15 Most Beautiful Picnic Spots in Sydney

Discover Sydney’s most scenic picnic spots with our expert guide. From the beautiful harbourside views at Barangaroo Reserve to the serene landscapes of Lake Parramatta, find your perfect spot for relaxation and recreation.

Blessed with a great climate and stunning natural scenery, Sydney is the perfect city to go outside and have a picnic. With so many parks, reserves, and beaches to choose from, you’ll never run out of options on the weekends.

So, pack your picnic basket, gather the family, and travel to one of the following beautiful picnic spots and enjoy some quality outdoor time.

1. Clifton Gardens Reserve

With a lovely beach, a fenced playground, change rooms and excellent BBQ and picnic facilities, Clifton Gardens Reserve is the perfect summer picnic spot on Sydney’s lower north shore.

Clifton Gardens is also a popular dog-friendly beach, with lots of space for dogs to run around, both in the park as well as on the beach and in the water.

If you’d rather sit down in a cafe for lunch, walk to Chowder Bay around the corner, a great place to relax with a coffee and a bite at one of the kiosks or cafes.

Clifton Gardens Reserve
Facilities:	Barbecues, tables, change rooms, beach access, exercise areas, walking trails, dog-friendly.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Clifton Gardens Reserve

2. Koonjeree Picnic Area

Lane Cove National Park is home to several excellent picnic areas, but the most popular one, the Koonjeree Picnic Area, is located in the eastern part of the park in Chatswood West.

This well-sized, family-friendly picnic area has excellent facilities like BBQs, picnic tables, drinking water, a large carpark, and lots of open green space.

If you feel like hiking, the Lane Cove Riverside Circuit Walk is a fantastic 10 km long bushwalking trail along the Lane Cove River.

Koonjeree Picnic Area
Facilities:	Barbecues, tables, toilets, parking, drinking water.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Koonjeree Picnic Area

3. Wattamolla Picnic Area

Wattamolla Beach in the Royal National Park has a large picnic area with excellent facilities, such as BBQs, tables with seating, a toilet block, bins, and running water.

Situated next to the car park, the picnic area is a beautiful spot to have a break from all the swimming and hiking and enjoy a nice lunch in the great outdoors.

Be mindful that this area can fill up quickly during summer weekends, so it’s recommended to come early to enjoy a great day in Wattamolla.

Wattamolla Picnic Area
Facilities:	Barbecues, tables, toilets, parking, beach, walking trails.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Wattamolla Beach and Picnic Area

4. Ballast Point Park

Ballast Point Park is a recreational 2.6-ha park in Birchgrove on the Balmain Peninsula, where visitors can wander through Sydney’s rich history.

The park was officially opened to the public in July 2009 by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, with walking paths, a playground, barbecues, picnic areas and access for cyclists.

Ballast Point Park is located at the end of Ballast Point Road in Birchgrove, right at the very tip of the Balmain Peninsula, so the views of Sydney Harbour are magnificent.

Ballast Point Park
Facilities:	Barbecues, toilets, parking, harbour views, walking trails, dog-friendly.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Ballast Point Park

5. Glebe Foreshore

Established in 1988 to commemorate 200 years of white settlement in Australia, Bicentennial Park in Glebe is a beautiful place to enjoy a lazy afternoon.

For the best picnic spots, try the Federal Park picnic shelter or one of the benches closer to the water’s edge.

While you’re there, make sure you do (part of) the Glebe Foreshore walking trail from Bicentennial Park to Bridge Road along the shores of Rozelle Bay and Blackwattle Bay.

Glebe Foreshore
Facilities:	Picnic shelters, walking trails, parking, light rail nearby, dog-friendly.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Glebe Foreshore

6. Pirrama Park

Pirrama Park is a beautiful Harbourside green space in Pyrmont, a fantastic location to relax with a book or to have a quiet picnic with friends.

This award-winning park has a perfectly landscaped design, with flat grassy areas, a playground, public toilets, various cafes nearby, and, most importantly, excellent picnic and BBQ facilities.

The park used to be a base for the water police force before the land was purchased by the City of Sydney in 2005 who then developed it into a public park.

Pirrama Park
Facilities:	Barbecues, exercise areas, toilets, shaded areas, cafe.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Pirrama Park

7. Barangaroo Reserve

Sydney-siders have truly embraced Barangaroo Reserve as a beautiful Sydney Harbour foreshore park since its opening in 2015.

Barangaroo Reserve is a 6-hectare green space just south of the Barangaroo precinct and is home to more than 75,000 planted trees and plants native to the Sydney region.

With so many beautifully designed terraced gardens and different walking paths winding around the hill, the Barangaroo Reserve is a beautiful place for an afternoon picnic.

