Sydney Park is one of the three skateparks where I teach, and it is where I bring anyone who is ready to move on from flat ground to real transitions. If you are booking a lesson there for the first time, or thinking of taking your child for a roll, here is what you should know.
Where it is and how to get there
The skatepark sits inside Sydney Park, on the St Peters and Alexandria side of Newtown and Erskineville. It is a short walk from St Peters station, and there is street parking around the park. Allow a few extra minutes at weekends, when the whole park is busy with families.
What is there
This is the biggest public skatepark in Sydney. The City of Sydney opened it just before Christmas 2020 and it was built to suit every level, which is exactly why I like teaching there. There are three distinct areas. A street plaza with banks, ledges, rails, stairs and a quarter pipe. A beginner bowl, shallow and smooth, which is the best place in the city to learn how to ride a transition for the first time. And a large flow bowl, up to 3.3 metres deep, for experienced skaters. Around the edges there is plenty of seating and shade, so parents can watch in comfort, and the rest of the park, with its hills, wetlands and bike track, is right there for anyone who has had enough of skating.
Who it suits
For a complete first lesson I usually prefer North Sydney or Meadowbank, which are quieter. Sydney Park comes into its own from the second or third lesson onwards, once a student can push, turn and stop with confidence and wants to try banks and the small bowl. For intermediate and advanced skaters it is the obvious choice: there is enough here to work on for years.
When to go
Weekday mornings and early afternoons are the calmest times, and that is when I suggest lessons for younger children or nervous beginners. Late afternoons and weekends are lively. There is nothing wrong with lively, and part of learning to skate is learning to share a park, but for a first visit calm is better. I never teach after dark, and the park is at its best in the morning light anyway.
Skatepark manners
A few things I teach every student on their first visit to a busy park. Look before you drop in, and wait your turn at the bowl. Do not sit on the coping or stand in the middle of the street section. If you fall, get up and out of the way first and check yourself second. Say hello. Skaters are generous with beginners who show they are paying attention.
Lessons at Sydney Park
I teach here seven days a week, from 10am to 6pm, one-to-one, semi-private for two skaters, or small groups of up to five. Choose Sydney Park when you book, and if I think another park would suit your level better for the first session, I will say so. Prices are on the pricing page.
