This is a must-attend experience for parks and recreation professionals looking to stay ahead of best practice in planning, design, and delivery. Gain real-world insights you can apply to your own projects, from nature play and active recreation to future-focused park planning and community engagement.
Greater Sydney Parklands bring together some of Sydney’s most iconic urban parks including Callan Park, Centennial Parklands, Fernhill Estate, Parramatta Park and Western Sydney Parklands.
Covering 5,280 hectares and stretching over 27 km, Western Sydney Parklands is Australia’s largest urban park and ‘Sydney’s biggest backyard. We will be exploring a small part.
Everyone will jump on a coach to visit the sites, starting and finishing at Lizard Log Playground.
And importantly coffee and refreshments will be provided!
Kick off the tour at Lizard Log playground, where you’ll enjoy a light refreshments surrounded by one of Western Sydney’s most unique nature-based play environments.
This iconic 15-year-old playground is undergoing a series of refurbishments following a staged masterplan process. Hear how to maintain the vision of nature play whilst dealing with the practical ongoing requirements of maintenance.
This vibrant destination blends a nature-themed playground with scenic walking and cycling trails of varying lengths. Hear directly from project contributors including Fiona Robbé of Fiona Robbé Landscape Architects, alongside Kerrie Davies, Senior Operations Manager West GSP, Peter Kapocius, Manager Renewals and operations, GSP & Kevin Dodd, Operations Coordinator, GSP as they share insights into the vision, design decisions, and outcomes behind the upgrade.
From there, we’ll hop on the bus and head to Plough and Harrow; a site currently in the planning phase of its next transformation. This is a valuable opportunity to gain early insight into the research, strategy, and community considerations shaping the proposed redevelopment.
Learn how to skilfully plan and design a playground refurbishment in keeping with current playground expectations, pressures and wear and tear. What impact have 15 years of use had and how is a refurbishment tackled?
Kerrie Davies and Kevin Dodd from GSP will discuss the plans they have the site and seek some practical feedback from participants on the day!
Our final stop takes us to the M7–M12 Shared User Path This brand-new shared user path was open in March 2026.
Stretching 2.3 kilometres, the M7–M12 Shared User Path connects Cecil Park to Cecil Hill, creating a vital link for walkers, runners and cyclists between the M7 and M12 motorways. This new route improves access to some of the Parklands’ most popular destinations.
Along the way, visitors can enjoy convenient connections to the Wylde Mountain Bike and BMX tracks, Gabrugal Yana, public amenities, and future recreational spaces planned around the Liverpool Offtake Reservoir.
Delivered in partnership by Transport for NSW and Greater Sydney Parklands, the project supports the long-term vision set out in the Western Sydney Parklands Southern Parklands Framework.
Kristine Marshall, Senior Manager Design & Delivery at Greater Sydney Parklands, will share insights into the project and what’s next for this exciting precinct.
