Parsley Bay Reserve, Beach & New Inclusive Playground

For one of the most idyllic park-playground-beach combos in the East, look no further than Parsley Bay in Vaucluse—excellent for avoiding the crowds, peace and quiet, safe baby and toddler swimming and finding shade on a hot day.

In August 2019 the playground was upgraded as part of its Everyone Can Play program, to build an all ages and abilities place where everybody is welcome to play.

The Location

Hidden halfway up a residential street and down a steep lane lies one of the best-kept secrets in the Eastern Suburbs. The absolutely stunning Parsley Bay Reserve is a park, a beach, a bushland walk, and a great kids playground all in one. Being a bit off the beaten track and limited parking at the reserve itself keeps this glorious space clear of the masses.

Image: PlacesToGo

The large flat grassy and dog free reserve slopes gently on to a beautiful clean flat beach then into the most perfect wave-less shallow bay with protected swimming area which makes this reserve an ideal safe relaxing play spot for your little ones. The reserve is ringed completely by large trees so you’ll always be able to find good shade at any time of the day.

The Facilities

There are no BBQ’s but plentiful picnic tables under the trees making it an ideal venue for your kids birthday party, as well as public toilets with showers and a kiosk for drinks, coffee, sandwiches and snacks.

The new inclusive Parsley Bay Playground is excellent for the under 5s, with good easy climbing for toddlers; it's partly shaded with trees, and dogs are prohibited. For older kids there's a challenging rope tunnel, elevated pathway, traditional net ladder, springers and softfall. The accessible elements include a double swing with pod seat allowing for both seated and lying positions and easy transfer from a wheelchair, and a carousel with wheelchair access offering all children the liberating experience of dynamic movement.

We love the water dragon carved stone sculpture which is a nod to the Japanese heritage of this part of Sydney Harbour. Did you know there was Japanese Antarctic Expedition in 1911 that had to make a detour and ended up setting up camp at Parsley Bay Reserve?

During weekends and school holidays, the reserve is at it’s busiest, but never busy enough that you can’t find a good patch of space to call your own! See you there...

More Playground-Related Reads Here: 

• We Love Riverside Park Playground
• It's Official! This Is The Best Playground in NSW
• Six Of The Best New Playgrounds in Sydney

 

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Playground images via Woollahra Municipal Council