Things to do on a long weekend 5....

...have a picnic.

On the day I visited, the picnic pavilion was being used by a group of Chinese. One of the large flags said "Universitas Amoiensis". So, off to Google again, and I discovered that this is the Latin name for the first university in China founded by overseas Chinese, now part of the mainstream Chinese university system. So I am assuming this was a picnic day for former alumni and families living in Sydney. There were young families enjoying the playground, and exuberant young men playing a very lively and good-natured game of socccer.

Another day, another picnic, La Perouse

A family picnic beside the Barrack Tower, La Perouse. It has been there since the early 1820s to prevent smugglers entering Botany Bay unseen. It is the oldest building still in existence on the shores of the bay. From the 1830s it was a Customs House, and in 1868 it was used as a local school. Restored by the La Perouse Monuments Trust, 1961.

I think they just look cold!

At least it's not as cold as this morning, which is apparently the coldest Sydney morning for 21 years (4 degrees at 7 am in the east, -1 in the western suburbs - oh how we Sydney-siders suffer ;-)

Picnic: Bring Your Own (BYO) nargile/sheesha/hookah/hubble-bubble

Picnic at Garrison Point, Georges Hall.

Late autumn and winter in Sydney usually brings perfect picnic weather, and there's no shortage of gorgeous places to get the family or social club together to enjoy the daytime sun.

One thing I'm really impressed by is the effort local councils have made to create regional parks and picnic grounds. This is part of the Mirambeena Regional Park, maintained by Bankstown City Council.

I've uploaded some more photos from this delightful picnic ground at Sydney Daily Photos Extra.

Picnic in the park

An after work picnic in Moore Park prior to a game at Aussie Stadium.