All you need to know. Another famous Sydney family bike ride, extremely popular and fun, with something for everything.
Centennial Park is in the Eastern Suburbs near Paddington with handy access from the Eastern Distributor or Bondi Junction railway station.
From the railway station, head out to the Oxford st mall and read right/ west following Oxford st for about 1 kilometre until you reach the corner of the park, another hundred metres and you will find the entrance. Follow either road down the hill to join the Grand Drive. Remember, the Grand drive is one way (clockwise), but most other roads in the park are 2 way.
By car there are gates on 6 corners of the park so there are a range of approaches you can take.
There is a one way road loop around 3.7km long , shared with cars, but with a 30km speed limit. It climbs slightly over about 500m and heads downhill for a much longer stretch making for a fun gentle undulating lap. For most of it there is some shelter from the trees.
The Grand drive lap is excellent for older children although great care must be taken as there are many other riders travelling at speeds from 5 to 50 km/hr.
For the more adventurous there are larger hills on the Northern side of the park and a bunch of interconnecting roads through the centre of the park with some great spots to explore, a paperbark forest and ponds full of bird life.
For the younger children, there is a great introductory area on the southern side of the park. This part of the park has a separate bike loop of about 250m. Flat and winding through the trees, it is perfect for the beginning rider. There is a also a kids playground and free barbecues and now a cafe. What more could you want?
Naturally this area can also get extremely busy with many kids parties and family gatherings.
Near the Paddington entrance is the other popular area, the cafe and restuarant. Out the back is a big kids play area. Public toilets are available here and at least 2 other locations around the Grand Drive.
Bicycle hire is available on the north side of the loop, with rates starting at $10 and a full fleet including pedal powered 4 wheel wagons that are a great fun ride.
Get them on (02) 9398 5027
Weekends in the park be extremely busy and parking can be extremely difficult. Crossing the Grand drive can be quite difficult due to the high traffic volumes, even though the arent travelling very fats.
Traditionally there have been 4 car free days a year, one at the end of each season, but this has been unfortunately discontinued.
Definitely worth a visit, a huge parkland with a huge amount to see and do, go a few times and explore!
This is a link to the interactive map on the Centennial parklands site.