Victoria Park

Great park in the middle of the city and a stone’s throw fro km Sydney Uni.
It’s got a lot of great play equipment for kids, a basketball court for shooting hoops and a large duck pond to sit by and ponder about the world.
There is also a pool and gym complex in the middle which is a bit steep for a single visit but well priced if you join as a member.
The only downside is that the huge grassy area gets easily water logged and becomes a muddy mess because local frisbee teams (yep you read right) play there rain, hail or shine tearing up the surface.
There are plenty of other grass areas so it isn’t too big of a deal but the council should really put in better drainage on the big area.
There are events held at the park on the odd occasion too which are always worth a look.

A peaceful sanctuary with a buzz of activity.
Love to see swans in the lake. The chalk drawings last week were also great to see, as well as a hopscotch drawing.
Great for picnics, studying, walking and bike riding.
Good kids playground with a basketball ring to shoot some hoops in.

Sydney University’s stately front yard, Victoria Park, used to be a bit dodgy. You could get mugged here, or just stared at really hard by a bunch of confused goths. Lately, though, it feels quite safe, and a bit «Clover», dare I say it. There’s a bush tucker café, the duck pond doesn’t look half as algae filled as it used to, and the vegetation is lush. Also, the ibis numbers appear to be down, of late. Total plus.
Most importantly, Victoria Park has a flying fox. This is in addition to other thrilling, inventive play equipment. There’s a climbing rope pyramid, a spinning satellite disk, and did I mention the large flying fox? So, so good. Perfect for breaking the ice on awkward first dates, right? Not that I have ever done such a thing.
As far as play equipment goes, Vic Park’s variety is not as fancy as the new Darling Quarter hoo-​ha, but it’s also not as crowded as DQ. There are not hundreds of children here, just a mere handful. They’re easily shoved out of the way by overly zealous adults trying to have their fifth ride on the flying fox.
Alright, alright, if pushing children off play equipment isn’t your idea of a good time, it’s ok, If you go to Victoria Park at night, you’re set. You might have a bit of competition with some teenagers drinking whatever the equivalent of Stolis is these days, but generally speaking, no one looks at you weirdly for being a full grown adult clambering onto things. This is because all the other people there are also adults, clambering onto things … and each other. Honestly, this review really wasn’t meant to sound so wrong. I don’t know what happened.
ps — There is also a swimming pool in the middle of this park… which i am not reviewing. yet.

Summer in Sydney is all about the park life; everyone is looking for a little bit of green space to soak in the sun and host a few friendly ciders on a Saturday afternoon.
Victoria Park is perfect for just that! It’s a juxtaposition of Sydney Uni kids, Newtownians, Glebe goers, and city-​siders, making it the perfect park for people watching and sight-​seeing. The beautiful buildings of Syd Uni form one side, the bustle of Broadway and the beginning of the city forms another, the cobblestones of Glebe Road wave from afar and beautiful lakes with cute and totally impractical bridge crossings are threaded throughout. It’s lovely, really lovely.
While it doesn’t rival Hyde in size, it definitely has more of an inclusive, relaxed feeling; it’s the type of park you’d want to picnic in, not just eat takeaway Thai.
OH! And there’s a public, outdoor pool — YES! — that’s somewhere near the middle, too! $ 5.20. for an all-​day cityscape.
Only downside is that there aren’t nearly as many trees as people, so during steamy summer days, bring an umbrella!

While I was living in New York City, world-​famous Central Park would be my getaway from the city. It represented a tranquility I couldn’t find anywhere else in Manhattan. ‘Twas a place where I could read a book for hours, undisturbed. Victoria Park is, for me, Sydney’s answer to Central Park, albeit much, MUCH tinier. The location is convenient for those who live in the Inner West, as it’s right by Sydney Uni, the Broadway Shopping Centre, and Paramatta Road. Unfortunately, that means that you can hear a constant drone from the busy streets that surround the park. But don’t let that deter you from a stroll in the park; it is still a place to get away from it all. Whenever I walk home from the CBD, I stop here for several minutes to watch the carefree water foul that splash in the lakes. If you want to lounge around, there are a variety of lush trees here that offer plenty of shade if you want to lie in the grass.
Make sure to head to the South entrance of the park. There is a totem pole carved in the style of the indigenous peoples of Pacific Canada. It was a given as a gift from Canada to the city of Sydney. If swimming interests you, there’s also a public pool in the middle of the park called, surprisingly, the Victoria Park Pool.

