This seems to be the location for the cruise ship to park and people to disembark. Several small…read morecafés in the area but the best is at least a block off of the main park area. Make sure you head out into the city and find all the fun places to shop and eat.

I never knew this was called First Fleet Park. Just 'the little park next to the MCA with the fab…read moreviews of Circular Quay and the Opera House', or 'where to wait and watch the ferocious one-legged seagulls before you catch a ferry'. Or, at the moment, 'where to have a bit of a sit and people-watch under the divine purple snow of the jacaranda trees'. There's an enormo grove of palms, some big kangaroo paws and a bunch of ferns just planted, making it a welcome bit of green space in such a built up area. It's often a busker hangout too, and whether they're in residence or not, just watching the world go by is the cheapest entertainment there is. Just keep your eye on the seagulls.

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.

When I booked my hotel adjacent to Kings Cross I was told that I am residing in the red light…read moredistrict. I did see a lot of 'massage' parlors and some sex shops. A few unsavory characters at night time, but really never felt unsafe. I heard it has calmed down a lot in recent years. I enjoyed the scenery and especially the many coffee shops and tiny restaurants everywhere. Plus the public transportation from here to just about anywhere in the city is fabulous. And if you like to walk a lot you can even hike to most of the famous tourist attractions.

Kings Cross is quite an interesting area that appears to be rapidly changing & gentrifying…read more On one hand, you have Darlinghurst road, full of cheap fast food joints, sex shops, and bars. There are definitely a good amount of junkies too but we were never hassled or panhandled. On the other hand, step off the main road to leafy quiet residential streets with people walking dogs and pushing strollers. There's a great small market on weekends and lots of good reasonably priced places to eat on small lanes. We found the area to be diverse, lovely and convenient to stay in .

Located at Constitution Rd, Meadowbank…read more Taken from City of Ryde Website: "Meadowbank Park is one of our major sporting and recreation areas. There are more than 10 playing fields used mainly for soccer and cricket, as well as netball hard courts and tennis courts. There are three playgrounds and walking and cycling paths along the Parramatta River as part of the Ryde Riverwalk". It has picnic areas and shelters, toilets, BBQ areas, Playgrounds and so forth. Great little gem if your're living in the area.

The Meadowbank Park is right beside Parramatta River. The walk stretches across a number of suburbs…read moreand is a pleasant stroll of an afternoon. Watch out for the bike riders who forget to ring their bell as they speed up behind you. Could be a line there "you can ring my bell"!

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!

HUGE park, great for Tropfest, but I wish I had known it was in the middle of the park! Might have…read morebeen more prepared for that walk in 45C/104F. As you can see from pictures, it needs more trees for shade, I'm not sure what people do on hot days here.

When I was planning my trip to Sydney last year I discovered that there was this really cool…read morelooking gate at the entrance to this park, however I also noticed that this park was quite large. As it turns out large is a bit of an understatement - it is absolutely huge. So huge that it contains a relic of Australia's convict past - Old Government House. There are some huge flat grasses areas, large enough to have a round-robin professional football festival (though I am exaggerating a bit, but it is still pretty big). The Parramatta River also runs through the middle of the park, though it isn't really all that wide, but don't try to jump over it - you might end up getting wet. When I went for a wander around here I barely even scratched the surface, but it certainly is a decent place was a walk, jog, picnic, or even a game of One Day International Cricket.

Located next to Tumbalong Park, a lot to see and do, located…read morealong Sydney Harbor. Many attractions, play areas. museums, restaurants and shopping close by.

Even if you're a local, there's a chance you haven't stumbled upon Darling Park. This hidden gem…read moremay look like it belongs to the office blocks surrounding it, but the park - designed by a team from Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens no less - is absolutely open to the public. And it's glorious. The 3000 square metre space has a central spire, emanating from which are a series of garden beds and grassy expanses - perfect for taking a load off during a lunchtime. A circular walkway rings the garden, and it is lined with benches, tables and handy little alcoves to sit and chat. Come lunch hour of course this is teeming with white-collar folk, but if you pick your moments, this is a delightful green haven. Such a rarity in the CBD. My favourites are the wombat statues (see photo) that frolic in one of the garden beds and are just too cute for words. You can see one is stretched out on the grass catching 20 winks, which is exactly what I've done on many a visit to Darling Park.

This park has got to house one of the most interactive playgrounds in the Inner West - for kids and…read moreadults alike. The play equipment here is great (yes, I have sampled it personally), and tailors to the Inner West's musical inclinations. With a giant glockenspiel amongst other musical/play equipment, it's great place to try out that new song you've been working on - the neighbours here must relish the sound of silence. In saying that, Foley Park is a pretty peaceful place. Despite the constant chortlings of the Wireless House, a sound-art installation designed to replicate an 1930's wireless radio that once lived here (this is really cool despite being somewhat creepy at night), this provides a more interesting and relaxing soundscape, as opposed to just being irritating white noise. Foley Park fills with people lying in the grass on their lunch breaks, and as a free wireless internet hotspot, its a common and lovely spot for uni groups to meet. It remains pretty well lit at night, and the pathway running through the park doesn't feel like it should bear signs of warning. And the best thing about it? It's directly opposite both Sonoma bakery/cafe and Fish On Fire, and thus makes the perfect picnic spot.

This is definitely an urban park. It's only a square block, but it's neat, it's clean, and it has a…read moreplayground for little kids. The small park is almost designed like a running track where there's a lawn/greenery in the middle and paved way with benches scattered throughout the track. Because it's so small, it doesn't really block out any of the traffic noise nearby, but visually, you can try.