15 Best Free Things to Do With Kids in Sydney

15 Free Things To Do With Kids in Sydney (That Are Actually Good) Let me start with a confession: we are a one-income family living in Sydney, which basically means we're permanently broke. The mortgage alone makes my eyes water, and when you add two kids to the equation, the idea of spending $50+ on a family outing every weekend just isn't realistic. So over the past few years, we've become absolute experts at finding free things to do in Sydney with kids. And not the sad, scraping-the-barrel kind of free — I'm talking genuinely brilliant days out that our kids (aged 4 and 7) love just as much as the expensive stuff. Here are our 15 favourites, road-tested and parent-approved. 1. Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk This is the one everyone recommends and honestly, they're right. The Bondi to Coogee walk is stunning and completely free. BUT — and this is a big but — you need to manage expectations with little legs. We don't do the whole thing with the kids. We park at Clovelly, walk south to Coogee (about 20 minutes for small humans), have a swim at Coogee Beach, and then walk back. It's the perfect amount for kids aged 3-8 without anyone having a meltdown on the cliff path. The rock pools at Clovelly are incredible for kids — shallow, calm, and full of fish. Bring goggles and a net and they'll be entertained for ages. We've seen blue groper, octopus, and starfish. Parent tip: The car park at Clovelly fills up fast on weekends. Get there before 8:30am or catch the bus. Toilets at both ends of the walk. 2. The Royal Botanic Gardens I used to think botanical gardens were boring places for old people. I was so wrong. The Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens are genuinely one of the best free family outings in the city. The kids love the bat colony (thousands of grey-headed flying foxes hanging in the trees — it's incredible and slightly terrifying), the duck ponds, and the wide open lawns for running. There's a really lovely sensory garden where they can touch and smell di