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Armory Wharf Cafe: Waterfront & Family-Friendly Cafe in Sydney

September 8, 2020 / Newington, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Armory Wharf Café

The Armory Wharf Café in Sydney Olympic Park is a family-friendly, waterfront cafe with a casual vibe and al fresco seating.

Located on the edge of the Parramatta River in the Newington Nature Reserve, the Armory Wharf Café is a licensed venue that has stunning 270-degree water views of mangroves and the industrial Armory wharf.

The Armory Wharf Café has a mix of shaded outdoor and indoor seating, and a menu that offers fresh, seasonal cuisine.

There are daily specials and a decent amount of options for kids.

The cafe is an extremely popular spot for families in particular, with its close proximity to Blaxland Riverside Playground. There is a section of the playground close enough for older kids to enjoy while their parents are waiting for meals to arrive in the cafe.

Our group ordered the Beer-battered Fish n Chips (served with mushy peas and tartar sauce, $24), Grilled Salmon (served with a spinach, nut and grain salad and beetroot hummus, $28), Berry Good Smoothie (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and skim milk, $8), Loaded Focaccia (housemate focaccia topped with scrambled eggs, haloumi, spinach, tomato relish and avocado, $20), Kids’ Mini Pizza Pocket (cheese and tomato pizza pocket, $12).

The fish and chips, salmon and loaded focaccia meals were all excellent. Great sized services, bright, fresh produce and excellently cooked. All meals arrived quickly and were very well made.

The only dish that was a let down was the pizza pockets. They were a bit sweet and weird tasting, and not a hit with any of us unfortunately.

I would highly advise making reservations to secure a spot. Parking is available nearby however is limited and is also used for the playground, so arrive early enough to wait for a spot to become available if you are visiting on a weekend.

Afterwards, take kids to Blaxland Riverside Playground or to explore the Newington Armory.

Armory Wharf Cafe
Blaxland Riverside Park, Jamieson Street, off Holker St, Newington NSW
Hours: Wed-Sun 9am–2pm
http://www.armorywharfcafe.com

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The Paper Mill Food: Dining Precincts in Liverpool, Sydney

June 24, 2020 / Liverpool, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

The Paper Mill Food: Dining Precincts in Liverpool, Sydney

Take your pick of delicious eating establishments in the Paper Mill Food precinct, located on the banks of the Georges River in South-West Sydney.

The Paper Mill was, as its name implies, originally used as a paper mill during the late 1800s, and at the time was Australia’s largest paper mill. It was alter used as a woollen mill until 1975, and has been brought back to life as a dining precinct.

Inside the Paper Mill are four restaurants, and plenty of seating.

Shepherd’s Lane

This cafe, bakery and dessert bar is the place to head for breakfast, brunch and lunch, plus serves up sweet treats later on in the day.

Shepherd’s Lane Has a wide range of pastries on offer, with tempting croissants, muffins, doughnuts and cakes baked on site daily. They also have artisan gelato and desserts available all day.

The signature breakfast and brunch dishes at Shepherd’s Lane include waffles (there is a large waffle and pancake menu), eggs and wood-fired manoush. We dined at Shepherd’s Lane and could not fault the excellent food and coffee.

Firepit

The Paper Mill’s a la carte dining option is perfect for a special family gathering. Firepit serves meat and fresh market seafood chargrilled or cooked in a wood-fire oven. The Firepit is open daily for lunch and dinner.

Georgie’s

Enjoy wood-fired pizza, Neapolitan-style, in a casual setting at this pizzeria and bar. Georgie’s is located near the kids’ indoor play area, making it the perfect family option. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Charcoal Joe’s

Try Lebanese charcoal chicken cooked on a custom charcoal grill, with a spread of colourful and flavourful mezze, salads, pickles, dips and chips.

Kids’ Play Area

There is a cute little play area for kids that includes little tables, games and cubbies.

