{"id":74,"date":"2013-07-01T04:56:35","date_gmt":"2013-07-01T04:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/the-secrets-of-sydney-olympic-park\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:18:23","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:18:23","slug":"the-secrets-of-sydney-olympic-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/the-secrets-of-sydney-olympic-park\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secrets of Sydney Olympic Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a few years since the glory days of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Back then Homebush was transformed into a state of the art sporting destination but it still sees plenty of action.\u00a0I\u2019m lucky enough to live a few minutes away from Sydney Olympic Park and my family and I love visiting. There are so many fantastic family friendly activities and attractions to enjoy \u2013 here are some of our favourites.<\/p>\n

Take a tour of ANZ Stadium<\/h2>\n

ANZ Stadium is home to major sporting events all year. Take a tour of ANZ Stadium or visit the Olympic Cauldron. If your kids are old enough, soak up Olympic Park atmosphere at a major sporting event such as the AFL, Tennis, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Swimming etc.\u00a0ANZ Stadium<\/a><\/p>\n

If a visit to Sydney Olympic Park is on the agenda with the family, consider booking into a hotel in Homebush for a couple of nights.\u00a0Novotel Sydney Olympic Park<\/a>\u00a0has a prime location overlooking ANZ Stadium. Even better, kids 12 and under stay free when they\u2019re in the same room as adults. Book a superior double and you\u2019ll easily fit in a family of four.<\/p>\n

Hire bikes and explore the cycle paths<\/h2>\n

Mountains Bikes, Road Bikes, Tandem and even adult Trikes! You can hire kids bikes (with or without training wheels) or you can hire a bike with baby carrier or \u201ctag-along\u201d for small children.\u00a0 Cycle paths are well marked and maintained.\u00a0Bike Hire @ Sydney Olympic Park\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Splasher’s Water Playground at the Aquatic Centre<\/h2>\n

Perfect for a hot or rainy day. Kids will spend hours here. The playground area is suitable for toddlers and up, with shallow pools, water fountains, slides and a gigantic bucket that fills with water and splashes into the pool below. Older children will love the big water slide (must be at least 1.2 metres tall to ride) or the Rapid River Ride. The Aquatic Centre is also home to Skywall (a moving mechanical climbing wall) and Urban Jungle (outdoor high ropes adventure course for kids 8+).\u00a0Splasher’s Water Playground<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Parklands<\/h2>\n

Leave plenty of time to explore Blaxland Riverside Park and the Newington Armory. Spread over 3 hectares, the parklands will capture every kid\u2019s sense of adventure. You\u2019ll find things like a flying fox, a multi level tree house, climbing walls, water play, tunnel slides and huge swings spread out over the rambling parks. Be warned: your kids won\u2019t want to leave! Bring a picnic, grab a bite to eat at the Park Kiosk or sit by the Parramatta River for coffee or lunch at the very child friendly Armory Wharf Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Speaking of picnics, Bicentennial Park is a great place. Plenty of cycle paths, ducks to feed, a kids playground, more of those water play fountains that you find scattered throughout the Olympic precinct and a great view if you climb to the top of Treillage Tower. If you don\u2019t feel like a picnic, Lilies on the Park Caf\u00e9 is a lovely place to stop for refreshment.<\/p>\n

Treasure Trail<\/h2>\n

Pop into the Visitors Centre, choose a\u00a0clue trail<\/strong>\u00a0and grab a\u00a0map<\/strong>\u00a0and then follow the\u00a0clues<\/strong>\u00a0to solve the hidden message. A fun way to discover the wonders and secret history of Sydney Olympic Park.<\/p>\n

If you happen to be visiting during NSW School Holidays, check out the great school holiday activities for\u00a0\u201cKids In the Park\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

City Break<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re still keen to see Sydney city, trains run directly to Central from Olympic Park station. A bus service will quickly link you to the Parramatta Rivercat for a scenic and traffic free journey to Circular Quay. Catch the Rivercat back and head all the way up the river to Parramatta Wharf. Kids will love the pedestrian bridges with their paddles poking out the sides.<\/p>\n

Images by Linda Anderson, ANZ Stadium, Novotel Sydney Olympic Park and Destination NSW<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m lucky enough to live close to Sydney Olympic Park and I love going there with my family. Here are a few of our favourite family friendly activities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,6,2,3,14,7,18],"tags":[11,111,13,58],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-74","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-destination","category-experiences","category-explore","category-interests","category-oceania","category-relax","tag-family","tag-homebush","tag-sydney","tag-tips","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Secrets of Sydney Olympic Park - Expedia AU Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019m lucky enough to live close to Sydney Olympic Park and I love going there with my family. 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