Best BBQ and picnic parks in Balmain
Elkington Park is the top pick for a picnic in Balmain, with a sheltered spot on the White Horse Point foreshore, toilets and parking. Barbecues are rare: only Paringa Reserve lists them, so it's the pick for a cookout. Most of the other parks have picnic tables and a playground, so shelter, toilets and the setting do most of the separating.
Quick picks
- Family meal under cover: Elkington Park's shelter and tables suit a sit-down meal.
- Cookout: the only barbecues on this list are at Paringa Reserve, which also has a coffee kiosk.
- Lunch with a bistro: Gladstone Park has picnic tables and the bowling club's bistro in the centre.
- Harbour lawns: Mort Bay Park has large lawns, picnic tables and night lighting on the waterfront.
Elkington Park: a shelter and tables for a family meal
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Elkington Park is the pick for a sit-down family meal, with a shelter and tables on the White Horse Point foreshore. There are toilets, including disabled ones, and parking for cars. The fully fenced playground is toddler friendly, with sun shade and seats, so the grown-ups can keep watch while the little ones play. Big groups of 30 to 250 people need to book through Council's online system, while smaller picnics usually can go ahead without one. Paringa Reserve adds barbecues, while Gladstone Park and Mort Bay Park have tables but no shelter listed.
Best for: families who want a sheltered table and room for a big group
Paringa Reserve: barbecues, a shelter and a coffee kiosk
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Toilets
- Playground
Paringa Reserve is the pick for a barbecue, with barbecue facilities and a shelter on a long waterfront open space. The reserve wraps around Sommerville Point, and you can sit along the water to take in the harbour. There are toilets, a playground area and a picnic area, plus an on-site coffee kiosk if you would rather not pack a full lunch. Drinking water is on site too. No other park here lists barbecues, though Gladstone Park and Mort Bay Park both have picnic tables.
Best for: anyone who wants to barbecue by the water
Gladstone Park: picnic tables, a bistro and a shaded playground
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Gladstone Park is the pick if a picnic might turn into a meal out. It has picnic tables for eating outdoors, and the Gladstone Park Bowling Club sits in the centre of the park, with a bistro that opens Tuesday to Sunday. Toilets sit on Darling Street after a recent upgrade, and the shaded playground has soft play structures. The playground can be busy over lunch, when pupils from Balmain Primary School use it. Cars can use the spaces on Booth Street and the nearby roads. Elkington Park has the shelter, and Mort Bay Park has the harbour lawns, so the bistro is what sets Gladstone apart.
Best for: anyone who wants a bistro meal on the same outing as a picnic
Mort Bay Park: harbour lawns, picnic tables and night lighting
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Mort Bay Park is the pick for picnics on the lawn, with large lawns and trees on the harbour waterfront. Picnic tables sit on the grounds, and a promenade runs along the water for a walk after you eat. The park is open 24 hours a day, and night lighting makes evening picnics possible. A public restroom is on site. Mort Street has free street parking, but it is competitive on sunny weekends, so allow extra time.
Best for: people who want lawns on the harbour and don't mind finding parking
Vanardi Green: a shaded lawn with picnic tables
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Vanardi Green is the pick for a shaded spot on the lawn, with picnic tables set near it and tree cover over the grass. The playground and public restroom sit in the upper part of Punch Park, uphill from the lawn. There is no car park at the green, and free street parking nearby is limited. No barbecue is listed for the green.
Best for: a shady spot on the lawn for a rug and a snack
How the parks compare
By area
Every BBQ and picnic park in and near Balmain
Every park we found is in the table below, with the picks first and the rest ranked the same way.
| Park | BBQs | Shelter | Tables | Toilets | Playground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Elkington Park | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2.Paringa Reserve | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3.Gladstone Park | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 4.Mort Bay Park | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 5.Vanardi Green (Punch Park) | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 6.Ewenton Park | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| 7.Birrung Park | ✗ | – | ✓ | ✗ | – |
| 8.Ann Cashman Reserve | – | – | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Nearby, outside Balmain | |||||
| Birchgrove Park · Birchgrove | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brownlee Reserve · Birchgrove | – | – | – | – | – |
| Propeller Park · Balmain East | – | – | – | ✗ | ✗ |
| Miklouho-Maclay Park · Birchgrove | – | – | – | – | – |
How we picked
Each park was scored on barbecues, shelters, picnic tables, toilets, a playground, parking and size, and the highest scores became the picks. A park needs at least six known details to be a pick, so every section has material to work with. Unknown details appear as a dash in the table, and a dash never lowers a park's place.
FAQ
Which park in Balmain has barbecues?
Paringa Reserve has barbecue facilities, a shelter and a coffee kiosk on the waterfront. No other park on this list lists barbecues.
Which Balmain park has a shelter for a family meal?
Elkington Park has a shelter and tables for a family meal, plus toilets and disabled toilets on site. It sits on the White Horse Point foreshore, beside the Dawn Fraser Baths.
Where can I get a meal in a Balmain park?
Gladstone Park has a bistro at its bowling club, which opens Tuesday to Sunday. The club is in the centre of the park, so you can eat there without packing a picnic.