Barangaroo Reserve
Facilities:	Shaded areas, walking trails, parking, public transport nearby, harbour views, swimming pool.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Barangaroo Reserve

8. Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

Located right next to the Sydney CBD, the Royal Botanic Garden has been one of the world’s most important historic botanical institutions since 1816.

Pick a spot anywhere in the park and settle in for a picnic surrounded by unique plants, trees, and flowers. You certainly won’t get tired of the views, with the Harbour, Opera House, and the CBD skyline so close by.

Technically part of The Domain, Mrs Macquaries Point is a great spot for a picnic with panoramic views of the Harbour. Go there if you have visitors from overseas that you want to impress!

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Facilities:	Shaded seating, cafe, walking trails, public transport nearby, guided tours, harbour views.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

9. Bobbin Head Picnic Ground

Bobbin Head is a popular day-trip destination situated in the western section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park along the shores of Cowan Creek.

Surrounded by beautiful natural scenery, Bobbin Head offers excellent facilities, including picnic areas, gas barbecues, cafes, and playgrounds.

And with a great variety of hiking trails nearby, Bobbin Head is also the perfect spot to do a bit of bushwalking.

Bobbin Head Picnic Ground
Facilities:	Barbecues, tables, walking trails, drinking water, toilets, cafes.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Bobbin Head

10. Berry Island Reserve

Berry Island Reserve is a quiet recreational area in Wollstonecraft, home to a short bushwalking track, picnic areas, and a fenced playground.

Now a peninsula connected to the mainland of Wollstonecraft, Berry Island used to be one of Sydney Harbour’s many islands.

Dogs are also welcome in Berry Island reserve but must be on a lead. They can also join in on the Gadyan Track, a short bushwalk through the reserve.

Berry Island Reserve
Facilities:	Barbecues, playground, seating, walking trails.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Berry Island Reserve

11. Lake Parramatta Reserve

Beautiful Lake Parramatta was created as a result of the damming of Hunts Creek in 1856. The dam was decommissioned many years ago, and the lake was repurposed into a recreational area.

The area also offers excellent picnicking and BBQ facilities, a designated swimming area, playgrounds, free parking, and a small cafe.

The reserve is also home to one of Sydney’s prettiest bushwalks. The Lake Parramatta Circuit Walk is a family-friendly bushwalking trail through beautiful scenery.

Lake Parramatta Reserve
Facilities:	Barbecues, toilets, cafe, parking, walking trails, swimming area, dog-friendly.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Lake Parramatta Reserve

12. Bradfield Park

Located right under the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Kirribilli, Bradfield Park is a reasonably quiet and shaded spot for a picnic.

With Luna Park and the Olympic Pool nearby, Bradfield Park offers excellent views towards Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour.

We recommend travelling to Bradfield Park by train and getting off at Milsons Point train station. Perhaps an even better option is to catch a ferry from Circular Quay or Barangaroo and walk to Bradfield Park from Milsons Point ferry wharf.

Bradfield Park
Facilities:	Train and ferry nearby, playground, drinking water, shaded seating.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Bradfield Park

13. Yarranabbe Park

Facing Garden Island, the Sydney CBD skyline, and the Harbour Bridge, Yarranabbe Park in Darling Point is a great location to relax and unwind.

With various park benches, lots of large trees, and superb Harbour views to enjoy, Yarranabbe Park is the perfect spot for a picnic.

There are no tables, so it’s a good idea to bring a classic picnic rug with you to this fantastic park.

Yarranabbe Park
Facilities:	Shaded areas, foreshore trail, exercise areas, dog-friendly.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Yarranabbe Park

14. Robertson Park

With many picnic tables, a fenced playground, lovely views of Sydney Harbour, and many food options, Robertson Park in Watsons Bay is a perfect family-friendly spot for a picnic.

When you’re there, we strongly recommend doing the short but pretty walking trail to South Head, including the South Head Heritage Trail.

It features beautiful views of the Harbour, the city skyline, the Tasman Sea, Manly North Head, and the historic Hornby Lighthouse.

Robertson Park
Facilities:	Playground, rotunda, large grassy areas, cafes and restaurants nearby, ferry wharf.
Location:	Google Maps
More info:	Watsons Bay and Robertson Park

15. Woronora Dam Picnic Area

The Greater Sydney area is home to many historic dams, and a lot of these dams come with excellent picnic facilities.

Woronora Dam in the Sutherland Shire is one of those dams where you can visit the dam itself and enjoy two large picnic areas with tables, barbecues, and playgrounds.

The Woronora Dam wall is also open to the public, and walking across it is quite an amazing experience, with great views of the lake on one side and the gorge on the other.

Keen to discover more dams? Read our list of dams in Sydney, which includes Woronora and 11 other dams that you can visit.