Sydney is a magnificent city made more special by the fact that it has wildlife and greenery within the urban sprawl. Victoria Park is a brilliant example of this.
On a warm summer day, I recently grabbed myself some take away lunch and ventured into the park to enjoy. In case you are now dying with curiosity (I’m sure you’re not), I got a Vietnamese sandwich from Little Devil Cakes and a refreshing drink from Happy Lemon, both solid, nearby choices. I plopped down on a sunny patch of grass directly in front of the duck pond. Although I was facing the busy Paramatta and Glebe Point thoroughfares, the duck pond provided a sense of calm and tranquility that I didn’t expect to find. I marveled at the wildlife in the pond for quite sometime. Most intriguing were the teeny tiny, scampery, silly little ducklings and the malicious water eel. There is park life besides the duck pond however, and quite a lot of it at that. There are flower gardens that suggest royalty and a jungle gym with the coolest new climby and whirly devices I’ve ever seen. It’s clear that the park’s creators spared no details. Victoria Park is large enough to lose yourself, but not large enough to actually get lost. And jam packed right in the middle of the city’s busyness, this is a welcome relief.

On my right is Parramatta Rd– one of the busiest, most congested streets in Sydney. On my left is a pretty little pond complete with lilypads and ducklings. Do ducks ever grow up? Becase there seem to be eternal ducklings in this and a few other prime ponds in Sydney town.
The proximity of the afore-​mentioned Parramatta Rd and the OTHER busiest, most congested street in Sydney– City Rd/​King St– mean that you can never escape the dull roar of traffic when enjoying the quasi-​tranquility of Victoria Park– but it is still a delightful place to wander around; lay in the sun; knock back a sneaky longneck or engage in other such park-​related activities.

Victoria Park is a beautiful spot to take time out if you’ve been shopping in Newtown or along Broadway. Sitting beside the University of Sydney and just opposite Glebe Point Road, you’ll find it in the spot where City Road meets the Great Western Highway. Its focal point is Lake Northam, a lovely lake full of waterbirds and waterlilies. You’ll usually see a bunch of uni students taking a break around the banks or under the beautiful old trees. Another point of interest is the heritage sandstone gardener’s cottage, which sits on the outskirts of the park alongside City Road.
Victoria Park Pool is open all year round and has a bunch of different facilities like a 50-​metre pool, kids’ wading pool and a gym for those with a bit of energy to burn. Personally, I’d rather be lazy. I come here some sunny weekend afternoons with a book and an iPod (to block out the city traffic!).

Be careful in Victoria Park. I don’t warn you against muggers or rabid avian life (although you should always be on the watch for things like this). Rather, that this park positively freezes on winter days. If you should be so lucky as to have the sun shine on your shoulders it can be pleasant, but this is definitely a summer place. Wide open spaces, a semi-​large pond, a smattering of trees: the very things that make it a great park also help the wind whip around, so be aware. You may get picked up off your feet or assailed by tough rain. Tough, mean rain.
In the special season, Victoria Park is a great place to spend an afternoon, lounging on the grass by the pond and soaking up some rays. Children and immature adults like me have access to some pretty nifty play equipment (I really want to climb on the rope ball at night and pretend to be Spider-​Man; there, I said it). For animal lovers, there is a stalwart duck population who are always happy to receive a little food. (For what it’s worth, I’m not sure if you’re allowed to feed the ducks. .. but you’d have to be pretty heartless not to want to).

In the Summer time when the weather is fine, there are certain things that become interesting, certain activities that enter the common mind and say, «Do me!» That’s the activities that are saying that.
One of those things is spending time outdoors, a great place to perform this new and exciting activity, this outdoor spending is Victoria Park, with its fountains and water features, expansive grassed areas, ideal for kicking a soccer ball around, throwing a frisbee, an escape from Sydney University, a place for studying under tiger stripes of afternoon sun.
Directly opposite Broadway shopping centre, and right on the edge of Glebe, Newtown and Chippendale, if may not find itself right at the heart of the City, but perhaps in the right shoulder. Just an eight and a half minute walk from Central Station.
The park offers many benefits such as fresh air and activity, possibility for picnics, sport and study. Serene surroundings suitable for people from all walks of life and throughout the year plays host to a number of different events both official and impromptu.
The downside of course being that it is situated right between two very busy roads, City Road which leads to King Street Newtown and of course Broadway Road which turns into Parramatta Road, thus the noise at certain times and depending on your proximity in the park to its outskirts may cause mild irritation if you’re that way inclined.
The park also houses the Victoria Park Swimming Pool.

Adult-​sized play equipment? Yes please!
I’m not sure if the flying fox at Victoria Park was meant to accommodate adults as well, but I can tell you that after many test-​drives, it is perfect for little kids in big kid bodies. In fact, whenever I’ve gone to the park I’ve seen just as many adults as children lining up to ride the 15 (or so) meter long flying fox.
Yes, the park does have other nice features. For instance, it’s always beautiful and green, it hosts Victoria Park Swimming Pool, it’s full of huge old trees and has a pretty fountain/​pond full of lilypads and ducklings. And yet, these barely seem worthy of mention when you’re talking about adult-​sized play equipment. Thank you City of Sydney, for tailoring to the Peter Pan in all of us.