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Sydney’s style set love the slick renovation (see Botanic Gardens & The Domain). Outdoor, saltwater.

Tucked below Kings Cross, this tiny manicured park is located in Elizabeth Bay. It has a stone bridge over a trickling pond filled with Koi, and magnificent views of the yachts moored in Rushcutters Bay and the ritzy Eastern Suburbs enclave of Darling Point.

Home of the South Sydney Rabbitohs RLC, the Sydney Roosters RLC and the NSW Waratahs, Aussie Stadium, the former Sydney Football Stadium, is adjacent to the Sydney Cricket Ground. The venue is now used for soccer, Rugby League and Union.

Dawn balloon flights over the Sydney region are a great experience, tranquil yet exhilarating, with lovely views of the sprawling city and the hazy Blue Mountains. Weather permitting, Balloon Aloft offers daily flights from Camden, followed by a barbecue and champagne breakfast. Ballooning might not be appropriate for those scared of heights.

Another excellent children’s beach, Balmoral has a large enclosure of shark nets bordered by a wooden boardwalk which kids love to jump off. Grassy picnic areas abound, the water is warm and calm, and there are many places to buy the kids an ice cream.

It may be every Aussie grandma’s pastime, but it has also been recently undergoing a surge in popularity, thanks main-ly to the patronage of certain Sydney celebrities and a bunch of trendy kids. Try the original and the best, Sunday arvo bowls at Paddington Bowling Club.

The home of winter swimming since 1929. Outdoor.

With clifftop walks overlooking the ocean and Broken Bay, secluded beaches, heathlands and banksia forests, this tiny coastal park is a gem. It extends from Box Head to McMaster’s Beach on the Central Coast, and offers good bushwalking trails and camping facilities.

Walking trails take you around the tip of one of Sydney Harbour National Park’s highlights, where you can often spot noisy flocks of rainbow lorikeets. At the end of the headland is the tripod mast of the original HMAS Sydney (see Bradfield Park) and a small Doric column marking one nautical mile from Fort Denison.