The Paper Mill is located between Liverpool and Casula, right near the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Casula Parklands Adventure Playground. They offer a valet parking service, however we found parking on the street nearby. You can also catch the train to Casula or Liverpool and take the 10 minute walk there.

The Paper Mill Food is open between 7am – 11pm weekdays, and 7:30am-11pm on weekends. Food is available all day, the kitchens close at 10:30 every night.

The Paper Mill Food
20 Shepherd Street, Liverpool
https://thepapermillfood.com/
Get Directions

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Frankie’s Food Factory at Flower Power Milperra Sydney

July 25, 2019 / Milperra, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Enjoy modern classics in the heart of a leafy nursery at Frankie’s Food Factory, inside Flower Power Milperra.

The massive new Flower Power sure packs a punch with its excellent cafe, Frankie’s Food Factory, making it a destination for dining as well as shopping for plants.

Frankie’s Food Factory has a breakfast and lunch menu served inside large indoor and outdoor dining areas with a lovely leafy nursery view. The outdoor dining area leads into the fully fenced playground.

We thought the menu was a bit on the pricey side, however couldn’t fault the staff, ambience, decor or food.

The food is a bit American in style – the burgers we ordered were extremely “American”, with soft buns and thin French fries sprinkled with gentle spices.

Frankie’s Cheeseburger (single $21 | double $27 | triple $32, wagyu beef burger with melted cheese, pickles, onion, tomato sauce & American mustard, served with fries, add bacon +4).

There is an excellent, reasonably priced kids’ menu from which we ordered the Scrambled Eggs ($8, served with toast & tomato sauce).

My Halloumi Quinoa Salad ($21, halloumi, quinoa, Spanish onion, roasted cauliflower, spinach, avocado, brown rice & sunflower seeds) was excellent and I would absolutely order it again.

The Nutella Hot Chocolate ($6, served with whipped cream & marshmallows) was an absolute winner, too.

Kids will love drawing on the paper covering the tables while they wait for their meals to arrive.

There is a small kids’ games area at the front of the cafe that mostly requires money to operate.

We visited during the school holidays and it was packed. According to staff school holidays and weekends are always busy. We arrived at 11:30am and waited about 30 mins for a table.

Don’t forget to flash your Garden Lovers Club membership card for a 5% discount. Frankie’s is 100% pet friendly so you can bring your furbabies too.

Frankie’s Food Factory at Flower Power Milperra
479 Henry Lawson Drive, Milperra
Phone: (02) 9899 2299
Hours: Daily, 8.30am-5pm
http://frankiesfoodfactory.com/

Get Directions.

High Tea Parramatta: Gatehouse Tea Rooms:

June 11, 2019 / High Tea, Parramatta, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Gatehouse Tea Rooms: High Tea Parramatta

Enjoy high tea in the historic Gatehouse, located in beautiful Parramatta Park. Choose from a traditional high tea, savoury high tea or kids high tea. Gluten-free high tea, dairy-free high tea and vegan high tea are available.

Parramatta Park is rich in colonial history. In 2007 the park and Gatehouse building were granted World Heritage Listing by UNESCO.

Built in 1887, the Gatehouse is one of the oldest high tea venues in Australia, and my favourite spot for high tea in Parramatta.

There is indoor and outdoor dining available. The outdoor dining has a lovely view of the park but I imagine could be a bit cold in winter and a bit hot in summer.

There are several high tea options at the Gatehouse.

Traditional High Tea
Finger sandwiches*
Tiny pastries (bacon is the standard quiche served. I received cheese instead).
Scones with jam and cream
Homemade petit fours and sweet bites
Tea or coffee
($44 pp or $49 weekends. Add $5 for sparkling)

*Cucumber and cream cheese, chicken are the standard options. I received mixed vegetables as my vegetarian alternative.

Royal High Tea
The Traditional High Tea served with a piccolo of Moet & Chandon champagne
($74 pp or $79 on weekends)

Savoury High Tea
Freshly prepared finger sandwiches
Pumpkin, carrot and zucchini muffins with cucumber yoghurt
Savoury pastries (included goats cheese, mushroom and one meat-filled pastry)
Coffee or tea
($44 pp or $49 weekends)

We requested as well as the muffins.

