Stretching eight kilometres across the foreshore and overlooking Botany Bay, this grassy park offers plenty of shady spots to while away an afternoon. There’s picnic tables, barbecues and gazebos for more serious picnicking endeavours, and plenty of large trees for lazier pursuits. Playgrounds, jetties and rocky swimming spots sweeten the deal further.

Technically split between the City of Sydney and the City of Randwick, this is a Sydney favourite for good reason. Sprawling across 360 hectares, Centennial Parklands are dotted with over 15,000 Australian fig, eucalyptus, paperbark, exotic pine and evergreen oak trees. Equally jaw-dropping is the wildlife, ponds and flower beds on offer. Make like the locals, grab a coffee from one of the onsite cafes, and find a shady spot to unpack your picnic basket. Follow it up with a bike ride or stroll, and reboot your appetite for that second sweeter course.

This heritage-listed garden is situated right in the heart of the city. Its most famous hallmark is the way it wraps around the sparkling harbour, granting its lush green spaces postcard-perfect views. Home to a staggering collection of plants from Australia and beyond, including a stunning romance-tinged rose garden, there’s impeccably-manicured natural beauty on tap here.

Framed by the beautiful Glebe Foreshore Walk and nestled between Glebe and Rozelle, this quiet park is a family and dog favourite, with off-leash opportunities for your four-legged mates. Pick a shady spot with stunning views of the ANZAC Bridge and city skyline to throw your blanket down on, and watch the sun set over your BYO spread. There’s picnic facilities and playgrounds onsite, too.

There’s a reason Nurragingy Reserve attracts more than one million visitors each year. They come for the 63 hectares of lush bushland reserve, the Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Gardens, the Aboriginal Heritage Garden and the Miniature Railway. There are also great bushwalking tracks for young and old, five large sheltered picnic areas and plenty of space to spread out and unwind.

This large green oasis boasts a duck pond, rotunda, chess board, picnic facilities, and shaded and fenced playgrounds. It’s easily accessible by train, with a café onsite to help round out your moveable feast.

This gorgeous foreshore park offers plenty of eye candy for picnickers. Stretching three kilometres around the Cremorne Point Peninsula, it features lush lawn areas, planted trees, exotic gardens and bushland, all with Sydney Harbour as its sparkling backdrop. You can arrive by ferry, with two wharves connecting it with Circular Quay and other north shore locations.

This major urban historic park is a western Sydney favourite, thanks to its 85 hectares of open green spaces featuring established gardens, ponds, historic sites and attractions, sports ovals, picnic shelters, and bike and walking tracks. Spring is a particularly stunning time to picnic here, with the rose garden and jacarandas in bloom to give your camera scroll a workout.

Dharawal National Park is the traditional land of the Dharawal Aboriginal people and protects a number of special Aboriginal sites, granting it great significance for the Dharawal people. Natural beauty abounds here, with waterfalls, rock pools, walking and bike tracks making it an all-day picnic affair. Keep an eye out for frogs and birdlife among the eucalyptus trees and swamps. Finish off with a post picnic stroll to Maddens Falls, or stop by Stokes Creek for a dip.

You might recognise the verdant Dame Eadith Walker Estate, also known as Yaralla Estate, from Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. Situated in the centre of Concord, this estate holds particular cultural significance for NSW, being an incredibly rare example of a large Edwardian private residential estate. It’s the perfect spot for an afternoon stroll or lazy picnic.

This leafy reserve in the heart of Merrylands spans 7.1 hectares of parklands that are brimming with large shady trees, walking trails, picnic areas, ponds and playgrounds. A romantic rotunda seals the deal for many bridal parties, or those looking for substantial shade.

Harbourside parks never grow old. This one just north of the Roseville Bridge is studded with Eucalyptus trees for shading the sun, while vast grassy areas set in front of the glorious Middle Harbour Creek create a picnicker’s paradise. There are also easy boating and canoeing access for post lunch water sports.

Named after the local Penrith Weir built in 1908 to manage water flow in the Nepean River, Weir Reserve is often seen carpeted with picnic rugs. Folks flock here for the plentiful shade and several undercover picnic tables, with bountiful bird and wildlife on hand to feast their eyes on.

Famous for its stunning camelias, which were recognised by the International Camellia Society in 2014, these historic gardens overlooking beautiful Yowie Bay regularly play host to weekend picnics and weddings. Winter is the best time to witness the camelias in full bloom, but the gardens – which are also home to ponds, a rose garden, and a trove of vibrant flora – make for stunning year-round picnicking.

This picturesque park is surrounded by bushland and offers vistas over the Georges River that require no filter. Picnic tables, barbecue facilities, a playground, bike track and a looped walking path provides pre and post picnic entertainment. There’s a swimming complex on site, with tidal baths located on the Georges River down below.