Top 10 Things To Do With Kids In The Sutherland Shire

Here’s a handy guest article from Sutherland mum, Liz Frias, who shares her favourite places and activities for kids in Sutherland Shire.

Thanks so much Liz, it’s wonderful to have your insider tips.

1 Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre

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Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre offers excellent after school art classes for children from preschool to high school age. The classes cover areas such as painting, sculpture and ceramics.

The gallery also offers 1-day art workshops during the school holidays. These concentrate on children developing skills in various media such as watercolours and ceramics and applying them to their own original works. More details on Hazelhurst website here.

2 Let’s get wild at Symbio Wildlife Park

Symbio Wildlife Park is the place to be to get close to wild animals. The zoo offers a school holiday adventure called Symbio’s Junior Keeper Camp.

The program is a terrific experience for children to learn about wild animals. The camp is open for children ages 7 to 12 years of age.

Read all about family visits to Symbio on this post.

3 Como Pleasure Gardens

With stunning views of the Georges River, Como Pleasure Gardens is the ideal location for a fun-filled family day. There are plenty of picnic tables, barbecue facilities and sufficient grass areas to kick a ball around.

If you do not wish to bring a picnic basket, the park has a wonderful café serving lunch daily. For the little ones, there is a playground with slides, swings, climbing ropes and much more. In addition, there is an outdoors swimming pool in the park. It is free of charge for all to use.

Read a detailed post about Como Pleasure Gardens and the pools here.

4 Lots to do at the Royal National Park

The Royal National Park offers plenty of activities for children to do. There are fishing spots, bushwalking tracks and at certain times of the year you can watch whales off the coastline.

If you are visiting for the first time, stop at the visitor centre to get maps and information on walking tracks. The helpful staff will also offer you recommendations on things to do depending on your interests.

Royal National Park website is here.

5 Unleash Your Musical Creativity at Do Re Mi Studios

Do Re Mi Studios offers a brilliant workshop focusing on children learning to compose and record a song with a group. To participate, children need to be able to play a musical instrument at a basic level.

The workshop runs for 5 days in each week of every school holidays. It is a wonderful opportunity for your child to develop friendships with others that have a common interest.

Do Re Mi website is here.

6 Step Back in Time at Sydney Tram Museum

The Sydney Tram Museum has been operating for over 50 years. It has a selection of trams from around the world. The highlight of the visit is the 4 km tram-ride on an antique tram. This picturesque ride goes towards The Royal National Park and Sutherland.

Sydney Tram Museum website is here.

7 Smell the Flowers at Camellia Gardens

Overlooking Yowie Bay, Camellia Gardens is a fantastic location for picnics. There are two excellent playgrounds in the park. In addition, kids can have fun feeding the ducks in the pond.

At the top of Camellia Gardens is “The Teahouse”. It is a quaint restaurant open daily for lunch and afternoon tea. The cinnamon scrolls are delicious. More details on Camellia Gardens here.

8 Hop on the Ferry

The 20 minutes ferry ride from Cronulla to Bundeena is a great activity to escape the hustle and bustle of Sydney.

Once in Bundeena, explore the beaches and enjoy a picnic on the grassy area by the beach. Alternatively, visit one of the many quaint cafes in town for lunch. More details on website here.

9 Waterviews at Shelly Park

Shelly Park has one of the best playgrounds in the Sutherland Shire. Your child will love the swings, climbing frames and the big sandpit while you enjoy the sea views.

A stroll away, are the rock pools with lots of sea creatures for the kids to explore. The park has grass areas for picnics and plenty of barbeque facilities. Find a detailed post on the Shelly Park playground here.

10 Kayak on the Woronora River

Hire a kayak and discover the wildlife and scenic beauty of the Woronora river. Kayaks can be hired from a café called The Boatshed at Forbes Creek. Before setting off on your adventure, try a milk shake at the café. Highly recommended. The Boatshed website is here.

Thanks, Liz! Can I also put in a word for Sutherland Leisure Centre, lovely pool complex!

We also have a good description of the gorgeous Cronulla Beach Walk, click here.

Have you explored the Shire?

Any other great spots you can share?

PS You might also enjoy this post about the Jibbon Beach Loop Train at Bundeena in the Royal National Park here.

Read all about fun things to do at Bundeena with kids here.