We are so lucky to be blessed with so much warm weather, and so many fun ways to cool off! Apart from our beautiful beaches, there are fantastic local playgrounds with water features dotted around Sydney for more FREE fun in the sun.
Here are our top picks of fountains, splash pools and fun sprinklers your kids will love:
1. The Playground, Darling Quarter
For adventure in and out of the water, the huge children's play area at Darling Quarter Playground is an absolute must! Surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Darling Harbour, this impressive play space is a kids oasis, right in the city. The vibrant playground is a wonderland of balance ropes, giant swings, a jumbo ring, a big slide and slide hill, a flying fox, an octonet and sand pits with diggers. After tackling that terrain the kids will need to cool down, and the fabulous ‘Water Works’ aquatic play area is the place to do it. It’s a masterful maze of waterways where kids control the flow, via switches, gates, a water wheel and an Archimedes water screw! There are also pump stations and water squirts.
2. Blaxland Riverside Park, Homebush
Blaxland Riverside Park is a unique play space with a diverse range of activities and challenges for kids of all ages and abilities – and it’s home to the largest outdoor water play facility in NSW . The park boasts a double flying fox, mega-swing, tunnel slides, scramble wall, spinning play disk, Viking swing and a multi-level tree house, plus a range of spraying water fountains and jets, all spread over three hectares of parkland along the Parramatta River. With its amazing architectural equipment and bright, cheerful colours, this spectacular waterside park is a world away from your average playground.
3. Pirrama Park, Pyrmont
The award-winning, multi-million dollar Pirrama Park is one of the most thoughtfully designed parks in Sydney, and perched right on the harbour's edge. Kids have a blast immersing themselves in the aquatic play space while parents sit back and soak up the stunning surroundings. The unique adventure playground has fun water play features like sprinklers and fountains, which are a hit on a hot summer’s day. There is also a big sandpit, climbing structures, slippery dips, swings and musical play equipment to keep little adventurers entertained. There’s plenty of room to ride a bike, kick a ball or have a picnic!
4. Livvi's Place, Marsden Park
**Please note that Elara Park is currently closed due to COVID-19.
Livvi's Place Elara in Marsden Park is an expansive kids playground featuring a water play zone, a flying fox, slides, swings, climbing nets, a carousel, fun glider, trampoline loop and a basketball half-court - and a really cool bike track. Spend the whole day here in the good weather!
5. Steel Park, Marrickville
Steel Park in the inner west suburb of Marrickville has a lovely playground with equipment to suit both the little one and older children, surrounded by plenty of space, lots of grass, poplar trees providing great shade and a great view of the Cooks River. However, its Waterplay Park is still the main drawcard. The interesting series of water features include interactive fountains, jets, sprinklers and misty spray elements, designed to encapsulate the total water cycle. The 'source', 'rills' and 'estuary' features demonstrate the environmental process in action. It’s safe, creative and lots of fun.
6. Wild Play, Centennial Park
The gorgeous Ian Potter WILD PLAY Garden is a family oasis within Centennial Park with one of Sydney's best aquatic areas. Surrounded by unique rock formations, the artesian water play space has flowing jets with plenty of space for children to run through. The surrounding natural wonderland also includes a bamboo forest, Banksia Scrub tunnels, rope bridge access to a climbing tower, a cubby house with a super slide, teepees, a swamp area and dry creek beds.
7. Putney Park, Putney
Right on the waterfront, beautiful Putney Park is an expanse of lush lawn and natural wonder. The fantastic main playground boasts a huge tube slippery dip, large climbing net, lookout tower and combination equipment. Plus, it is heaven on a hot day with its large water feature – two shaded paddling pools linked by a little stream for hours of splashing fun. For the older kids, there’s another playground near the river with a huge spider rope climbing frame suspended over a big sandpit. There is also a smaller playground at the southern end of the park with equipment suitable for young children.
8. Nurragingy Reserve Water Park, Doonside
**Please note that Nurragingy Reserve is currently closed due to COVID-19.
The water play park at Nurragingy Reserve is a huge gem for kids in Sydney's west where temps can soar. This free aquatic park facility features a number of fountains, hoses and waterfalls to help you cool off while having fun in the picturesque Western Sydney Parklands. There is also a huge playground alongside the water play area, with sandstone, jarrah logs, river stones, recycled timber sleepers and shipping ropes.
