Here’s a comprehensive guide to the best free Sydney water parks around Sydney.
These are the places you can take the kids to for a splash and a play without costing a penny.
NB If you are looking for the paid water parks like Wet ‘n’ Wild, Aquatopia, Cables Water Park and Jamberoo then head over to this post on Water Slides and Water Parks – entry fee paid.
This post shows where the free water park playgrounds are, and then has basic information about each one plus a link to an article on Hello Sydney Kids or elsewhere that will give you all the details that you need to plan a successful trip with your family.
The water playgrounds are listed alphabetically by suburb.
PS I haven’t included playgrounds which have just one water play item, for example there’s one water pump at Lizard Log in Western Sydney Parklands, but here I wanted to collect only the places with bigger splash pads and extensive water play.
Blacktown: Francis Park Playgrounds
Blacktown Showground Precinct, Corner Richmond Road and Balmoral Road, Blacktown
Francis Park has two water play areas, the first is a course of water channels where kids control the flow of water via a water wheel and a series of gates. This one is open all year around.
Then there is the large shaded splash park open from September to May that is undoubtedly the most popular part of the park.
Click through to find detailed info on Francis Park and its playgrounds on this post.
Centennial Park: Ian Potter WILD PLAY Garden
The Artesian water play area at the Ian Potter WILD PLAY Gardens is extensive and great fun.
Read all the details about this delightful WILD PLAY space on this post.
Darling Harbour: Darling Quarter Playground
There’s a massive splash pad at this enormous and very popular playground, plus a large area of water play with pumps and water wheels and terrific channels.
Read all about the water play at Darling Quarter playground on this post.
Dee Why: Walter Gors Park
Doonside: Nurragingy Water Play Playground
There’s a very extensive water park at the Wren Picnic Area in Nurragingy Reserve with dozens of water features to keep kids happy and cool.
The water play area is closed in winter and have differing opening times in other seasons.
Read all about Nurragingy Reserve and it’s playgrounds on this post.
Dundas Valley: Philip Ruddock Water Playground
Dundas Park, Yates Avenue, Dundas Valley
This is a very extensive water playground within Dundas Park and is very popular on warm days. There are dozens of water play features to enjoy. There’s plenty of space in the park to play plus a bike track and playground.
Open: September to May: 9:00am – 8:00pm
June to August: Closed
Read all about this terrific water playground and see photos on Parraparents here.
Elderslie: Curry Reserve Water Play Space
Erskine Park: Phoenix Reserve
Phoenix Cres, Erskine Park
There’s a fair-sized splash pad with sprinklers and rings to run through at this neighbourhood playground near Penrith. I cannot find any detailed posts or articles about it anywhere, will have to pop over!
Greenacre Splash Park
One of the newest and largest of the splash parks in western Sydney, this is a standout in the Canterbury-Bankstown area. Read all about it and watch a video on the Canterbury-Bankstown Council website here.
Jordan Springs: Livvi’s Place Penrith
Northridge Oval, 1, Discovery Way, Jordan Springs, NSW
All of the Livvi’s Place playgrounds are suitable for all abilities and most of the newer ones have splash pads. The splash pad here has tall water jets, ideal for cooling off after running wild on the play equipment. Read a review of Jordan Springs Livvi’s Plane on Parraparents.
Kellyville: Livvi’s Place The Hills
This is a marvellous all abilities playground with extensive modern equipment and a splash pad to cool us down on warmer days.
There’s heaps to do here at Bernie Mullane Reserve, so you can make a day of it.
Read all the details you need to plan a trip to Livvi’s Place in Kellyville here.
Liverpool: Bigge Park
Bigge Street, Liverpool
This is a large and spacious free water playground and has some terrific water play equipment.
There’s a bucket that tips, all sorts of sprays, fountains and showers and some water squirter guns. You will also find water rings to run through and crazy shaped showers. There are even deckchairs to relax on. Bigge Park also has normal playgrounds and great spaces to runa nd play.
Plan your trip using this detailed post from Adventure, Baby!
Marrickville: Steel Park Playground
Steel Park features a fun playground and a water play area amongst lots of shady trees close to a picturesque part of the Cooks River.
The water play area is designed to be eco-friendly, using recycled water collected from the roof of a nearby sports centre, which is then treated and recycled again. Kids can wade through a shallow spiral stream, and run through water jets, with each feature designed to reflect the natural world.
The water is turned on from October through to March, and much of this area is under a shade cloth.
Read all about the joys of Steel Park Marrickville on this post.
