Best BBQ and picnic parks in Riverwood
Rotary Park is the best place in Riverwood to cook and eat outdoors, with free electric barbecues, picnic tables and sheltered seating. Salt Pan Creek Reserve suits a quieter meal by the water, and Kentucky Road Reserve is the one for sheltered seating near sports fields. What separates these parks is how much else each one offers, and how busy it gets.
Quick picks
- A free barbecue: Rotary Park, with free electric barbecues and picnic tables.
- A barbecue by the water: Salt Pan Creek Reserve, with BBQ facilities and a mangrove boardwalk to walk afterwards.
- A picnic with a kick-around: Kentucky Road Reserve, with sheltered seating, a playground and sports fields.
Rotary Park for free barbecues and a shaded picnic
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Rotary Park is the choice when you want to cook without paying for it, because its electric barbecues are free and work on a first come, first served basis. You generally won't need a booking for them, which makes a spur-of-the-moment lunch easy. Picnic tables, sheltered seating and a shaded area sit together, so a group can eat in the shade. Compared with the other Riverwood picks, it has the most picnic kit, toilets on site, though some need upkeep, and ample car parking. Weekends and sunny days bring the biggest crowds, so an early start pays off.
Best for: Best for a free barbecue and a group picnic
Salt Pan Creek Reserve for a barbecue by the water
- BBQs
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
If you want a barbecue with the creek close at hand, Salt Pan Creek Reserve is the one. BBQ facilities sit among picnic areas and grassy banks by the water, and the reserve has public toilets, an accessible toilet and its own parking. Young children have a playground, and a mangrove boardwalk gives you somewhere to walk afterwards, where herons and kingfishers can be seen. At 27.25 hectares it's the biggest of the picks, so there's room to spread out.
Best for: Best for a barbecue by the creek
Kentucky Road Reserve for sheltered seating and sport
- Covered shelter
- Toilets
- Playground
Kentucky Road Reserve suits a picnic with a sporting edge. It has sheltered seating where families can eat or rest after play, a children's playground, and three sports fields: a football field, a playing field and a sporting field. Its public toilets open only when the park is booked, and their hours vary, so plan a toilet stop before you come. At 1.77 hectares it's the smallest of the picks, but the sports fields give older kids more to do than a picnic alone.
Best for: Best for a picnic that turns into a kick-around
How the parks compare
By area
Every BBQ and picnic park in and near Riverwood
Every option sits side by side in the table, and a dash marks anything we couldn't confirm.
| Park | BBQs | Shelter | Tables | Toilets | Playground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Rotary Park | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2.Salt Pan Creek Reserve | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3.Kentucky Road Reserve | – | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| 4.Riverwood Peace Park | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
| Nearby, outside Riverwood | |||||
| Peakhurst Park · Peakhurst | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Progress Park · Narwee | – | – | – | – | ✗ |
| Salmon Reserve · Punchbowl | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Roseanne Reserve · Roselands | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
How we picked
Each park earned points for its barbecue, cover, tables, toilets, play area and room to spread out. Parks with a barbecue or picnic tables rank highest, and each extra feature moves a park up. Where a detail isn't known, the table shows a dash rather than a guess, so check the park before you plan a big event.
FAQ
Which park in Riverwood has free BBQs?
Rotary Park has free electric barbecues, so cooking there costs nothing. You can simply turn up, since they run first come, first served. Turn up early on a weekend to get your pick of the grills.
Do you need to book a barbecue at Rotary Park?
Rotary Park generally doesn't need one, because its free barbecues run first come, first served. Bigger gatherings need to be arranged with Canterbury-Bankstown Council beforehand. Sunny weekends are when the crowds are heaviest.
Is there a picnic spot by the water in Riverwood?
Salt Pan Creek Reserve has picnic areas and grassy banks by the creek, along with BBQ facilities. Its mangrove boardwalk makes a good walk after your meal, and herons and kingfishers can be seen from it.
Are there toilets at Kentucky Road Reserve?
Not all the time: the toilets at Kentucky Road Reserve open only for bookings, and the hours change. Toilets are worth checking before you set off. The sheltered seating is a good place to eat once you're there.