High Tea for Tin Lids
(3-12 years)
Mini sandwiches (cheese)
Fairy bread triangles
Mini cupcake and assorted sweet bites
Juice or soft drink
($24pp or $29 on weekends)

Add $5 for gluten-free or dairy-free and $10 for vegan

The Traditional High tea was an absolute delight. Warm scones, plenty of jam and cream. fresh sandwiches and delicious sweet treats. They included a red velvet cupcake, fruit tart, caramel slice, dark chocolate tart and passionfruit cookie.

The addition of the Savoury High Tea to the menu is extremely welcome as several members of our family prefer savoury to sweet. We all tried a bit of the muffin and it was delicious. You can ask for the muffins to be swapped with scones if you prefer that.

The Kids’ High Tea is an excellent option and it was completely devoured. Lovely to have the mini muffins and cupcake as the “sweets” (plus a marshmallow that is hidden). It was the perfect size for our almost 8 year old. They even served her orange juice in a teapot.

The service at the Gatehouse is top notch. I appreciated that the staff came to check on us and brought us extra boiling water to refresh our tea.

Parking is next to the Gatehouse. It is $3 per hour, $14 all day or free after 12pm Saturday and all day Sunday.

There is lots to explore in Parramatta Park so set aside the whole day. Near to the Gatehouse is the Pavilion Flat Playground which has been newly renovated and is about to reopen.

About a 20 minute walk away is the excellent Domain Creek Playground. You can read more about the Domain Creek Playground here.

We absolutely loved this tea and highly recommend the Gatehouse for high tea Parramatta.

Gatehouse High Tea Rooms
Macquarie St Gatehouse,
Parramatta Park,
Parramatta
Tue-Sun 8am-4pm
(02) 9635 1515
gatehousetearooms.com.au

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Cool down at one of these free water parks in Sydney.

Find the best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Sydney here.

Ryde Park: The Grounds Keeper Cafe, Playground & Scooter + Bike Track

March 18, 2018 / Outdoor Play, Playgrounds, Ryde, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Sydney’s Northwest is spoiled for choice with excellent parks, playgrounds and cafes. Ryde Park, in particular, is a special spot. It’s a huge park complete with sporting grounds, basketball court, playground, picnic facilities, a brand new scooter and bike track, plus the excellent Grounds Keeper Cafe.

Ryde Park: The Grounds Keeper Cafe, Playground & Scooter + Bike Track

The Grounds Keeper Cafe was formerly known as Ryde Park Cafe before its makeover in 2013 by owner Sam Hayek. The menu has a Middler Eastern flavour to it, with dishes on offer such as Kafta Tagine Eggs (Clay pot baked free range eggs with spiced lamb kafta and served with pita bread and labna, $19) Chilli Eggs (Spicy avocado and tomato salsa on toasted sourdough, free range poached eggs, topped with Dukkah and drizzled with balsamic glaze, $19) and Hummus Awarma (Traditional Lebanese breakfast of hummus topped with fried eggs, slow cooked lamb, toasted almonds and fresh mint served with Lebanese bread, $22).

Brekkie is served until 11:30am, when the lunch menu kicks in. There are plenty of options for vegetarians and also those on a gluten-free diet.

Kids can choose from the Little Grounds Keeper Breakfast Menu, which features dishes from $6.50-$9.50 including choice of eggs with bacon with toast $9.50, ham and cheese omelette with toast, pancakes and a ham and cheese toastie. The Little Grounds Keeper Lunch Menu has dishes from $9.50-12.50 including wagyu cheese burger, penne napolitana, grilled chicken tenderloins with fries and kafta skewers with fries.

Tables are able to be booked in advance – which I highly recommend for weekends as it’s a very popular cafe. We didn’t book and were lucky enough to get a table straight away for our party of 7. Food came quickly after it was ordered and was cooked to perfection.

