Tucked at the southern end of Darling Harbour, the Chinese Garden of Friendship is a small walled classical garden gifted by Sydney's sister city Guangzhou. Koi-filled ponds, waterfalls, pavilions and hidden dragons line a compact, easy loop, and the modest entry fee buys a calm pocket of quiet away from the harbour crowds.

Why We Love It

• Fish spotting abound with fat orange koi, carp and turtles clustering right at the pond edges, reliably the kids' favourite spot.

• A built-in dragon hunt spotting the carved and sculpted dragons through the pavilions keeps little ones busy the whole loop.

• Teahouse with a tea-and-snack experience the onsite Chinese teahouse does kid-friendly tastings, a nice shaded reset mid-outing.

• Small and fully walled so pre-schoolers can roam the loop without you watching the exits.

• Two minutes from Tumbalong Park which makes it a rare patch of green calm right beside Darling Harbour's big water-play playground.