Marsden Park: Livvi’s Place Elara
There are very extensive water play activities at the all-abilities Livvi’s Place Elara at Marsden Park. Find photos and read all about this playground on Hills District Mums here.
Meadowbank: Meadowbank Park Playground
This is a large water park area in the excellent and very extensive new playground at Meadowbank Park. To read more, see photos and plan your visit, check out our full article on Meadowbank Park Playground, click here.
Merrylands: Granville Water Park
Granville Park, Montrose Ave, Merrylands
The very spacious water park beside the children’s playground in Granville Park is officially known as the Laurie Ferguson Water Park. (What a win in life to have a water park named after you, I would be thrilled.)
There are sections of the water park for older and younger children and there really is heaps of space to run and play as well as splash about.
For a full review with more photos visit this post on Parraparents.
Middleton Grange: Stante Reserve Water Play
This modern new water playground is extensive and great fun for kids. Find it at 30 Stante Close in Middleton Grange. Well done Liverpool Council!!
Oran Park: Dawson-Damer Park Water Play
Open in the summer months, the water play facilities at Dawson-Dam Park are the largest in the Macarthur Region. Check out more photos and information on the Oran Park website here.
Parramatta: Ollie Webb Reserve Playground
37A Glebe St, Parramatta
New in 2019 is a terrific playground with a lovely splash pad where kids can stay cool under the sprinklers. This is an all abilities playground created by the Touch By Olivia team in collaboration with the City Parramatta so you know that it will suit all ages of people (including adults!) and people of differing abilities will be all catered for.
At Ollie Webb you will find:
- splash pad
- water pump with water play equipment
- in ground trampolines
- slides and tunnels
Read more on the Parraparents website here.
Prairewood: Deerbush Park All-Abilities Playground
The water playground area at this extensive and well-planned playground has 13 different water play activities. For all the information you need to plan a trip to this terrific playground – which is very modern and has been created to serve the needs of people of ALL abilities, click on our full article about it below:
Deerbush Park All-Abilities Playground
Putney: Putney Park Playground
This is one of the oldest of the water play playgrounds in Sydney, much-loved for many years. There are two bubbly beach areas and sprinklers, plus the massive slide.
Read all about Putney Park Playground and plan your visit here.
Pyrmont: Pirrama Park Playground
There is plenty of space for children to run and play amongst the sprinklers and water play features at this inner city playground.
Read all about Pirrama Park Playground on this post.
Parramatta: James Ruse Reserve
Hassall Street, Parramatta
Open: September to May: 9:00am – 8:00pm
June to August: Closed
The water playground at James Ruse Reserve is large and spacious and set in a terrific park which also has a good children’s playground. This water park does get very busy on hot summer days of course. But you can see why.
Check out all the details you need on Parraparents here.
Sydney Olympic Park: Blaxland Riverside Park
Jamieson St, Sydney Olympic Park
This enormous park has a humungous playground which is a real destination for local and other families. Within the huge area of play equipment there’s a large splash pad with may water fountains and jets.
Read all about Blaxland Riverside Park playgrounds on this post.
Sydney Olympic Park: Cathy Freeman Park
Cathy Freeman Park, Australia Avenue, Sydney Olympic Park
This isn’t a proper water playground, but is handy to know about if you are in Sydney Olympic Park. The Olympic Cauldron which was so famously lit by Cathy Freeman at the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Olympics is here and used as a massive fountain.
Children love running around and splashing in it, plus there’s plenty of space to run and play in this park.
All the info on Cathy Freeman Park is here.
Wentworth Point: Bay Park
Amalfi Drive, Wentworth Point
There’s a small water play splash pad in this new playground.
Check out the details on this Parraparents post here.
Werrington: Werrington Lakes Playground
Burton Street, Werrington, NSW, 2747
There’s a small splash pad in this fun playground. Excellent for a quick cool down after a play.
There’s a short review and some photos on Bump into Mums here.
Windsor: Governor Phillip Park
George Street, Windsor
There’s an awesome regional playground at Governor Phillip Park in Windsor, with heaps of different play spaces and lot of natural areas and effects.
Within the playground is a super but fairly small splash pad with one central fountain and then several water spouts that come from the ground. A terrific addition that is available all year round.
For a detailed post on Windsor’s Governor Phillip playground go to this post on Parraparents.
Zetland: Mary O’Brien Reserve
Tilford St & Joynton Ave, Zetland
This inner city playground has a terrific splash pad with lots of sprinklers and plenty of space to run around. There are also two playgrounds here, one for very little children and the other for older kids. A great place to cool off and play in warm weather.