My Pancakes On The Grounds (layered home made pancakes topped with mascarpone, fresh strawberry, crushed pistachio, pure maple and caramel syrup and dusted with icing sugar) were a work of art and incredibly delicious.

The eggs on toast with added sides got a thumbs up from hubby and our friend who ordered the same.

The Grounds Keeper Cafe is incredibly popular with families in particular and it’s easy to see why. The food is incredible and service fast, even on a super busy day.

There is a reasonably-sized playground under shade directly outside the cafe, which is particularly good if you have to wait for a table or your meal. There are bathrooms behind the cafe including a baby change table and disabled toilet. The cafe and playground are also extremely accessible for strollers and wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are able to wheel directly into the cafe and up to the tables.

Ryde Park Scooter and Bike Track

A brand new scooter and bike track was added in March 2018. It’s a great little area with stop signs and roundabouts, making it fun and educational at the same time. There are three picnic tables with shade scattered around the track. Trees have been planted but it will be a while before they will give any shade. A water fountain at the entrance of the park is handy if you visit on a hot day.

Ryde Park
Ryde Park, Blaxland Road, Ryde

The Grounds Keeper Cafe
30 Argyle Ave, Ryde
Hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat & Sun 8am-4pm (Closed Tuesdays)
Kids’ Menu: Yes
Change Table: Yes
High Chairs: Yes
Easy stroller access: Yes
Playground: Yes
groundskeepercafe.com.au

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

NSW Rail Museum: Things To Do In Southwest Sydney

January 12, 2018 / Historical Sydney, Indoor Play, Museums, South West, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Bring your locomotive-loving kids to get up close to trains at the NSW Rail Museum in the historic town of Thirlmere. Since 1975 this little town has been home to a large collection of NSW’s railway heritage, including over 100 vehicles that move on a railway including locomotives, railroad cars and more.

Thirlmere is approximately 90km from Sydney in its southwest region, a town built with the arrival of the Great Southern Railway in 1863 to 1867.

The NSW Rail Museum is divided into three sections:

The Main Exhibition Building
This is the indoor building where you’ll find plenty to learn about life on the railways, their purpose and development and information on their engineering and design. Kids will love the interactive elements in this building, such as the train play table, colouring in, crafts and train carriages that can be entered.

We enjoyed looking at the Governor General’s Carriage, which looks like a palace on wheels, the Prison Van, even though it freaked out youngest member out a tad, the Steam Machine which kids can pretend to drive, and the mail van, which led to discussions about how mail was and is delivered.

In this building you’ll also find Steam locomotive E18; built in 1866, this is the oldest train in the collection.

Worker’s Walk
Linking the Main Exhibition Building to the Great Train Hall, this is where you can learn about the jobs that keep the railways running.

The Great Train Hall
Here you’ll find the biggest collection of “rolling stock” (which means anything that runs over railway tracks) in Australia.

Keep an eye out for:

6040 Garratt: The heaviest and most powerful steam train to ever turn a wheel in Australia.

Steam locomotive 1905: The first train to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Rail Pay Bus: Used to transport employees’ wages, some carriages are able to be boarded.

Roundhouse
Take a look at the trains being restored and maintained inside the Roadhouse.

Special Events
Several times a year, the NSW Rail Museum runs special events (check their page to see what’s next), such as their Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine, Annual Festival of Steam and Summer Heritage Train Rides.

NSW Rail Museum
10 Barbour Road
Thirlmere NSW 2572
Tel: 1300 11 55 99
The NSW Rail Museum is open 7 days a week.
Hours: Open daily, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm
nswrailmuseum.com.au

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Sydney’s Best Playgrounds: Bungarribee Western Sydney Parklands

January 10, 2018 / Outdoor Play, Playgrounds, South West, Sydney, Western Sydney / 0 comment

The Western Sydney Parklands is a top spot for local families to stretch their legs and really enjoy the great outdoors. The newest park in the precinct, Bungarribee, opened in March 2017 – a 200-hectare recreational facility that gives locals plenty of wide open space to play, cycle, scoot, walk, run and even walk their dog at one of Sydney’s largest off-leash dog areas, the Warrigal Dog Run.

