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.

A relaxing place to come, besides that one time a creepy fat homeless person was walking the…read moreperimeter footpath yelling obscenities at cars and spitting every where. Except that one time, this place is great just to sit with friends and catch up. There is a shaded fenced off area with play equipment. I've never had the chance to check out the quality (seriously, a dude hanging around play equipment by himself is NEVER a good look) but the kids sound like they're always having fun. There are a couple of tennis courts (no idea if you need to book them or if you just rock up). A few open field areas where sports can be played. The trees here are HUGE and offer great cover from the afternoon sun. I use to come here with a old friend and just talk for hours.

Burwood Park is conveniently located across from Westfield Shopping Centre, and two hundred meters…read morefrom Burwood train station. During the day, this place is a hub of activity. From tardy school kids to meditating seniors, Burwood Park is a multicultural hotpot buzzing with activity. The covered playground is perfect for little ones, while the outdoor chessboard, tennis courts and barbeque facilities are great for people of all ages. Standing in the shadows of the War Memorial Arch and Sandakan Memorial are Burwood Park's beautiful gardens and duck pond. If you hang around long enough you might even catch a glimpse of the 'bird man', who marches through Burwood Park every evening, with a bulging bag of bread in hand and a determined grimace on his face. But be careful not to loiter too long, because after dark Burwood Park is inhabited by somewhat undesirable characters (despite the extensive lighting). So be careful, and don't walk alone.

A small but bustling and busy park! It's located next to the Hills Club, right behind a major bus…read morestop for those travelling to the city, and across the road from the shops. In the morning you'll see hoards of commuters cutting through the Hills Club and the park to get to their bus stop. At the same time nearby Vision Personal Training seems to hold mass PT classes. They seem to take over the park so its always interesting dodging the participants to get to through. In the middle of the day its quiet and then come afternoon its usually filled with kids and families all hanging around the play equipment waiting for their loved ones to get off the bus again after work. Interestingly this used to be part of the railway line that ran from Parramatta to Baulkham Hills. Part of the cutting is still visible, the old station masters building is still standing, and the street behind the park is still called Railway St. Bit of a shame they ripped out the line but the park is still great!

This place is massive. By massive I mean 55 hectares. There is so much stuff here it is worth…read morechecking out their brochure/map (pdf) http://frid.co/qFdcqE I have only been here a few times, and that was for the Hornsby Bushland Shire Festival which is on once a year around September. It is always a crowd pleaser. Heaps of food stalls, arts and craft, and shows for the kids makes the day pass pretty quick. This year my boys enjoyed the Sponge Bob Square Pants show the best. While the $5 entrance fee (per car) on the day of the festival is a donation, I believe on any other day the park entrance will still cost you $5. Though for a picnic area this huge, with ponds and bridges, play areas and sand pits, gardens and paths... you will not lack for things to check out. It even has BBQ facilities. You might even want to bring along the push bikes for the kids and let them ride around. Certainly worth checking out if you are in the area.

A top location to take the family for a BBQ, picnic or just a stroll with the kids. There are a few…read moreparks scattered across this large well maintained park and also some nice lakes to feed the ducks. For those in need of a coffee there is also the opportunity to grab one at the cafe near the main park!

We were looking for a place to eat our pizza (Pizza Hut, Rouse Hill) since they don't have seating…read more We followed the brown signs to Rouse Hill Regional Park, across Windsor Road. The historic Rouse Hill Estate is located adjacent to the park (guided tours on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday by appointment - (02) 9627 6777) This is a large regional park on land formerly owned by the Rouse family, pioneers of the area. The area was originally inhabited by the Deerubbin Aboriginal people. This area is historic for being the end point of the first and only major convict uprising in Australian history. The last battle was here on Vinegar Hill. Apparently the convicts were disgruntled over whipping conditions. Many of the convicts in this area were Irish persons involved in the 1798 Irish rebellion against the British, and transported to the Colony of New South Wales for their transgressions. Now they hated the English even more than before. Led by Phillip Cunningham, rebel convicts broke into the Government Farm's buildings, taking firearms, ammunition, and other weapons. A group of 685 convicts planned to rally at Castle Hill with about 1,000 convicts led by William Johnston. They planned to march on Parramatta and then march on Port Jackson (Sydney). The convict leaders planned to then commandeer a sailing ship and return to Ireland, the land of Guinness. The rebellion culminated in a battle at Rouse Hill, where the convicts were defeated by the British and many of them subsequently hanged. The 1978 movie Against the Wind tells the story. Rouse Hill Regional Park is pretty big. There are picnic facilities, children's playgrounds, walking tracks, a horse riding circuit, and a 1.6 km paved road for walking or cycling and such. People teach their kids how to ride a bicycle here. There are two large pavilions that can be rented for group functions. Free gas BBQ's and tank water. The main picnic area with shelters overlooks a toddlers' playground, including a maze, swings, slippery dip, and a rope bridge and a flying fox. There is a short trail to Second Ponds Creek. Open daily from 8:00 am to sunset.

More people need to know about this place! Great for family on the weekend or exercise through the…read moreweek - a lovely quiet setting with its own bush tracks, flying fox and playgrounds for the kids, a maze and plenty of picnic areas, some under cover and some not.

Beautiful area with a nice foreshore promenade and you can walk a fair distance along the…read morewaterfront. Enjoyed the walk around here with nice scenery and great on a sunny day.

A small playground over the road from Croydon station and just next to the shops. There are swings,…read morea play structure with a slide and climbing wall, and a mini swing for the mini kids. Whenever I have visited it has never been that busy unless the dance school has just been let out. There are also seats on the side with shade from the trees.

Great place to spend the weekend walking, picnics, kids playing. The only negative thing to say is…read morethe traffic and parking. Weekdays its ok but weekends it can be a nightmare.

Needed somewhere to park and have our fish n chips, so we headed down the road towards the boat…read moreramp. There are two BBQ areas with two large tables under each of the covered areas. We didn't need venture too far down the road so not sure how many more BBQs there are. There is a nice little playground for the under 5s.