I don't even know whether what I write will give justice to this wonderful local park after Jessie…read moreA's review below which captures what this park is like so well. It is without a doubt one of the best maintained parks in Balmain and us locals are so fortunate to have it. There is an eclectic planting if trees: figs, palms and elms that give shade and uniqueness. Right in the middle is a beautiful gazebo for picnics, parties and weddings. The lawn is always lush and beautifully manicured and there is a small rose garden so you can smell the flowers during a sunset stroll, watching the kids on the excellent playground or walking the dog. The wonderful and historic Dawn Fraser tidal pool is at one end and as the park is on a small peninsula you have glorious views of Cockatoo Island around to the Iron Cove Bridge. Ellington Park is a wonderful place a quick stroll or lying on a blanket with a book and a glass of wine on a sunny day.

Elkington Park, ye King of Parks. This park juts out on a…read morerocky Balmain Peninsula, looking out to the Parramatta River and Cockatoo Island. It has the well-manicured but rambling feel of an old English estate - picturesque pretend wilderness. There are tall palm trees and wide, heavy figs. Plenty of shade, and a bit of a hill to climb when you're walking back home. There's peculiar postmodern play equipment (it used to be excellent creepy wooden stuff, before they made it all "safe"), and a public toilet that gives you the heebie-jeebies. There's a grand central rotonda (available for hire for parties), and it's a 1 minute walk down to Dawn Fraser Pool. Best of all, if you go right to the end of the peninsula, you can explore rocky sandstone caves and alcoves (a favourite haunt of Balmain bong-smoking teenagers). The end of the peninsula is also an off-leash dog area, so long as you don't get too close to the kids' play equipment.

Gladstone Park is a beautiful place to lie in the sun or sit in the shade of their big, beautiful…read moretrees. Situated opposite The Little Marionette, a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop off Darling St in Balmain, Gladstone Park is the perfect place to enjoy a coffee/bite to eat without having to sit in a noisy or cramped cafe. Across the road on Darling St you'll also find a pizza shop, a Thai restaurant and a Vietnamese restaurant, making it the perfect location for early dinner picnics too. What's more, the Park's location opposite the Balmain Hospital makes it a nice escape from the hospital walls (this is coming from someone who hates hospitals, so having a park directly across the road is perfect for me). The Gladstone Park Bowling Club shares the park's turf, and the neighbouring primary school seems to also, making it less of a peaceful escape around lunch time. Often filled with Mum's Clubs and lunching locals, Gladstone Park provides a giant green and grassy mattress/lounge chair, ideal for sun soaking and coffee sipping. NB: Dogs on-leash only.

Gladstone Park sits atop an old reservoir. Once upon a time developers wanted to turn the reservoir…read moreinto an underground parking lot, which might have made this park less enjoyable ... but so this has not happened. This is a good flat park, with a nice mix of big trees for shade. There are the obligatory palm trees too, now getting very old and rather tall. There's an old basketball court, some rudimentary looking play equipment, and a few old brick relics. Gladstone Park is adjacent to Balmain Primary. The Park also has its very own bowling club (Gladstone Park Bowling Club) right in the middle of it. That effectively means you can be inside Gladstone Park, drinking a cold schooner, watching the old folks in their whites. Not bad. These days Gladstone Park is looking a tad dry and brown (but then again, so is everywhere). They have recently added an accessible ramp on the Darling Street side (for a long time this park was inaccessible from most sides, so this was long overdue). Gladstone Park gives you a feeling of being up high, elevated off the main drag of Darling Street. It's not super lush, but it has a great community vibe. One drawback, as Rachel said - it's on-leash only, which sucks, if you're a dog. (So - not a great dog park.)

A small local park located by the harbour but with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Great place…read moreto relax during your lunch break or in the evening where you can feel the harbour breeze. Close by to Google Australia, Fairfax and Channel 7. If you want to get away from the Star or the office or the cbd, you can go here to take your mind off things.

As a name suggests best to enter the Harbour through Globe Street. There is construction at the…read morefish market where it terminates and you have to walk around a school. Think of it more as a urban walk along the shoreline. Completely paved. It and shade. Glad I chose a cloudy day to walk on it. If you're starting at the fish market at the other end , maps only lead you with the bad route option to public transportation. Opal and Google Maps took me through an extreme busy highway path. Best to continue to (Rezulli ?) Park where there is a walkway to the bus stops.