At Bungarribee you’ll find plenty to entertain the family all day. The ultra-modern playground will be a total hit with the kids, with its 14-metre-high playtower, 50-metre-long flying-fox, giant and baby swings, water play area and sand pits.

The playtower is unlike anything we’ve seen in a Sydney playground before, with multiple levels giving kids challenges to climb over and through various levels. It’s a great space for tweens to enjoy in particular.

Other facilities at Bungarribee include walking/cycling/scooting tracks, 20 barbecues, 13 picnic shelters (8 are available for hire, the rest are free of charge, on a first-come first-served basis), plenty of car parking (the area we parked had free all-day parking), large, clean bathrooms, and wide open fields to run around.

Personally, I thought the space was pretty good, but could use a few improvements:

The park needs better shade cloths instead of the rather weird netting that was used.
The park has no all-ability features in it. I can’t understand why 15 million dollars was spent on a huge new park that excludes kids with disabilities.

Get more information on Western Sydney Parklands Bungarribee here.

Bungarribee
Western Sydney Parklands
Entrance Intersection of Holbeche and Doonside roads, Bungarribee.

Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Sydney: Jamie’s Italian Trattoria Parramatta

November 5, 2016 / Parramatta, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

JAMIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA PARRAMATTA IS NOW CLOSED

This branch of Jamie Oliver’s popular dining chain is an excellent spot in Sydney’s South-West region for dining with the whole family. We’ve been to Jamie’s Italian Trattoria Parramatta a few times now, for both date nights and family lunches, and always enjoy the food and ambience of the restaurant, as well as it’s top location in Centenary Square, right next to the fountain.

The first Jamie’s Italian opened in Oxford, England, in 2008. Since then the brand has expanded to open more than 40 restaurants worldwide. The restaurant chain is designed to be accessible and affordable, providing “good food for everyone”, as is Jamie’s ideology.

We most recently dined with our family and enjoyed a number of dishes: the Mezzaluna Caprese (Buffalo ricotta & spinach ravioli tossed through tomato sauce with torn mozzarella & sweet baby basil – while I ordered a small size, a large portion is $23.50), Turbo Rigatoni Arrabbiata (A fiery tomato sauce with garlic, basil, Scotch bonnet chillies, vegetarian pecorino & herby breadcrumbs – this was also a smaller portion, with the regular sized priced at $19.90), Italian Hot Pizza (Crushed tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, spicy pepperoni & wild oregano, $24.50) and the Italian Steak & Fries (Flash-grilled prime beef steak with Italian-spiced skinny fries & rainbow slaw, $26.50).

Jamie’s Italian is renowned for their excellent kids’ menu. We ordered the Secret Seven Tomato Pasta (Homemade curly wurly pasta in Jamie’s seven-veg tomato sauce with pecorino cheese & crunchy, herby breadcrumbs).

It’s available in two sizes for kids of different ages and appetites and priced at $9.50/12.50. The meal came with a drink (my daughter chose milk) and the cutest salad. She was so delighted by how adorable the salad was that she actually ate it, which is a miracle for anyone who knows my vegetable-hating daughter.

If you want to order dessert, which we didn’t, they have some good and reasonably priced kid’s options worth mentioning: Ice Cream or Sorbet ($2.50, served with an Italian cookie and chocolate sauce), Seasonal Fruit ($2.50), Gooey Chocolate Brownie ($5, with vanilla ice cream, crunchy toffee popcorn & chocolate sauce).

We booked a table for our large group well in advance, but the restaurant is quite large so I would think you would be able to waltz in and grab a table for a small group at any time without a booking.

