Places to visit in and around Centennial Parklands NSW

The Ian Potter Children’s WILD PLAY Garden is all about discovering the wild side of life. Kids of all ages and abilities can run, jump, play and learn in a dramatic landscape. They might get lost in the wonder of nature with dry creek beds, an artesian water play area, a bamboo forest, banksia tunnels, turtle mounds and Centennial Park's first treehouse.

Sitting within a busy part of the city, the garden is the perfect spot for children to reconnect with nature when many don’t always have access to nature and the outdoors.

Rather than a 'playground' where a structure is placed onto a space to engage children in physical movement, the WILD PLAY garden is a 'play space' or an 'play ecosystem' by design. It incorporates elements from the natural environment in a way that encourages kids to test their boundaries, express themselves, practice critical thinking and engage with nature.

Not just for the kids, families can now enjoy the picnic area for birthday parties, BBQs or for playdates.

Open from 10am to 5pm each day, complete with a coffee van and amenities block, The Ian Potter Children’s WILD PLAY Garden is one of the state’s best nature play destinations.

The Guriwal Trail is a dedicated bushland site in Centennial Park that recognises the history of Aboriginal people on this land, and their connection to its diverse plant and animal life. As a place for learning and sharing Aboriginal plant uses and culture, it was developed in 1998 with the assistance of trainees from the Guriwal Aboriginal Corporation La Perouse to interpret the flora and fauna of the area.

The word Guriwal means whale, coming from the Gari Gurad (Saltwater Country) of La Perouse. Through extensive consultation the trail’s restoration began in 2016. A community volunteer program has maintained this 13,000 square metre site and corporate volunteer groups have also been involved in the restoration.

A new Aboriginal arts and culture installation unveiled in May 2021 explores the connection between plants and animals that for centuries has provided local Aboriginal people with food, medicine, resources and knowledge. Come and experience the artistic installation and virtual tour, designed by Shannon Foster, a D’harawal Saltwater Knowledge Keeper and artist.

Open all year round, the Guriwal Trail has something for everyone, from little children and school groups to families and adults.

Once a key water source for Sydney, Lachland Swamp is today a remarkable world of trees, including Broad-leaved Paperbark and many different animals, including the Grey-headed Flying-fox.

These trees thrive in a wetland environment that offers a constant supply of fresh water from an underground aquifer. Remember that the spring water smell can be pungent due to sulphuric compounds and the water looks orange from naturally occurring iron and bacteria.

Keep your eye out for the Grey-headed Flying-fox, a threatened keystone species, and the other animals living in these forests that provide soil nutrients by dispersing seeds. And at the end of the day, look skyward - after roosting in the trees each day, the bats leave the park to feed as evening falls, creating an iconic trip known by many Sydneysiders. You might also catch the spectacle of the bats skimming across the ponds as they take a drink.

Belvedere Amphitheatre on the upper slopes of Centennial Park is the place you’ll come to for key events and social gatherings. The area is a viewing terrace, and the long-grassed gully allows for vistas across the parklands, including down to the Federation Pavilion.

Come and learn about Centennial Park’s heritage value as the site chosen for the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901 - a key moment in Australia’s progression to a unified Commonwealth.

Imagine being there that day – witnessing the procession entering Centennial Park through the Paddington Gates and the ceremony in the part of the park now named Federation Valley.

The natural amphitheatre of Belvedere, surrounded by rocky ledges and grassy hills, formed an ideal gallery which allowed thousands of people to witness the inauguration ceremony alongside dignitaries.

While the pavilion of that day was temporary, the permanent memorial that marks this spot today was opened in 1988 as part of the Bicentenary celebrations.

Every Summer you can visit the Belvedere Amphitheatre to enjoy one of Sydney’s larger outdoor cinemas, Moonlight Cinema. With the stunning backdrop of Federation Valley framing the amphitheatre you can take a seat in the front rows or relax on the terraced seats with your picnic rug.