Stop running in the middle of the city on crowded sidewalks and dangerous roads! Make your way to…read moreJackson's Landing, where the Foreshore promenade, found along the Pyrmont Point Park (say that three times fast!), makes for a relaxing and scenic jog, stroll, or sprinting session. Interestingly, the promenade actually reflects the natural shoreline. I've seen people do yoga and boot camp on the freshly mowed grass as well. Facing Balmain, this innovative waterfront park is beautifully designed and landscaped. The park, including the children's playground, was constructed with recycled and sustainable material. While in the park, you can catch glimpses of the area's industrial history. Huge rusted artifacts are reminiscent of the maritime industry and the Colonial Sugar Refinery that once stood here. Beautiful apartment complexes made of sandstone surround the park, as well as a few cafes and restaurants. The best time of day to come here is around sunset, where panoramic views of the city (from the Anzac to the Harbor Bridge) and the water are lit with an orange glow. I've also heard that jazz festivals take place here during the year.

This park is great for having BBQs because its a little easier to get access to a BBQ stove (as…read moreopposed to the beaches) - and because there is a supermarket and well stocked bottle shop nearby you can easily get supplies for the BBQ. There is also plenty of space for other activities as well as as a very nice view of Sydney Harbour from here. I think this is one of the few harbourside parks which have BBQ cooktops.

Beauty and the …read more... Jubilee Park lies at the end of Glebe Point Road and I can honestly say, has The Best views in Sydney. I am partial towards the Anzac bridge and prefer that to harbour bridge. The view is stunning. You can see the city skyline and the water is sparkling. I love running along the track but have to stop every two minutes as its a leash free park for Dogs and they like running too! Ugh!! I hate being chased by little puppies yelping away at my feet.. But what I detest even more is the bigger dogs who seem to be a bit out of control and should be restrained no matter what! (I apologise if you're a dog lover. I'm just terrified of them) To be fair, I do believe Dogs need places where they can run about freely too and this is one of the few parks I have come across which offers them that luxury. There are plenty of pets and pet owners who are enjoying the park, I guess it's just not a park for me..

Went here for a ladies only family picnic yesterday and I have to say that we loved the location,…read morethe views of Anzac Bridge were fantastic as it is such a majestic bridge. Oh and how could one forget the lovely houses along the walk around the bay? Without knowing I got rather sunburnt, however the day was spent eating, meeting new puppies that kept running up to our blankets and saying hello as well as going for a relaxing walk around the bay. If you don't like dogs then I would suggest you probably don't come here. It's a leash free park for dogs and they are also allowed to swim in the water which I think is a great option for the four legged furry beasties, especially in summer! I loved watching them play fetch with various items in the water. Entertainment plus! There's public toilets that aren't the best, however I have seen much much worse. At least they had toilet paper. There's also a lot of children and families having picnics and using the play area. But not so many people that you felt that it was over crowded. It's such a lovely spot that we're ear marked it again for our next months picnic!

Large urban park located near the Broadway Sydney shopping center, Victoria Park has a large pond…read morenamed 'Lake Northam' in its northern part. We were in the area while visiting Sydney, so stopped by. Unfortunately, the pond was so full of blooming algae, that it appeared as if you could walk across it because it was solid ground. It's nice to have open green space in an open area, but it must be difficult to maintain any body of water if there isn't much water flow. We did two Australian white ibis pecking away at something.

Great park in the middle of the city and a stone's throw fro km Sydney Uni…read more It's got a lot of great play equipment for kids, a basketball court for shooting hoops and a large duck pond to sit by and ponder about the world. There is also a pool and gym complex in the middle which is a bit steep for a single visit but well priced if you join as a member. The only downside is that the huge grassy area gets easily water logged and becomes a muddy mess because local frisbee teams (yep you read right) play there rain, hail or shine tearing up the surface. There are plenty of other grass areas so it isn't too big of a deal but the council should really put in better drainage on the big area. There are events held at the park on the odd occasion too which are always worth a look.

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.