Good Cheap Fun: Central Gardens - Cnr Merrylands Rd and Cumberland Hwy Merrylands

This is a great park for kids of all ages as it combines outdoor park fun with fauna encounters. This park is one of the larger parks in the Holroyd city council which houses various Australian fauna for kids and adults alike to view and observe. The types of animals include emus, kangaroos, wallabies and native birds like galahs and cockatoos. Although the cages and enclosures are a little dated the animals themselves are very looked after and the kids don't even seem to notice.

There are a variety of areas to picnic with bbq's available as well as plenty of seating and shaded pergolas. There is also a two seperate picnic areas that can be reserved through the council for private parties and functions.   There are also two seperate playgrounds suitable for kids between the ages of 2-10.   Please see below for a more comprehensive listing of the facilities available.

Toilets:
There are two plumbed toilet blocks one near the Merrylands Rd entry and one near the Paton St entry.
BBQs:
There are electric BBQs scattered throughout the park in the picnic areas both near the Merrylands Rd entry and Paton St entry.
Bins:
Bins are located throughout the park.
Seating:
Plenty of seating, picnic tables and park bench seating.
Shade:
There is plenty of natural shade and shaded pergolas in the pinic areas. The playground behind the animal enclosures is completely shaded.
Bike/Walking Tracks:
There is a couple of walking tracks linking the different areas of the park.
Playground Equipment:
There are two playgrounds in the park both would be suitable for kids of about 2-10.  Although some parts are a little challenging so adult supervision is neccessary. The largest of the two is behind the animal enclosures and is completely shaded. The ground covering is tan bark so be prepared that the littlies will get dirty. The other playground is closer to the Merrylands Rd entry, to the right of the carpark and like the other one is shaded too. Its a little more basic in terms of the play equipment with only a ramp and two slides so would probably really only entertain kids between the ages of 3 & 5. Again might be challenging for younger ones so adult supervision would be reccommended.
Open Spaces:
Plenty of space for ball games, cricket, kite flying etc.
Carparking/Accessiblity:
There is plenty of carparking available at the Merrylands Rd entrance as well as on Paton Rd on the other side of the park. There is disabled parking in the Merrylands Rd carpark and wheelchair access from here is good via the concrete paths etc.
Water Bubblers:
Yes there are a few bubblers scattered around.
Fenced:
The entire park is fenced but it is a very large park with a non-fenced body of water so keep this in mind with toddlers.
Gated:
The park opens weekdays from 7.30am til 5pm and 7pm during daylight savings. The weekend hours are 9am to 5pm & 8am to 7pm during daylight savings. The only days the park is closed is Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Entry fee:
No entry fee
Unique Attractions:
The biggest draw card for this park would be the animal enclosures. Here kids can get a good look at kangaroos, emus, native birds, wallabies, ducks and ibis. As mentioned before the enclosures are a little dated but little ones don't seem to notice, they just love to be able to see the animals.  There is also a large dam/pond with ducks so pack some stale bread to feed them.

The park also has 2 picnic areas that can be reserved for private functions, these being the Pinaroo picnic area (max guests100) and the Yarrabee picnic area (max guests 200).  For more information call Holroyd council on 9840 9840. There are also tennis courts on the Paton st side of the park for booking through the council.