Best BBQ and picnic parks in Bankstown
Bankstown City Gardens is the top pick for a BBQ or picnic here, because it has barbecues, picnic tables and shelters, and it stays open 24 hours. What separates the BBQ and picnic parks in Bankstown is when you can use them and how much cover you get. Paul Keating Park brings shade and step-free access, and Ruse Park offers a covered shelter on open fields.
Quick picks
- Evening barbecues: Bankstown City Gardens has barbecues, and the park is open 24 hours for a late meal.
- Step-free and shaded: Paul Keating Park has level paths to its accessible picnic area and shaded spots to sit in.
- Covered and roomy: Ruse Park has a midsized shelter set among its wide green fields.
Bankstown City Gardens for barbecues into the evening
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Bankstown City Gardens is the pick for a barbecue that runs into the evening, because it stays open 24 hours. A group can cook, eat and sit under cover in one visit, because the barbecues, tables and shelters are all in the gardens. Toilets are on site, and the gardens include a Changing Places facility with a shower, which no other Bankstown pick here mentions. The setting is well-maintained landscape with a calm, garden-style atmosphere, and seating lets families and groups eat and relax together. Parking includes a wheelchair-accessible car park, and arriving early beats the crowds.
Best for: Evening barbecues and a full picnic set-up in one spot
Paul Keating Park for shade and step-free picnics
- BBQs
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Paul Keating Park is the pick for a step-free barbecue, because its accessible picnic area is reached on level paths. Barbecue facilities and picnic tables are open to the public, and shaded spots with new seating give you a break from the sun. Level pathways run through the park, so wheelchair users, prams and people with mobility aids can get to the picnic area without any steps. Its amenities block has accessible toilets, although access may be limited at weekends. The gardens have picnic shelters that this park doesn't list, but its paths are the easier route in. Bankstown Station is close by, and street parking runs along both sides of Rossmore Road at all hours.
Best for: Step-free barbecues and picnics in the shade
Ruse Park for a covered shelter on open fields
- Covered shelter
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Ruse Park is the pick for a covered picnic with room to spread out, because its midsized shelter sits among wide green fields. Under the shelter, platform seating gives a group somewhere to sit for a meal. The park is the largest of the Bankstown parks here, and its miniature train adds something for the children. Barbecues aren't confirmed here, so a barbecue reader should plan around that. Toilets are there, but one is normally locked and their condition varies. Parking is at the Stacey Street South entrance and inside the ground.
Best for: A covered shelter, open fields and a miniature train
How the parks compare
By area
Every BBQ and picnic park in and near Bankstown
Below, the parks line up on barbecues, shelters, toilets and tables, and a dash marks any detail we couldn't confirm.
| Park | BBQs | Shelter | Tables | Toilets | Playground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Bankstown City Gardens | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2.Paul Keating Park | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3.Ruse Park | – | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| 4.McLeod Reserve | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| 5.Alice Park | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Nearby, outside Bankstown | |||||
| Gazzard Park · Yagoona | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mount Lewis Park · Mount Lewis | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Salmon Reserve · Punchbowl | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Greenacre Heights Reserve · Greenacre | – | – | – | – | – |
How we picked
We compared BBQs, shelters, tables, toilets, a playground for the kids and size, and weighed barbecues, shelters and toilets most. A park needed enough known details to fill its own section, so Alice Park and McLeod Reserve sit in the table only: each has seating or grass for a picnic, but neither confirms a barbecue, shelter or picnic table. For a nearby alternative, Gazzard Park in Yagoona sits 1.41 km away. Unconfirmed details show as a dash in the table, so a dash doesn't rule anything out.
FAQ
Where can I have a BBQ in Bankstown?
Bankstown City Gardens and Paul Keating Park both have barbecues, with picnic tables at each. The gardens are open 24 hours, so you can cook late, while Paul Keating Park has shaded spots and level paths to its picnic area.
Which Bankstown park has a picnic shelter?
Bankstown City Gardens and Ruse Park both have shelters. Only the gardens list barbecues alongside their shelters, while Ruse Park's midsized shelter sits among wide green fields.
Where can I park for a picnic at Paul Keating Park?
Street parking is the option at Paul Keating Park, with spaces on both sides of Rossmore Road at all hours. No designated accessible spot sits directly beside the park.
Can I picnic near a playground in Bankstown?
Yes, Ruse Park, Paul Keating Park and Bankstown City Gardens each have a playground, so families can picnic at any of them. Paul Keating Park's play space also has shaded seats inside it.