Best BBQ and picnic parks in Carlingford
John Wearn Reserve is the top pick for a barbecue in Carlingford, because its free barbecues sit under undercover tables and picnic shelters. The other parks offer a different mix. North Rocks Park has barbecues with a toilet beside one, while Little Ray Park has picnic shelters but no public toilets. Pick by what you need to bring.
Quick picks
- Free barbecues: John Wearn Reserve offers them at no cost, alongside picnic shelters.
- Barbecue and toilet together: North Rocks Park pairs a barbecue with a public toilet beside it.
- Shelter without toilets: Little Ray Park has picnic shelters, but no public toilets.
- Accessible seating: Edwin Ross Reserve has accessible picnic settings and picnic shelters.
John Wearn Reserve: free barbecues under cover
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
At John Wearn Reserve the barbecues cost nothing, and you can cook and eat under cover. Toilets with baby change sit beside the playground, and a car park on Balaka Drive gives access to the park. It's a district park at 2.39 hectares, with more room to spread out than most of the smaller reserves nearby. Shelter, toilets and parking are all in the same park, so the whole visit can happen in one place.
Best for: Best for a free barbecue with cover
North Rocks Park: a barbecue beside a toilet
- BBQs
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
North Rocks Park offers picnic tables in its picnic areas, plus barbecues. The barbecue closest to the playspace has a public toilet beside it, so that's the spot to choose with small children. The park is a large recreational precinct on North Rocks Road, in the same grounds as two sports fields, tennis courts and cricket nets. The car park is entered from North Rocks Road.
Best for: Best for cooking while small children stay in the fence
Little Ray Park: picnic shelters and open space
- Covered shelter
- Playground
- Parking
Little Ray Park has picnic shelters and a flat 230-metre circular track for riding and scooting. A circuit runs past an oval and grassed areas, giving picnic blankets room to spread. It has no public toilets, and no barbecue is listed, so bring what you need. It is rated 4.4 on Google (156 ratings). Avonlea Drive is the best bet for a car.
Best for: Best for a shaded lunch with room to spread out
Edwin Ross Reserve: accessible picnic settings
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Playground
Edwin Ross Reserve has picnic shelters, accessible picnic settings and picnic tables on the corner of Keeler Street and Barellan Avenue. It's the pick when someone in the group needs an accessible seat. The reserve is small, and a partly fenced playground with swings and a slide sits in the same space. A multi-use sports space and a sports court are there too, so older children have somewhere else to go while you eat.
Best for: Best for an easy-to-reach seat
How the parks compare
By area
Every BBQ and picnic park in and near Carlingford
The table lists every Carlingford park we have, ranked by fit, with the nearby parks listed below the main group.
| Park | BBQs | Shelter | Tables | Toilets | Playground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.John Wearn Reserve | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2.North Rocks Park | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3.Little Ray Park | – | ✓ | – | ✗ | ✓ |
| 4.Edwin Ross Reserve | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| 5.Kilpack Park | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| 6.Larry Bolitho Reserve | – | – | – | ✗ | ✓ |
| 7.Galaringi Reserve | – | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Nearby, outside Carlingford | |||||
| West Epping Park · Epping | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Loftus Square Park · Epping | – | – | – | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mobbs Lane Reserve · Epping | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Yanung Reserve · Beecroft | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
How we picked
We compared each park on its barbecues, picnic shelters and tables, toilets, a playground for the kids, the setting, shade, whether you can book, and how busy it gets. A park with a barbecue, shelter or table scores higher, and parks with more known details rank above those with fewer. A dash means we have no record of that detail yet.
FAQ
Which park in Carlingford has free BBQs?
John Wearn Reserve's barbecues cost nothing, and the tables under them are covered. Toilets with baby change are beside its playground.
Is there a toilet near the BBQ at North Rocks Park?
Yes, one of the North Rocks Park barbecues sits inside the fenced playspace, with a public toilet beside it. The toilet is part of the same park, so you don't need to leave the grounds.
Where can I eat under cover in Carlingford?
Edwin Ross Reserve and Little Ray Park both have picnic shelters. John Wearn Reserve has picnic shelters over its undercover tables, and it is the only one of the three with a barbecue under the same cover.
Does Little Ray Park have toilets?
No, Little Ray Park has no public toilets, and no barbecue is listed for it. Its picnic shelters and open space are the main reasons to go there.