaint North Sydney oval is here as is the bowling club, basketball court, a running track and a youth club. If you do a lap of the outside of the park you will find yourself at some point (behind the bowling club) with a decent view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. It's a nice place to take out of town visitors for a walk... that is if you imagine the freeway at the bottom of the hill is an ocean with crashing waves rather than cars buzzing past. Despite the noise on this side of the park if you find a spot near the centre you'll be joined by the odd kookaburra and probably won't notice the traffic at all. There is free parking in side streets nearby as well as limited paid parking by the hour.

I love taking my kids to this park. Locally situated in North Parramatta, it has undercover tables,…read morea park with swings/slides and lookouts, plenty of tree cover and open space and a bubbler for when you get thirsty. For the sports minded people, there is a half court basketball court and a half court netball court.

A giant enclosed playground with many areas for kids to run and play around. There is a giant…read morerotating area in the middle, rope areas, flying fox (closed when we visited), a bike road, sand pits, spinning things, slides, small quiet areas for reading/eating and a cafe out front. Street parking was easily found. We spent a long time here and the kids had a great time.

Wonderful award winning playground. Come for the day and bring a picnic - you can sit on the grass…read moresurrounding the play area or if you're early enough, one of the five picnic tables. Playground features: Fenced Shaded Toilets Suitable for all abilities Suitable for a fair age range (toddlers to maybe 8/9 year olds) Sand pit Automated merry-go-round Picnic tables

New South Wales' first pedestrian plaza got itself a facelift last year, and now it's well and…read moretruly come back to life. It's favourite spot for local mums to meet, with the sun sails providing shady play area, and - perhaps most importantly - a plethora of local coffee shops for a quick caffeine fix (including Firefly and the new Pablo & Rusty's). Ok, it also means getting past the clog of prams can be a bit tricky for non-parents, and the odd tennis ball may come hurtling at you if you're sitting and an ourdoor cafe, but isn't that what local flavour is all about?

Lane Cove plaza was always a favourite place for my family to come when we were kids, as mum and…read moredad went to the fancy fish restaurant and my brother and I ate pizza all by ourselves on the corner. The pizza place is still there but the fish restaurant is gone, to make way for massive renovations they have done there recently, with the plaza refurbished and an arcade created from the new library to the plaza. This involves new shops and Firefly at its entrance. The bandstand is still there and shade sails cover the playground area. Still a great spot for families and ideal to let the kids loose while you get a coffee.

As a dad, knowing the best parks to take the boys to use up spent energy is a MUST. This one, is…read moreone of the best park I have found. It is massive, broken up into various sections so that there is always somewhere to chill out, and it is well equipped. Here is a quick list of it's features: - an adventure cycle track - a constructed dry creek bed play area (mind the crocs) - a play area for toddlers - a play area for older kids with spider net & flying fox - an open grassed area for family ball games (just be careful of the drains) - 1/2 basketball court - toilets - barbeques - picnic tables, seats and shelters - free parking oh... and for something you'll be hard pressed to find at any other park it also has.. - a fenced off dog exercise area - radio control car dirt track Well worth checking this place out if you want to have a kids birthday party.

Really fun park, there is a fenced dog play area, remote control car dirt race track, flying fox,…read moreand lots of kids play equipment