Parsley Bay Reserve

Announcement

As part of Sydney Water’s Refresh Vaucluse and Diamond Bay project, the Parsley Bay Reserve car park and vehicle access to Horler Avenue will be CLOSED from 29 May 2024 to late 2026. Pedestrian access to Parsley Bay Reserve and the swimming area will be available via the existing access tracks from Fitzwilliam Road and The Crescent. Construction commenced in mid-2024.

Parsley Bay Reserve

Parsley Bay Reserve is a popular family park that includes an enclosed swimming area, picnic facilities and a children's playground. There is also a short bushland walking circuit (15-20 minutes return) that takes you to a waterfall at the head of the gully. In summer, Eastern Water Dragons can be seen sunning along the watercourse. This park is a popular venue for birthday parties, school picnics and social gatherings.

Getting here

Please Note: The Parsley Bay Reserve car park and vehicle access to Horler Avenue will be closed during construction of a new pump station at Parsley Bay from 29 May 2024 to late 2026. Read Sydney Water’s notification(PDF, 311KB) for more information and read more about the project here.

Horler Avenue, Vaucluse

  • A small car park is available from Parsley Road (Horler Avenue). It opens at dawn and closes at approximately 6pm (non-daylight saving time) and 8pm (daylight saving time).
  • Pedestrian access available from The Crescent, Hopetoun Avenue and Horler Avenue.

Facilities

  • Harbour swimming enclosure
  • Telephone
  • Disabled facilities
  • Bushland walking trails

Dogs

Dogs are prohibited at all times.

Accessibility

  • Accessible parking
  • Ambulant toilet

History

There are two popular versions of the origin of the name. One, that a hermit called 'Parsley' lived in early years in one of the caves at the head of the bay, the other is traditional and was probably used by the first exploratory parties (1788) to refer to an edible plant growing there, closely resembling parsley, which was used as an anti-scorbutic (scurvy) by the vitamin starved First Fleeters. The Bay was set aside for public recreation use in 1907 - it is one of Woollahra's best kept secrets. More on the history of Parsley Bay Reserve(PDF, 116KB)

Plans of Management

Parsley Bay Reserve Plan of Management 2023(PDF, 3MB)

Documentary

Watch a short documentary on Parsley Bay, A Little Piece of Paradise, funded through the Woollahra Community and Cultural Grants Program. This documentary was produced by a group of Woollahra residents during a documentary filmmaking workshop for seniors run by Metro Screen.

Location

Horler Avenue, Vaucluse 2030  View Map

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Facility Snapshot

Features

  • Kiosk
  • Playground
  • Public toilets
  • Swimming enclosure
  • Walking Trails Unpaved

Refresh Vaucluse Diamond Bay Project

Sydney Water is building a new pump station at Parsley Bay and supporting infrastructure which will redirect untreated wastewater away from one of three of Sydney’s last remaining outfalls in Vaucluse and transfer it to the Bondi treatment plant.

The Parsley Bay Reserve car park and vehicle access to Horler Avenue will be closed from 29 May 2024 to late 2026. Read Sydney Water’s notification(PDF, 311KB) for more information.

Pedestrian access to Parsley Bay Reserve and the swimming area will be available via the existing access tracks from Fitzwilliam Road and The Crescent.

A new amenities block will be built in the existing Caretaker’s Cottage but temporary amenities will be available during the construction period.

The kiosk area will be closed during the construction of new amenities.

Construction commenced in mid-2024.

More information, construction updates and a detailed FAQ

Park Hire

Many of our parks are available for hire for weddings, and social, corporate or public/community events. Visit our Hire A Park page for more information.

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