We’ve been taking advantage of the beautiful weather lately and recently checked out three of Sydney’s harbour parks – all are wheelchair accessible. Parks with an accessible walk, views of the Sydney Harbour and one with a playground, with a wheelchair accessible carousel, seemed worth a look.
Although the three parks are close to the city they provide a peaceful place to picnic and watch the water traffic go by.
SYDNEY HARBOUR PARKS
PIRRAMA PARK
The City of Sydney has done a great job of making this into a lovely parkland for locals and visitors. We loved the wide level paths which skirt the harbour, the trees providing shade, bbqs and the view.
The majority of the walkways are concrete paths but there are some boardwalks.
PLAYGROUND
The playground at Pirrama Park was clearly the draw-card for families with young children. It is lovely but I wish a few more accessible features had been included and more consideration had been given to access.
The wheelchair accessible carousel was popular with the kids in the park.
There is a café/kiosk with snacks, ice creams and sandwiches.
There are accessible bathroom facilities and disabled street parking.
If you’d like to read more about the park head to the City of Sydney website.
BARANGAROO PARK
Barangaroo is a new area in Sydney but with its harbour location and view of the Harbour Bridge it is already proving popular. We were impressed with the level paths and lift to the upper level of the park (yes, you read right). We visited on a 30 degree day so we were grateful for the shade of the established trees which have been planted. It will be wonderful when the trees grow because it definitely needs more shade on hot summer’s days.
The harbour provides great entertainment for a picnic lunch as there is a non-stop boating traffic to watch. There is an accessible bathroom facility near the lifts and disabled parking spaces on the street.
There is more information about Barangaroo on the website here.
NIELSEN PARK, VAUCLUSE
We had a lovely picnic at Nielsen Park over the Easter long weekend. Nielsen Park has a small netted beach, parkland which BJ approved of for soccer and a kiosk.
The beach has a concrete ramp at one end and the sand section is narrow so as far as beaches go it is an easier one. We all know that sand is a wheelchair’s enemy but this beach would be great for younger children who can walk with assistance or are light enough to still be carried down to the water’s edge.
We played card games and had our picnic lunch enjoying the view of Sydney Harbour.
After lunch we headed to the parkland where the soccer ball couldn’t find its way into the water! I was seen running after it many a time before we moved to the more open parkland.
The kiosk has eat in or take away meals. There is table service so even though there are stair into the inside dining there are plenty of tables outside which would suit a wheelchair user. In summer the kiosk is open in the early evening.
There is a large disabled bathroom facility which includes a toilet and shower change area. This is close to the beach and requires a MLAK key so remember to take yours with you.
There is disabled street parking near the entrance to the park. The strange thing about this parking is that it is rear to curb and there is a drop behind the parking. It is the only draw back we found to this park.
More information about Nielsen Park can be found on the NSW National Parks website.
So, there are three parks for you to try sometime. Each one has good access and lovely views. We are really very lucky to live in such a beautiful city.
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