Observatory Hill Park

One of those places you just kind of forget about for a few years and then you hit it up again for some reason or another and BAM, it blows you out of your Nike Airs all over again and leaves you on your back under a fig tree gasping for air like a koi carp.
It’s a hotspot for weddings, so if you’re some kind of wedding voyeur, camp yo ass out here and let the good times roll. Otherwise take a picnic and drinks and kick back in the pavilion, or (as I prefer) stretch out on the grass and lie motionless until the birds assume you’re asleep and creep up to steal your watch and then you have them right where you want them.
Tip top for sunsets across the city.

I’m not really sure how well the observatory works here with all of the light pollution from the Sydney CBD, but I didn’t come here (initially) for the observatory (though I will probably go there the next time I am in Sydney). However the gardens themselves afford a wonderful view of the harbour (and the bridge, if you consider the bridge to be anything more than, well, a bridge).

Observatory Hill is my work day happy place. Being down the road my office, I come here over lunch to take in Sydney’s beauty and use the exercise equipment. It’s hardly Sydney’s best kept secret, the constant flow of weddings is testament to that, but it’s a beautiful spot.
If you work down that end of the city, you should consider it as a little mental getaway for your lunch break. There is a good workout set up with a water fountain, it’ll fix that mid afternoon energy slump.

Great place to capture the last rays of sun or harbour bridge. You’ll find lots of photographers here set up with tripods or along with other groups of photographers.
This place is also very popular amongst weddings as you’ll almost certain to come across one on the weekend.

Observatory Hill, yes «Observe» and enjoy!
If you work in the city and want a place to get away from the stress of work and collect your thoughts, without tramping through the CBD in a vain search for solace; then this is the closest one can get to a small slice of nirvana. The many park benches sit under the sweeping branches of majestic figs, the eye drawn downwards to the view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the heritage buildings in the near distance, the observatory and pergola behind, a master painter’s vision come alive!
Read a book, eat a sandwich and even, if only for a fleeting moment, feel guilty at the sight of people jogging, cycling and exercising; you will never feel alone in your serenity yet, in this small fraction of the city, you will be all consumed by an immeasurable and perfect calm.

For New Years Eve, there really is no place like this. You’re situated on a beautiful park under a gorgeous oak tree, right in front of the harbour bridge, the lighting, music, and fireworks are all around you.
It’s perfectly built with facilities such as public toilets located nearby on Watson Road at the foot of the Lower Fort Street park entrance. If you want to go for NYE, get there in the early afternoon to grab yourself a level (not slopping) place under the tree with a good vantage of the bridge.
If you prefer to avoid the masses, it’s a tranquil setting for off leash dog walking and is highly popular location for walkers, joggers and fitness enthusiasts. The park’s shaded benches located around the orbital pathway are a popular destination for the less sports inclined passer by who’d prefer to read a book and escape from the world.