Best BBQ and picnic parks in West Pennant Hills
Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve is the West Pennant Hills park for a group BBQ, because it puts the barbecues under shelter with toilets and free kerbside parking close by. Other parks here cook on a smaller scale or have no BBQ on record, so you're choosing between a covered table, a playground beside lunch, or a bushwalk afterwards.
Quick picks
- Wet-weather BBQ: Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve has room to cook and eat under cover.
- Lunch with a bushwalk: Richard Webb Reserve's covered tables sit where the Waterfall Walk starts.
- Picnic with toddlers: Samuel Oxley Park's covered tables are next to a fenced playground.
- Hot-day picnic: New Farm Road Reserve pairs shaded play and a flying fox with picnic lawns.
Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve for a sheltered group BBQ
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve can handle a group BBQ whatever the weather, since its barbecues sit inside a sheltered picnic area. It's also the only BBQ park in West Pennant Hills with toilets on record, open from 6 AM to 7 PM, so an evening cook-up should wrap up before they close. Free kerbside parking takes buses as well as cars, which suits a big group arriving together. Kids have a playground between courses. After lunch, the walking tracks reach a lookout, with the view partly screened by tall trees.
Best for: Group BBQs and birthdays that need a roof, a toilet and room to park
Richard Webb Reserve for lunch at the start of a bushwalk
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Playground
- Parking
Richard Webb Reserve is the place for a packed lunch with a bushwalk attached: its covered picnic tables sit at the top of the park, right where the Waterfall Walk heads off along Darling Mills Creek. Nothing on record says there's a BBQ, so bring food that's ready to eat. The roof over the tables doubles as shade, and the frog-themed playground beside them has swings, a see-saw and a frame with two slides. Afterwards, the 3.4 km return walk passes Blue Gums and sandstone gullies on its way to a waterfall. Park in the residential streets near Aiken Road.
Best for: A packed lunch before or after a bushwalk
Samuel Oxley Park for a picnic beside a fenced playground
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Playground
- Parking
Samuel Oxley Park is where you can sit down to eat without chasing toddlers, because its covered picnic tables are next to a fenced playground. The tables suit a family lunch, a birthday party or a school outing, and a wheelchair can reach both the playground and the picnic area. Tall eucalypts give shade, but the sun still gets through at peak hours, so mornings and late afternoons are the comfortable times to eat. For cooking, Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve's barbecues are 0.4 km away, since none is listed here. Weekend parking near the main entrance goes early.
Best for: Picnics with toddlers, birthday parties and school outings
Lisle Court Reserve for a BBQ you can walk to
- BBQs
- Playground
- Parking
Lisle Court Reserve is a neighbourhood BBQ stop, with BBQ areas set beside picnic areas so a group can cook and eat in one spot. Footpaths join it to the surrounding streets and nearby reserves, which makes it easy to carry the food over on foot. If you drive, the number of open spaces changes through the day. The playground is the reserve's centrepiece, so children have something to do while the grill heats up. Ashley Avenue North Reserve, 0.6 km away, is the next BBQ along.
Best for: Neighbours walking over for a casual BBQ with the kids
New Farm Road Reserve for a shady picnic and a flying fox
- Picnic tables
- Playground
New Farm Road Reserve is a picnic park for hot days, with tables spread across lawns ringed by tall eucalypts and a playground designed around shade. Kids head for the flying fox and climbing equipment while you set out lunch. Pack everything, since there's no BBQ listed and no public toilet. Once you've eaten, a bushwalking track runs through native bushland to Hull Road over sandstone steps and stepping stones. Samuel Oxley Park, 1.2 km away, is the closest pick with covered tables.
Best for: A packed picnic on a hot day, with a flying fox to keep kids busy
How the parks compare
By area
Every BBQ and picnic park in and near West Pennant Hills
Line up BBQs, shelter, tables, toilets and a playground across every West Pennant Hills park in the table, picks first, with a few parks from neighbouring suburbs at the foot.
| Park | BBQs | Shelter | Tables | Toilets | Playground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2.Richard Webb Reserve | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 3.Samuel Oxley Park | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| 4.Lisle Court Reserve | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| 5.New Farm Road Reserve | – | – | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 6.AC Charlie Moore Reserve | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| 7.Jack Read Reserve | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| 8.Larissa Avenue Reserve | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| 9.Ashley Avenue North Reserve | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| 10.Moolanda Avenue Reserve | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| 11.Colbarra Place Reserve | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Nearby, outside West Pennant Hills | |||||
| Edward Bennett Oval · Cherrybrook | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fearnly Park · Beecroft | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Robert Park · Cherrybrook | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Chilworth Reserve · Beecroft | – | – | – | – | ✗ |
How we picked
We gave the heaviest weight to the three things a cook-out leans on, a BBQ, a roof over the tables and toilets, and smaller amounts to picnic tables, a playground, parking and parks of 1 ha or more. Parks with too little detail for a section, including Jack Read Reserve and AC Charlie Moore Reserve, still show their BBQs in the table. Where a detail is unconfirmed you'll see a dash, and that gap never lowers a park's place.
FAQ
Where are the public BBQs in West Pennant Hills?
Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve has the most complete BBQ setup in West Pennant Hills, with public barbecues in a sheltered picnic area. Smaller BBQ spots include Jack Read Reserve, Lisle Court Reserve, Larissa Avenue Reserve and Ashley Avenue North Reserve.
Can you book a BBQ area in West Pennant Hills?
Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve is the one West Pennant Hills park with a bookings number listed: 1300 426 654, at The Hills Shire Council. No other park here has booking details on record, so ask before planning a large party elsewhere.
Where can we picnic out of the rain in West Pennant Hills?
West Pennant Hills has covered seating at Mount Wilberforce Lookout Reserve, Samuel Oxley Park and Richard Webb Reserve. Only Mount Wilberforce's shelter has BBQs under it, so it's the one for cooking in the wet.
Can I bring my dog to a picnic in West Pennant Hills?
Colbarra Place Reserve in West Pennant Hills has a fully fenced off-leash dog park at its northern end, with picnic areas and a playground in the same reserve. Its open green space backs onto Blue Gum High Forest bushland, which makes for a calm setting.