You can get to the ampitheatre from Broome Avenue. Public transport is encouraged for ticketed events.

Pine Grove is an enchanting, fairy-tale-like landscape, perfect for a wedding. A dense cluster of pine trees behind the Parade Grounds causes sunlight to dance gracefully on the forest floor. These pines were planted as a school project on Arbor Day in 1967.

When you enter the grove, you may feel a real sense of calm from the trees. You’re not only surrounded by a grove of beautiful pine trees, you have the feeling you're a million miles from anywhere.

This ia a beautiful place to practice mindfulness and forest bathing meditation, which is offered at Centennial Park as a ticketed and guided Forest Bathing Walk - Shinrin Yoku at several times throughout the year.

Access Pine Grove off Lock Avenue.

Moore Park was once a series of gently rolling hills, 3 water bodies and varied scrub vegetation. Commonly known as the Sand Hills, the land was prone to erosion.

By the mid 19th century, the land was degraded and barren, with the erosion so bad that work was undertaken to stabilise the soils with plantings of indigenous shrubs and couch grass. The shrubs failed, but the couch grass succeeded, sparking discussion about the loss of native vegetation in the area.

Today Mount Steel is the least altered of the 4 historic sand hills and remains a remarkable hidden gem of Centennial Parklands.

From the top of Mount Steel, you can take in a 360-degree view of the Sydney city skyline. Sit and watch the sunset over the city from park benches, or bring a picnic blanket and toast to Sydney as the sun goes down.

Access Mount Steel from Cleveland Street or public transport stops on Anzac Parade.

The ever-changing beauty and wonder of Duck Pond is something to discover, no matter what time of the year. Duck Pond has abundant bird life and is a popular spot for bird watching. The Wetlands' Interpretive Maze is located along the northern edge of Duck Pond.

This short, interpretive walk uses signage and artwork to provide information about the ponds system in Centennial Parklands and the issues faced by stormwater pollution. The boardwalk over Duck Pond is a perfect vantage point for looking for eels, ducks and other waterfowl.

The Duck Pond features more than 15 species of waterbirds.

One More Short Pond sits just off Musgrave Avenue. This tiny pond, fringed with willow trees and fed by water from Musgrave Pond, is best enjoyed at sunrise – especially if there’s a little fog, as you’ll see an amazing exposure of light filtering through the Plane trees, Swamp Cypress and Weeping Willows.

This pond gets its name from a marble statue of a hunter named ‘One More Shot’, that could once be found atop a concrete plinth by the pond. While the statue was removed in 1970 due to damage, the name stuck. This was one of 31 statues located throughout the park.

Centennial Park’s Rose Garden features hundreds of gorgeous roses, making it a popular spot for visitors, weddings and picnics. What we see today grew from the first planting of a Rosarium on this site in 1909, with subsequent plantings creating a popular space for visitors.

The Rose Garden’s design and aesthetics drew from the tradition of park design of that time, with ornamental plantings and garden beds strategically placed around the northern shores of the main lakes, and along the central zone roadways.

Lily Pond is fed by a natural, underground spring in Lachlan Swamp, making its waters clearer than other ponds in the Parklands.

The pond also features masses of lilies within and around its edges, making it one of the most photographed areas of Centennial Park. You can also see a small island, vegetated with papyrus, which provides habitat for purple swamphens, black swans and the clamorous reed warbler.

Lily Pond is one of the most popular wedding photography locations in the Parklands. Happy couples tend to use the area in Autumn and Spring as the softer afternoon sun gives the lilies and surrounding trees a healthy glow.

This timber pedestrian bridge over Lily Pond, built in the 1890s, forms an iconic image of Centennial Park and is a popular backdrop for many wedding photos.

At the Lily Pond, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus), an outstanding Australian native songbird that makes its nest in the papyrus during spring. This brown, plain little bird is hard to see – you need binoculars – but you may spot it in the stands of papyrus. Listen for the call first – this little bird makes one of the best songs in the park.