If you have kids (like us), and live in an apartment (like us, again), you’ll find it necessary to go out to the playground to let the kids spend some time outside and let off some steam. We are very fortunate that Sydney has a plethora of playgrounds and some amazing ones at that!
The ones we tend to frequent the most is not surprisingly the ones closest to where we live but we’ve been known to head a bit further afield too. It’s just so easy to get to the closest one first thing in the morning to maximise the time we spend outside – the kids get some morning sun (vitamin D, y’all), we don’t have to deal with traffic and there are less people around too!
That said, there are playgrounds and then, there are amazing playgrounds! Here are our favourite in the inner west, ones where you might bump into us if you visit too!
Darling Harbour Playground
My kids love this playground especially so in the warmer months because of the expansive water play area. I’ve been taking them to the Darling Harbour playground since they were just babies as it’s a nice short walk from home but also easily accessible by public transport.
For me, I love that the playground is suitable for all ages. Both my kids always seem to find something to do and they never ever get bored! In fact, they never want to leave – it’s always so hard to tell them it’s time to go! The array of cafes and restaurants means that even though, I tend to get something on the go, I’m have a plethora of places to pick from!
I like to make a day out of it by taking the kids to either SeaLife Sydney Aquarium, Wild Life Sydney Zoo or Madame Tussauds (or even all 3) and then head to Darling Harbour for lunch. When the kids were younger, I would pack lunch and snacks for them for the day out but now, they sometimes get a McDonalds’ treat whenever we head there.
For a less strenuous day, if you plan your trip on a Monday, Monkey Baa Theatre just opposite the playground runs a playgroup during term time from 9.30-11.30am which I think is fabulous way to add another activity to your day.
Light Rail stop: Exhibition Centre
Jubilee Park, Glebe
The major drawcard for us with this playground is the fact that there are one playground at each end. It’s the best way to keep the kids happy, you start at one playground on one end and then, go scooting/running to the other end and you end up at the other playground.
The playgrounds are located on the Chapman Road and Federal Road ends so we would usually park on either end and proceed from there. You have various paths to pick from between the playgrounds so have your pick and what we do is Ryan would run alongside Baz while he scoot while I take Elli on a little walk. I can’t wait for the day that Elli is a pro on the scooter and we can all scoot/run together!
If you don’t feel like driving, you can also catch the Light Rail there and Tramsheds is also around the corner so you can always catch a bite to eat before heading home.
Light Rail stop: Jubilee Park
Pirrama Park, Pyrmont
This is our local playground and we love it! There are so may good things about this park! The water play, the sandpit and a walking track around Pyrmont Bay that takes you right to Darling Harbour.
Elli’s favourite bit of Pirrama Park is definitely the slide. She loves toddling her way up the sandstone steps and then looking at the view from up top before sliding down. There is also a little tunnel underneath the slide where we love to play Peekaboo.
Baz loves the climbing frame and he’s still working on getting all the way up to the top!
So there you go, our favourite 3 playgrounds in our area. I hope you find them helpful and maybe I might see you there!