As well as the excellent kid’s menu, Jamie’s delivered the kid a really cute colouring in sheet and pencils. I really like when restaurants put in the little bit of effort to print their own colouring in sheets for some reason – maybe the effort shows they care that little bit more?

Anyway, while the salad was a hit, our fussy daughter wasn’t overly keen on the pasta. It was clearly handmade and while I thought it was delicious she prefers the store-bought kind she’s used to. I’ll have to take her to more places serving freshly made pasta!

As noted in the list of dishes above, Jamie’s Italian lets you order a small portion of the pasta dishes instead of the main size that is listed on the menu. I didn’t know this was an option as it wasn’t listed on the menu, but my cousin had dined there previously and let us know, which I appreciated. My Mezzaluna Caprese was excellent and I will order the larger sized version next time I go in, for sure. Creamy filling inside perfectly cooked pasta sheets. Delicious. The pizza didn’t get the best wrap, with the recipient saying it was a bit bland despite being spicy. Hubbie had the steak and liked it enough to hover it before I could ask him any questions, so that was clearly a success.

There are many restaurants in Parramatta, several Italian ones too, but Jamie’s Italian manages to hold its own among them, in part because of their excellent brand name, but also because the food is of a high quality while being decently priced. It will remain out go-to restaurant in the area, with and without our munchkin, but particularly with her, as it’s one of the best kid-friendly restaurants we’ve found in Sydney.

Want to let the kids run off some energy afterwards? The Parramatta CBD River Foreshore Park is nearby.

Jamie’s Italian Trattoria
Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Jamie’s Italian Trattoria Parramatta
Centenary Square, Church St,
Parramatta NSW
Phone: (02) 8624 6800
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon-Thur 7:30am-11am, 11:30am-9:30pm, Fri 7:30am–11am, 11:30am–10pm, Sat 8:30am–10pm, Sun 8:30am–9:30pm
Get Directions

XS Espresso: Milkshakes & Munchies in Wetherill Park, Sydney

September 7, 2016 / South West, Sydney, Sydney Food, Wetherill Park / 0 comment

A gem of a cafe in Sydney’s South-West, XS Espresso is situated in a busy outdoor shopping complex that looks more industrial than hip, but thankfully does have a lot of parking, unlike most inner city cafes.

We arrive at 12:30pm on a Tuesday and the cafe is quiet for the first half hour, when streams of people pop in, a mix of mums with little kids to a pair of 20 something men who both order the biggest milkshakes I’ve ever seen and polish them off completely.

We’re at the cafe for lunch, and order Free-Range Eggs on Sourdough Toast ($12), Avocado Crush (Avocado on sourdough with marinated feta and cherry tomatoes, $14) with extra poached eggs, $4, and the XS Stack (avocado, grilled halloumi, grilled tomato and poached eggs on sourdough, $17).

The food is cooked quickly, and arrives looking bright and perky with all those fresh ingredients piled on top. The stacks are a bit difficult to eat but are absolutely delicious.

The star of the meal, however, is the Monster Shake ($14), which is an Oreo shake topped with whipped cream, Oreos, Tim Tam and waffles in a tall glass.

The tall glass is important to note as the extra thick straws the staff give us to drink the shake with are not-so-tall – in fact, they don’t reach the bottom, leaving me in the unusual predicament of being unable to finish my shake (the horror!). I think they look fancy and very Instagrammable, for sure, but I would prefer the mason jar-style of glass that is easier to drink out of.

I really enjoy the creamy Oreo shake, but the toppings are too much, even for me, and it’s just too hard to get to the milkshake underneath with the narrow opening on the glass.

XS Espresso also serve more regular-looking milkshakes such as Nutella, and make kiddie-sized versions of the shakes on request. We ordered a kid-size Nutella shake to go and it was $4. Shakes all come with whipped cream on top (even the kids’ ones), so ask to skip the cream if it’s not your thing.

The cafe doesn’t have a bathroom inside – it’s a stroll of about 100m to the nearby Spotlight store which has the public restroom facilities next to it. It’s not far to walk but it is across a busy car park and, if you’re a toddler who needs to go, it can feel like it’s 10 times further than it actually is.

