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,...)

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.

Of late I have been driving around Sydney in search of awesome venues, views, parks and cafes, this…read morepark covered everything but the coffee. If you are after a location that has views of the harbour, specifically of heads of Sydney Harbour heads, then you will not find better than this. The views are stunning! The other amazing thing about this park is that only in a Australia would you put a cricket pitch in such an awesome location. Seems almost a waste. Though... if you are looking for the ultimate place to fly a kite in Sydney.... this is likely to be it. Another big plus about this park, especially if you have kids, is the enclosed play area (near the toilets), which also has a BBQ ready and waiting. This place is awesome and a must visit, especially if you have people in from out of town.

If I didn't play football here a few times this season I never would have discovered the…read moreexceptional eagles eyrie that is Tania Park. Just across the Spit and 10 mins from Manly, Tania sits perched precipitously atop a bushy tabletop headland looking over Sydney Harbour and out through the heads into open ocean (and the pirate's law that I'm led to believe is in force in international waters). I watched Jessica Watson sail her yacht The Pink Lady back into Sydney after her record-breaking round-the-world solo voyage as a sprightly 16 year old from here, one of the highlights of 2010. Cracking for walks, dates, sports, dates, and dates. (and hey, do you fly kites? Because if you do, this place is your damned nirvana yo.)

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.

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.

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...

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

We came here one gorgeously sunny Autumn afternoon; two 3year-olds, an 18 month old and by the end…read moreof it, two pretty ragged mothers. The playground is seriously well-equipped and in one of the best location in NSW I reckon. The 3 year-olds had a ball. There's so much to climb and explore for them: Tunnels, climbing frames, the surrounding parkland, the toilets, oh hang on a minute...where's he gone. This is the parks major problem. It isn't at all contained. Yes, I know we should be watching them but honestly, playgrounds are a little bit about mums catching up too. Good shaded areas for picnics but no shade over the equipment which makes it a no-no in summer. Free on-street parking for 2 hours which is a bonus and toilets. So no more hopping around for parents as they enviously watch their kids pee against trees. We'd go back again but really it caters for older pre-school kids not exploring toddlers. Lots to fall and stumble over. Lovely spot though.

If you grew up in the region, you would've spent countless swimming carnivals here - walking past…read morethe canteen area brings vivid flashbacks to me. Swimming carnivals of my youth aside, the Warringah Aquatic Centre is a swimming complex located at Frenchs Forest. It's impressive facilities include a 50m pool, a diving pool with several diving boards of different heights, a few outdoor pools that are constantly too cold to swim in, and of course, the canteen. There's always something happening at the Aquatic Centre - swimming lessons for little ones, squads and development training for the older kids, Aqua Aerobics for the realllly old ones, and a bunch of people who just want to swim. The centre has great - and free -parking available, although it's a bit of a walk to the car when you're dripping wet and it's freezing outside. A better option would be taking advantage of the free hot showers, and storing something warm for afterwards in a free (deposit required) locker. The Center has impressive, stadium-style seating for parents to cheer on their little ones in the race, and also has a range of swimming-related paraphernalia if you've forgotten the all-important goggles or floaties.

One of the only indoor pools on the beaches! Easy parking, get a lane to myself half the time,…read moreacceptable price. Hot showers afterwards should be free though, currently they're cold and too short for me!