Sydney Olympic Park offers possibly the most extensive and pleasant recreational cycling opportunities in Sydney, with water and park views, and some interesting historical sites to explore. Bike Hire is available from the Visitors Centre in Bicentennial Park. Get a copy of the bike circuits map from the visitors centre or online. There are three planned routes that are marked by coloured discs on the edge of the path. Paths tend to be quieter away from the picnic areas of Bicentennial park.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Other than having a barbecue, while you're there, walk, cycle or fly a kite. Bicentennial Park is a 100-hectare park created to celebrate Australia's bicentenary in 1988. Although older than Sydney Olympic Park, it is now part of the Sydney Olympic Park precinct. Facilities include electric barbecues, extensive gentle paths suitable for children cycling and for wheelchairs, and enormous amounts of grass on which to picnic or play sports. It is popular with families. Admission and parking is free but hard to find around lunchtime on some weekends, and it may be simpler to walk from the train stations.
The Tennis Centre hosts the Sydney International tournament, which is part of the lead up for the Australian Open in Melbourne and the ATP cup. It may also host some netball games in the near future.
This complex was built for the Olympics and houses the main competition pool. Many state and national swimming events are still held here. It contains a 50-m competition pool, a 50-m training pool, children's pools, a waterslide and a spa, sauna and gym. Worth checking that no major events are on if you plan to visit just to use the pools.
A collection of convention halls and pavilions mainly used for the Sydney Royal Easter Show, although used for other events throughout the year. The Showground also has Sydney Showground Stadium which is used for AFL, cricket (BBL) and baseball. It is sometimes used as a temporary stadium for football and Rugby codes.
The show is held every year in Olympic Park in the fortnight around Easter and is the most prestigious agricultural show in New South Wales. Competitive exhibits of livestock and produce are theoretically the point of the show, but for many visitors the main attractions are the fairground food and rides and the showbag pavilion in which large bags of themed merchandise are sold, with themes ranging from superheros to chocolate. Ticket prices are $45 for adults, $28 for children and $34 for concession holders. All tickets include free travel on public transport to the show; as using private transport is discouraged there are no cheaper tickets exclusive of transport.
The Brickpit
Homebush Bay was an industrial site before it was remodelled as Sydney Olympic Park. The brickpit area was preserved because the post-industrial area was also habitat to several species of rare frogs, including the endangered green and gold bell frog. The brickpit site has a high elevated walkway ringing the site. The engineering is quite impressive. There are interpretive displays as you walk the ring. It is unlikely that you will see any of the tiny frogs all the way down in the water filled pit, but there are binoculars if you wish to try your luck.