XS Espresso is the deliciously cool cafe the South-West suburbs badly needed. I love knowing it’s an excellent choice I can always fall back on when visiting that area.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

XS Espresso
9a/1183-1187 The Horsley Dr,
Wetherill Park NSW 2164
Phone: (02) 9557 8656
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri 6am-10pm, Sat & Sun 7am-10pm
Get Directions

The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan + Melaleuca House Cafe

April 25, 2016 / Mount Annan, South West, Sydney / 8 Comments

We are frequent visitors to The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney’s CBD, but had never been to the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan, in Sydney’s south-west, until recently.

The gardens are massive! 416 hectares of botanic gardens set in a hilly area of the southwestern Sydney suburb of Mount Annan. I’ve driven past the gardens many times on my way between Campbelltown and Camden, and decided that it was time to see what beautiful plants they had on offer for myself.

The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan are free to enter. They are popular place for families in Sydney’s west and south-west to visit for picnic lunches, due to their large grassed areas and excellent facilities. At the entrance to the gardens you can find the welcome centre (pick up a map!) and the public bathrooms, including a baby change/disabled toilet.

We had lunch at the on-site cafe, Melaleuca House. The prices were higher than I’d expected for a cafe inside a garden, but the food was excellent quality and apart from the “Vintage Tea Pyramid Selection” tea that I ordered for $3.90 that turned out to be a Twinings teabag dropped in water, I felt like it was a great meal.

As we arrived after the breakfast menu had finished, we ordered the Roast Pumpkin Salad (with zucchini, roast capsicum, goat’s cheese, oak leaf toasted pine nuts & pesto dressing, $20.90) Jumbo Scone (served with jam and cream, $4.90), Herb Crusted Chicken Tenders (with paprika lime dipping sauce, crisp garden salad & honey-lemon dressing, $19.90), Grilled Barramundi Fillet (served with bush tomato relish fresh lemon wedge & crisp garden salad & chunky chips, $24.90).

Kids aged 10 yrs and under can order off the reasonably-priced kids’ menu, which includes Grilled Sausage & Chips, Toasted Ham, Cheese Sambo & Chips, Cheese Burger & Chips and Chicken Nuggets & Chips. All kids’ meals cost $12 and include a Pop-Top Fruit Juice.

When we arrived the table next to ours had been waiting a long time for their meals and we were a bit concerned that ours would similarly take ages, but the food all arrived quickly, and the unanimous agreement was that it was all delicious.

Just past the cafe is a fenced playground with decent shade. It includes several climbing structures, swings and a flying fox. We had a hard time removing Cheese to go and explore the gardens, but promised her lots of rocks to climb as an incentive.

The gardens are quite spread out, and if you have the time and inclination there is a lot of walking you can do. We did a shorter route through the main gardens up and down the main hill area, climbing over rocks and running down grassy slopes. Along the way we explored native Australian plants and wandered through flower beds with butterflies dancing around us.

A flat, cement path winds around the gardens making them fully accessible for strollers and wheelchairs (it’s worth noting that the cafe area, particularly the outdoor seating, is also very suitable for large strollers or wheelchairs, too).

A new addition to the garden is the Jurassic Garden Augmented Reality trail.

Download the app, pick up a map at Information, and take a journey back through time through the garden to spot Australian Dinosaurs and megafauna next to plants that were important to them.

Once you’ve downloaded the app to your smartphone or tablet, point your device at the Jurassic Garden AR marker and watch the creature come to life.

The Australian Botanic Gardens Mount Annan are just beautiful, and are a welcome place to enjoy the beauty of nature in the heart of southwestern Sydney.

The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
Narellan Road, Mount Annan 2567
Australia
The Garden is open every day of the year.
Autumn, Winter and Spring: 8am-5pm
Summer: 8am-7pm
Prices: FREE
Online

Melaleuca House is open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun 8am-4pm.