9. James Ruse Reserve Water Playground, Parramatta
James Ruse Reserve has a delightful shaded water play area with a variety of interactive water features like water jets, fountains, tipping buckets and sprays. Kids of all ages will love getting into the aquatic action during the warmer months of the year.
10. Granville Water Park, Merrylands
Please note: the water playground at Granville Park is currently closed due to park upgrades and is not expected to reopen until mid 2021.
Granville Water Park is a sustainable splash park has an amazing array of fun water features which continuously collects and recycles its own water. The kids can splash about in the fountains, sprays and the synchronised tipping buckets that dump a 1600 litres flood of water every minute!
11. Cathy Freeman Park, Sydney Olympic Park
Our favourite feature of Cathy Freeman Park is the gigantic Olympic Cauldron with cascading water which the kids will love splashing in. There is a large grassy area perfect for picnics. You also have your choice of playgrounds nearby along with a variety of cafes. There is also an outdoor chessboard.
12. Blacktown Showground Precinct, Blacktown
**Please note that Blacktown Showground Water Park is currently closed due to COVID-19.
Francis Park at the Blacktown Showground Precinct has a fun waterplay zone that features a sheltered area with varying sized water troughs, a hand wheel water pump, a concrete water maze and spurts and sprays coming from all over – just perfect for the kids (and adults) on a warm, sunny day. There is also a Junior Playground for little ones featuring an activity unit, swings, a rotating ball, play tables, balance beams, rubber mushrooms and more! The Big Kids Playground boasts a Flying Fox, balance cable and beams, climbing units, slides and more.
13. Curry Reserve Water Play Park, Elderslie
Curry Reserve playground on Camden Valley Way features three play zones for all ages including a toddler zone, 36 play features including a toddler’s ‘discovery stream,’ a capacity for 176 users, shade sails covering two thirds of water play area and zero depth water. The water will be heated too so you can splash around well into the cooler months!
14. Walter Gors Park, Dee Why
A free water play park with abundant green space, Walter Gors Park in Dee Why includes playgrounds, a water gardens with streaming jets, ping pong tables, outdoor bbqs and sheltered areas to relax under. It's a popular spot for local families with ample space to run and play or picnic and relax.
15. Philip Ruddock Water Playground, Dundas Valley
The Philip Ruddock Waterpark was an initiative of Parramatta Council's ‘Cool Parramatta’ campaign to give western sydney repreive from the sweltering summer sun. Water features are integrated into fun playground equipment for hours of cooling off. There is also a playground with a fort structure, slide and some swings and nearby BBQs and picnic shelters for the whole family to enjoy.
16. Mary O’Brien Reserve, Zetland
Mary O'Brien Reserve boasts expansive lush green area for picnics and running around, two awesome age-appropriate playgrounds with lots of interweaving structures to climb and a water play area! Jets shoot water skywards on blue spongy flooring - perfect for a splash around on a hot day.
17. Plough And Harrow East, Western Sydney Parklands
Plough And Harrow East Playground has a hamster wheel, flying fox, a 5-way swing, climbing structures, pentagonal swing set, a spinning ring, little cubby house with a slide and lots of things to climb. Of course, there is also a water play area with a few pumps and turnpikes that get released into a little mini dam that kids can direct the flow of by moving the rocks around.
18. Lizard Log, Abbotsbury
Voted the number one playground in NSW and the ACT, Lizard Log is a natural wonderland with a bushland feel that encourages nature play at its finest. It has all kinds of play equipment including a double flying fox, giant swings, climbing wall and slide, sand diggers and balancing beams - all made from recycled timbers and trees that died onsite. The cool water play area has a deck with a pump where kids can watch the water cascade through a series of wooden channels down to a final waterfall created by the naturally occurring rocks and bush.
19. Taronga Zoo, Mosman
The children’s Backyard to Bush precinct at Sydney’s favourite animal sanctuary, Taronga Zoo, has some cool water play features that splashes over a sandstone frog-sculpture into a pond lined with stainless steel yabbies, ducks and lily-pads, plus pumps so that children can control the water flow through the shallow water play area. Kids can get barefoot and hop over stones embossed with dragonflies and make a big splash as water runs from pumps into troughs. The waterplay area is included in the cost of admission.
20. Werrington Lakes Playground, Werrington
After children exhaust themselves running and playing in the expansive park and multi age play equipment at Werrington Lakes Park playground, they can head over to the splashpad where jets will shoot up and soak them on a hot day. This Penrith venue is well worth a visit, boasting a duck pond and BBQ area - everything you need for a family day out.
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