Sunny spots for your next family gathering

How’s your social calendar? With next Friday, 1 December, marking the official start of summer and the unofficial start of the festive season, it can be a hectic time for catching up with family and friends.

While beaches are always front of mind at this time of year, we’ve got some pretty lovely non-beachside parks in the city for social gatherings.

So, without further ado and in no particular order, we present five fabulous sunny* spots for your next family gathering:

Mount Keira Summit Park, Mount Keira

Located atop of the Illawarra escarpment, Mount Keira Summit Park is a significant Aboriginal cultural heritage site. You can enjoy awe-inspiring views over Wollongong from the lookouts and explore multiple bushwalking tracks. The Park is a natural annex to the Wollongong Botanic Garden and contains many important plant species of the Illawarra Escarpment.

Facilities include electric barbecues, accessible toilets and picnic tables.

Glennifer Brae, Wollongong Botanic Garden

While the whole garden is perfect for picnics, our favour spot is beside the Tudor Manor-style Glennifer Brae house. Built in 1938, it was originally the family home of Arthur Sidney Hoskins, who established the steel industry in Wollongong. The heritage-listed home offers a perfect backdrop for an intimate picnic with views east over Wollongong and west to the Escarpment. Note: There are no bathrooms or seating at this location, these can be found by walking east within Wollongong Botanic Garden.

Integral Energy Park, Stream Hill

Integral Energy Park, home of the Kembla Joggers, is a beautiful open area complete with big playground and large, undercover picnic shelter with barbecues. The facility has accessible bathrooms. Snag a table or sprawl on the picnic rug while the kids, of the two and four-legged variety, enjoy winding trails full of native plants and wildlife.

William Beach Reserve, Dapto

William Beach encompasses a large playground and lush green park surrounded by Mullet Creek. The park offers barbecues, an accessible bathroom, a playground with flying fox, and both covered and uncovered picnic tables. Bring the canoe or kayak and explore the creek which is easily accessible from the main carpark.

Glastonbury Gardens, Austinmer

It’s a trickier ask in our northern suburbs to pick a park that is further away from the beach. So, while Glastonbury Gardens is close to the beach, it’s certainly worthy of a mention on this list. This much-loved Austinmer park offers a place to walk, relax, play and celebrate in its peaceful surroundings. Facilities include picnic tables, seats and toilets.

* Not always. Check the Bureau of Meteorology forecast.