It's rare to find one of Sydney's rare and hidden gems, and when I come across one, it's an…read moreexhilarating feeling. On one hand, I want to keep the place hush hush so that it doesn't become spoilt by mounds of people, and on the other hand, I want to recommend it to everyone I know. (I guess I've chosen the non-selfish route this time around!) The garden itself is quite small and is a bit steep - it leads down to some very steep bush. During Spring, the flowers are in bloom and the gardens are a kaleidoscope of colour. There's also a scary looking water dragon.

I had a lovely afternoon walk here. But you need to wear enclosed shoes if you go in the bush as…read morethere are lots of leaches.

Come on Turramurra. Get your park together!…read more It doesn't help that it's jammed right up against the noisy Pacific Highway - a last little bastion of green between the trucks and the train line. There's a footpath cutting the park in twain, just the thing to cut the corner for your quick dash for a train. But convenience aside, this park lacks imagination. It's got some beautiful trees but not much else. At least there are a couple of benches I guess. Alas I just can't see myself spending any real time there.

This is mainly a review of the playground at the park. As the father of a two year old, I'm…read moreconstantly in the lookout for new and exciting playgrounds, and the playground here at Bicentennial Park does not disappoint. There are really two playgrounds here, one for toddlers and one for bigger kids and adults. The toddler playground is entirely fenced. I'll be focusing on the toddler playground. There's a partially shaded sand pit with a working water spout, and shaded benches and tables near the sand pit for parents to sit and keep an eye on the kids. There's a plastic play structure with a slide near the sand pit, and a large (3m by 3m?) climbing structure made of rope. There're also two metal structures shake like tubes for making music, and two swings, one for smaller children and a regular swing. Unfortunately, aside from a few scattered sitting areas, there are no other structures within the toddler area for kids to play with, such as a train or vehicle structure, rocking horse, merry go round, etc. Still, the playground is well shaded from the abundant trees, and is kept clean and well maintained. Not the most exciting playground, but a solid favorite with great surrounds.

You know that scene at the end of Notting Hill where Juila Robers and Hugh Grant are sitting on a…read morebench in a park and she's pregnant lying on his lap and he's reading a book while there are kids playing and people doing Tai Chi in the back? Well it's one of my favourite scenes. This local park has all my partner and I need to keep our quality of life rating high. Within the grounds the park is home to the W. Pymble Bowling Club, the W. Pymble Pool Complex, a playground area, walking/running paths, an exercise area, cricket nets, netball courts, an off the leash dog area, electric barbeques and other goodies. We don't get to take advantage of the park as much as we like, but we definitely make use of the running paths and exercise area. It's nice to say hello to passing neighbors walking by or listen to the children laugh and play. I have to take more time out of my busy days to enjoy the outdoors and lie on that bench reading a book in the sun.

In the early 1920s a guy by the name of Jimmy Bancks invented a part of Australian cultural…read morehistory. The character he invented was Ginger Meggs, a red headed little mischief-maker (who I am pretty sure I have no relation to). In any case, Jimmy apparently lived around the Hornsby shire area and this park was one that he played in while growing up. As such, in 1997 it was renamed in his honour. The park itself has all the things you would expect to see in a play ground these days. Under cover tables, swings, slides and an expanse of rope areas to climb all over. It also has a large open area in which the kids can safely run riot. The only thing to be careful of is that while the back of the park is surrounded by bushland, there is no fence. One of the attractions near the trees (all the way off to the left hand side) is a small little duck pond. In any case, not that you should ever not pay attention to your kids in a park, but this one may require more attention than most. Otherwise, it is an awesome park on a very quiet stretch of road. Come and check it out.

Met here for a Sunday family Picnic as most family lives in Newcastle, whilst my brother lives in…read morethe heart of Sydney. Minutes off the M1 Motorway and close to cafes, and our favourite Chargrill Charlie's, if you wish to buy something to eat in the park. Considering the stunning weather I was surprised to find easy parking and plenty of shady spots to spread out your rug or camp chairs. The big trees are beautiful. Being so close to homes and the general claustrophobic sense I get visiting Sydney, I wasn't expecting the park to be as large as it was. We all enjoyed a very relaxed afternoon and would happily meet here again.

As a parent, when I find a half decent cafe, on of the first things I do is to look around for…read moreplayground (and vice-versa). In this case I had been heading up and down the Northern train line to try and find decent cafe options for each stop. Having been given a suggestion from a twitter friend of mine, I went to check out the Corner Cafe in Pennant Hills (review http://frid.co/q5ju3Y ). On the way there I noticed this nice little park. While not massive, it is big enough for a picnic, it has a decent play area and... it is close to decent coffee... :-) Fair enough, I may have a little vested interest in being able to take my boys to parks that have good coffee in easy reach... but that can't be all bad... can it? :-)