I have such great early childhood memories of this park, it's a huge freely open lusciously green…read morepark, with heaps of dogs strolling off the lead, babies being chased by their mums, and kids playing sports. Located off New South Head Road off the Lyne Park Tennis courts, with a few stella cafe's and restaurants to boot, the location is perfect. You'll see many boats entering the water from the wharf, and some quiet fishermen delicately lowering their lines into the water, unfortunately they mostly catch seaweed and anchors.

Lyne park (pronounced Lion park) is a wonderful place to chill on a warm summer days…read more Situated across from the Rose Bay ferry, Lynne park is really easy to find. It has everything you need in a park - a stunning harbour view,pathways by the ocean, a place to kick around a ball or to grab a cold drink... Dogs are welcome and kids will be entertained by the fun and amusement of the protected playground - that said, whenever I've beenm I've noticed kids have enjoyed chasing around seagulls more than climbing the jungle gym.... A family friendly place to grab the kids, friends, dogs and a picnic.... The only thing is that this isn't a place to swim....so leave your swimsuit behind on this trip....

So this park is just a little sentimental to me. I went to Double Bay Primary School (across the…read moreroad), and this sprawling patch of harbourside green was my lunchtime playground... little did I appreciate it at the time. This is the perfect picnic spot. Settle in the shade of a majestic fig tree, and marvel at the endless park activity... frisbees, cricket, tai chi, footy, runners, dogs... dogs love it here. There's a playground for the kiddies, and a big gazebo to sit inside if lying on a blanket on the ground ain't your thing... but you might have to share it. Plenty of cute boats to ogle. And lots of water action, particularly when the 18 footers are in full sailing swing. Head towards the club (perched over the water) and you'll see Double Bay beach to the right. This could be the world's smallest beach, but it's cute and picturesque. Keep an eye out for the resident gaggle of geese... work on your harbourside tan... or frolic in the shallows and cool off on a hot day. Tip: avoid Steyne park like the plague on school days, or prepare to be overrun by hundreds of rambunctious primary schoolers.

Nestled next to the water's edge, this is a fabulous grassy patch/playing field/exercising area…read more There's a well equipped children's play park with swings and climbing frames, as well as plenty of space to run wild. Set convieniently close to Double Bay and an easy walk to Rushcutter's, this is a wonderful destination on a summer's day for a picnic and a play.

Observatory Hill, yes "Observe" and enjoy!…read more If you work in the city and want a place to get away from the stress of work and collect your thoughts, without tramping through the CBD in a vain search for solace; then this is the closest one can get to a small slice of nirvana. The many park benches sit under the sweeping branches of majestic figs, the eye drawn downwards to the view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the heritage buildings in the near distance, the observatory and pergola behind, a master painter's vision come alive! Read a book, eat a sandwich and even, if only for a fleeting moment, feel guilty at the sight of people jogging, cycling and exercising; you will never feel alone in your serenity yet, in this small fraction of the city, you will be all consumed by an immeasurable and perfect calm.

I'm not really sure how well the observatory works here with all of the light pollution from the…read moreSydney CBD, but I didn't come here (initially) for the observatory (though I will probably go there the next time I am in Sydney). However the gardens themselves afford a wonderful view of the harbour (and the bridge, if you consider the bridge to be anything more than, well, a bridge).

Pass through famous Cronulla and head north on a road that appears first to take you to an…read moreindustrial estate then a wasteland, and you come to Kurnell, a surprising little beach side suburb on the southern edge of Botany Bay. Kurnell is at the entrance to Kamay Botany Bay National Park, a park that pays tribute to the headland's extraordinary history and natural beauty. It is the site of the first contact between Aborigines and European explorers - Captain James Cook landed there in 1770, with his colleagues naturalist Joseph Banks and botanist Daniel Solander (hence Botanist Bay, which is now Botany Bay). There are monuments to several of the early European explorers, as well as exhibits that explain the location's historical Aboriginal significance and the impact European settlement has had on it. Walking tracks from a central Visitors Centre head around a loop taking in the various monuments, and towards the ocean coast where the sea pounds the limestone cliffs incessantly. Views are spectacular, especially on a sunny day when you can truly appreciate the beauty of the endless Australian sky. In season, Cape Solander is a popular whale-watching spot, and you can also choose to trek all the way along the coast back to Cronulla (around three hours). At the Visitors Centre there is a small museum, and education centre used by local schools, a gift shop and a kiosk selling coffee, drinks and snacks. Toilets are available and there is no shortage of excellent potential picnic sites.

Nice park, and manageable by walking. It seems a little too geared for cars to me, though, with…read moreroads going right through the middle of it. And if you're on the wrong side it's hard to ignore the refineries, desalination plants, and airport takeoffs. But on the right side there are paths through the bush, dramatic cliffs, and whale-watching from the shore. Cooks' landing place also has a memorial.

This was relatively close enough for an outdoor experience. It really is create your own adventure…read moreas there are a lot of things to do here. We decided to do the wedding cake hike, here was our experience. Directions: What's nice is that this is a common hike,; the directions are simple if you're at the main entrance. Hiking Difficulty: If you're coming from the main entrance, it really isn't that difficult, if you're on the trail, you don't need fancy hiking shoes. Overall: 4.5 stars. I enjoyed the hike here. I admire the different scenery from the ocean to the rock patterns. Shading changes now and then and it took maybe 1.5 hrs total. There are many more things to see, so be sure to plan and schedule things accordingly. TL;DR Tips: * Parking is free but limited * Bring hiking shoes to be safe. * Wedding Cake Rock is now gated off * 2nd Oldest National Park in the world!

Royal National Park is the second oldest national park in the world, with Yellowstone in USA being…read morethe first. About a 45 minute drive from Sydney CBD, Royal National Park is definitely worth a visit if you want to get away from the city. With the lush beauty, peaceful surroundings, various wildlife, scenic hikes, and relaxing beaches, Royal National Park doesn't disappoint. As part of a small tour group, we visited the Royal National Park back in January 2014 and enjoyed the gorgeous views from Stanwell Tops and Sea Cliff Bridge; the cool, calm waters and warm, soft sand from Jibbon beach; and a mild hike along The Coast Track for a breathtaking panoramic view of the blue Pacific Ocean. Whether visiting Royal National Park on your own, with family or friends, or as part of a private tour group, there's plenty of activities to suit your needs: hiking, biking, picnic lunches, canoeing and kayaking... the list goes on. It's the perfect place to spend a day or two to relax.

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.

This was the location used for the starting area for the Sydney Marathon. It was large enough to…read morehandle approximately 40,000 race participants spread across the half marathon, 10k, marathon, and 3.5 km family run. The park looked to be well maintained with a nice view of the underside of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. One thing about the park was that it was slopped towards the harbour, so some of the portapotties weren't quite stable.

What a great use for the underside of a bridge. It helps that it's right on the water and has great…read morebreezes. It features: great views, well maintained lawn, not as many seagulls as on the south shore...which is kind of weird, right? There are a few benches and you can get some shade by hiding under the bridge. There's a playground and public toilets (did not use). It does slope so be prepared to chase a ball if it goes astray...which is a good way to tire those kiddos out should that be needed. Great spot to fly a kite, have a picnic, enjoy outside and read a book.