NearMeBest BBQ and picnic parks in Emu Plains
Last updatedLions Park is the best pick in Emu Plains for a BBQ and picnic, with BBQs, covered picnic tables and easy-access toilets in one spot. Regatta Park is the one to choose for free BBQs beside the Nepean River. Bunyarra Drive Reserve is the easy pick for a shaded family lunch. Each suits a different kind of visit.
Quick picks
- Best all-rounder: Lions Park puts BBQs, covered picnic tables and a children's playground in one spot.
- Free BBQs by the river: Regatta Park has two free BBQs on the Nepean River foreshore.
- Shaded family lunch: Bunyarra Drive Reserve has a steel shelter over a picnic table, with shade sails by the playspace.
Lions Park: BBQs and covered tables in one spot
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Lions Park puts BBQs among covered picnic tables, with toilets that have easy disabled access, so a whole picnic can happen in one spot. The covered tables give you shade while you eat, and a children's playground with a variety of equipment keeps the kids busy. Parking is both on the street and off it, all around the park. A walking and bike riding track runs through it, but the track is narrow with a raised edge, so passing a bike on it is hard. Compared with the other parks here, Lions Park covers the most of what a family picnic needs.
Regatta Park: free BBQs on the river
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Regatta Park has two free-to-use BBQs, one overlooking the adventure playspace and the other facing the multi-use lawn. There's no booking system, so the BBQs run first-come, first-served, and arriving early helps. Sheltered BBQ facilities and picnic tables in the pavilion area give you cover, and the pavilion also holds unisex and accessible toilets. The park sits on the Nepean River foreshore, with over-water viewing platforms, kayak launch areas and a fishing deck, so you can eat with the river in view.
Bunyarra Drive Reserve: a shaded table for a family lunch
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Playground
- Parking
Bunyarra Drive Reserve has family picnic tables, and a steel shelter with bench seats stands over one of them. The shade sail over the playspace adds more shaded seating close by, so the kids can play while the rest of the family eats. Parking is available at the reserve, easily reached from Bunyarra Drive. There are no toilets, and the reserve has no drinking water, so bring what you'll need. Expect the bin to overflow, so pack your rubbish out.
How the parks compare
By area
Every BBQ and picnic park in and near Emu Plains
The table below covers every park in the list, with a dash wherever a detail is unknown.
| Park | BBQs | Shelter | Tables | Toilets | Playground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Lions Park | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2.Regatta Park | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3.Bunyarra Drive Reserve | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 4.John Whitton Memorial Park | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| 5.Dukes Oval | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Nearby, outside Emu Plains | |||||
| Tench Reserve · Jamisontown | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clissold Park · Emu Heights | – | – | – | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pamela Parade Reserve · Leonay | – | – | – | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ladbury Avenue Reserve · Penrith | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
How we picked
We picked the parks on what a BBQ or picnic needs: the BBQs themselves, shelters and tables, toilets, a playground for the kids and the size of the park. Where we don't know a detail, the table shows a dash rather than a no, so a missing detail is never read as a missing facility.
FAQ
Which park in Emu Plains has free BBQs?
Regatta Park's BBQs cost nothing and nobody books them, so it's first-come, first-served. Sheltered BBQ facilities sit alongside them.
Can you have a BBQ at Lions Park in Emu Plains?
Yes, Lions Park's BBQs are there for use, and covered tables sit in the park too. Its public toilets have easy disabled access, which helps on a longer visit.
Is there parking at Bunyarra Drive Reserve?
Yes, Bunyarra Drive Reserve has parking at the reserve itself, easily reached from Bunyarra Drive. One picnic table sits under a steel shelter with bench seats, and there are no toilets on site.
Are there toilets at Regatta Park in Emu Plains?
Regatta Park has toilets in its pavilion, where the younger children's water play also runs. Both unisex and accessible toilets are in that building.