A treasure playground up north
I remembered there was a park near here when I was looking up a skate park a while back. The weather was really nice today, so I went to check it out. As soon as I got to the playground I thought, this playground is so new! Right next to it there’s a huge dog park, and there’s also a small car park.
As soon as you walk in you see a really big slide, and right next to it is the swing set. To the left of the park are the climbing structures, there’s a flying fox and one other piece of equipment I honestly couldn’t figure out what it was. Inside the park there’s also a small area with some instruments you can bang on to make sound.
I think this park has a pretty complete range of things to play on. The walkway through the middle is also nice and wide, good for scooters, and when it’s not busy you could probably ride a bike through there too. Today was a Friday and I got there around 1pm, and there were only two other mums with very young babies around. I’m thinking of going back tomorrow afternoon to see if it gets busier on the weekend.
Today I discovered a treasure playground. This park has a huge amount of space and a really rich mix of things to do. Lots of parking so you don’t have to worry about finding a spot. On a big weekend it wasn’t crowded at all, not busy in the slightest.
There’s a big lawn for walking the dog, right beside the playground. There’s a path around the outside of the lawn made for riding, really good for practicing riding a bike or a scooter. Inside the playground there’s a slide, and underneath the slide there’s a little wooden shop where kids can play pretend. There’s the swing set, equipment for banging out music, a balance beam for practicing balance, a speaking tube, a climbing dome, a slide tunnel. There’s seating and shade structures, it really has everything. There are also various ball courts, plus the skate park.
The slide, the swings, all the play equipment, it’s incredibly complete. Both little babies and older kids can play here, it really considers the needs of every age group, which is really nice.
The dog park and the sports side
Lionel Watts Reserve is in Frenchs Forest, strictly speaking not quite “north” in the way some people mean it, but drive there and right next to it is a huge football field. The dog park is fenced, and big dogs and small dogs have separate areas. Even though they’re separated, basically all the dogs end up in the big dog area, and it’s all very harmonious.
Outside the fence there’s a loop of asphalt path, great whether you’re running or riding a bike. There’s also a basketball court and a skate park for anyone who wants to be active.
Toilets and parking
You can use the toilets at the football club. Parking is super easy, there are lots of car parks on both sides of the reserve. Even when we went and there was a football game on, we still found a spot really easily, and it’s not time limited either.
Why we keep coming back
Another mum said she dreads figuring out where to take the kids every weekend, and this one, Lionel Watts Reserve in Sydney’s north, solved that for her. A playground where you can walk the dog, walk the kids, and ride a bike, it’s honestly a great spot for all of it.
The location is great too, close to Glenrose Shopping Centre and Glen Street Theatre and the library, so plenty of people swing by here after finishing up shopping nearby.
There are two car parks. One is right next to the showground area, just on the right after the Pringle Avenue roundabout, and you can usually find a spot there quickly. The other one is bigger, running alongside the sports field parallel to Blackbutts Road, and if it’s a busy weekend that one’s your best bet.
Right past the main entrance there’s a lot of play equipment, including a flying fox, plenty of different swings for all ages, climbing frames, and a fun instrument area where kids can bang away for ages, plus some public art.
There are accessible family toilets, a barbecue area, and picnic spots. Bring the kids for a barbecue while they play nearby, chat away while you cook. The picnic area is lovely too, surrounded by trees, so once the kids have worn themselves out there’s shade to sit and eat under.
Across from the sports field there’s the skate park where the bigger kids can go all out, and next to the oval there’s the dog park too, so sometimes we bring the dog along while the kids ride their trikes or bikes around nearby.
On the weekend you can bring the kids here for a game, a picnic, and general playing around, it covers everything, and it’s genuinely great for burning off their energy.
Nearby food and shops
Ten minutes’ walk, or under two minutes’ drive, from the park there’s a well known local bakery selling pastries, bread and pastry cases that are genuinely good, a spot called Taste Baguette in the Glenrose Village shopping centre. I should flag this one: the notes I was working from named a different bakery, but that particular chain is actually based over in Freshwater, nowhere near this park, so I’ve swapped in the bakery that’s genuinely right there at Glenrose.
A five minute drive gets you to a small shopping centre with McDonald’s, Woolworths, Aldi and a few small eateries.
Ten minutes further out is Forestville Centre, home to a couple of cafes locals have been talking about lately, Brewscape Cafe and Tilt Cafe.
Further north is Warringah Mall. Further south is Chatswood.
For me, the most important thing when I take the kids out is whether there’s a cafe nearby, ha! A treasure park has to have one. I checked along the way, and less than 7 minutes’ walk following the map, there’s a library, a cafe, and Glenrose Village. There’s a supermarket, there are restaurants, it really covers every need you’d have taking the kids out. We had Japanese food and headed home completely satisfied.
A genuinely relaxing spot to take the kids. Highly recommend it.
Planning your visit
If you’re mapping out things to do these holidays, Lionel Watts Reserve is worth building a whole morning around rather than a quick stop — pair it with a coffee run and you’ve got a half-day sorted with almost no planning. Sydney’s northern beaches area has a good run of parks like this one, so if you liked the mix of dog park, skate park and full-scale playground here, it’s worth browsing our Playgrounds reviews for more spots nearby, or checking our directory of things to do with kids to filter by suburb and category. And if you’re timing the trip around the next break, our NSW school holidays and term dates page has the exact dates so you can plan around the crowds.