After some major building works, The Canopy in Lane Cove has opened its doors this month and it really does have it all. Located in the heart of Lane Cove, you’ll find fine dining, food, beverages, shops, and a fabulous playground for kids of all ages to enjoy.
The Canopy in Lane Cove is an exciting new destination that has been in the works for around three years now, and in the midst of a global pandemic, they managed to open Stage 1 up to the public on 13 June. I took my three kids, Cassie (4), Vivi (2) and Elliot (14 months) for a drive from Wahroonga to check it out. Here’s what we found.
Getting to The Canopy, Lane Cove
Getting to The Canopy is nice and easy. There is plenty of parking that you access the roundabout at the intersection of Finlayson Street and Rosenthal Avenue. On the level you enter, it is timed one hour parking, but if you go up there are plenty of three hour spots. From the carpark, you hop in the lift and it takes you straight up and opens onto a row of coffee shops (heaven!). Behind is The Canopy, making it so easy to get to.
View from the coffee shop across the laneway
Play area for older kids
Cassie and Vivi ran off as soon as they were allowed, and they started in the older kids’ area. It was busy – we came at 10.30am on a weekday and the entire place was packed. This didn’t deter them though. There is a giant bridge, with ropes to swing off underneath.
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- The big bridge with climbing ropes underneath
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- Vivi climbing
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- Cassie climbing
To get up to the bridge, there are plenty of climbing rope options to choose from. It meant I wasn’t willing to follow them up there (need to brush up on my climbing skills), but they didn’t need me. The bridge is huge and easy to walk across, with a giant tunnel slide at the end.
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- Vivi climbing up to the top
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- Cassie on the bridge
Cassie thought this slide was fantastic, and so did Vivi – at first. But because there were so many kids going down and running into each other (while playing) she got a little spooked and wasn’t having a bar of it anymore. The only way down is back to the ropes or a pole to slide down.
The twisty slide that was a favourite for all the kids there
Thankfully, there is a smaller slide underneath, although getting up to it is no easy feat. There are pole steps to climb, but the spacing is huge and Vivi’s little legs weren’t enough (yes, we had a fall and she was caught by another kind mum in the park). She recovered quickly and asked me to lift her up for a turn.
Vivi on the smaller slide underneath
There are three mini trampolines at the end of this area, which all three kids had a blast on. Elliot crawled over to join his sisters, who ended up picking him up to join in the fun.
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- Kids on the trampolines
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- Cassie bouncing with Elliot
As you head over to the smaller kids’ area, there is a giant rocker in the middle. Cassie and Vivi couldn’t move it on their own, so I stepped on to help out. It’s just a matter of moving your legs to get the movement going.
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- Sitting on the sway
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- They couldn’t quite make it work on their own
Play area for toddlers
While this next area is definitely aimed at the younger kids, the older ones will love it too. After all, there is a water weir at the end that I couldn’t pull Cassie away from. Vivi was all too keen to splash in the wet sand and took a lot of coaxing to talk her out of it. It would be a fabulous spot to bring the kids on a hot Summer’s Day with swimmers and spare clothes (yes, I did make that promise to them).
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- Kids enjoyed the water
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- Vivi having a go
This area is entirely sand. I thought Elliot would have a blast, but turns out he isn’t too sure about this sand thing. He did his research though and popped some in his mouth for good measure.
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- Sand area under a shade cloth
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- Elliot eating the sand in the tunnel
At one end you have a mini rock climbing wall that leads to a slide. In the middle, there is another water weir, but this one wasn’t on (thankfully).
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- Rock climbing wall
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- Slide at the end
At the end there is a small climbing wall with a rope for kids to climb. Vivi absolutely loved this and went up and down over and over.
Vivi hanging at the top of the rope wall
What’s around The Canopy?
I had sandwiches packed so we walked out and sat on one of the many benches just outside for lunch. There are water fountains in the middle here, that would be fabulous for water play in warmer weather. The girls both eyed it off while they ate, not convinced with me telling them it was far too cold.
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- Eating lunch on the benches just outside
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- Water fountains for playing
Of course, you have plenty of shops around you too at The Canopy in Lane Cove. There’s the post office, Woolworths, Baker’s Delight, cafes, fine dining restaurants, and so much more. There are also public toilets right next to the playground. It’s the perfect place to run a few errands before letting the kids loose at the playground afterwards.
Essential Details: The Canopy
- Where: 2 Rosenthal Avenue, Lane Cove
- Parking: Free 1-3 hour parking underneath
- Toilets: Yes
- Sunshade: There is a giant sunshade over the toddler area
- Enclosed: There is a small fence around it, but lots of different entrances that are open
- Seats: Benches
- Nearby Refreshments: Plenty of cafes and shops nearby
More Parks & Playgrounds around the North Shore
- Eight spots to find ducks around Sydney’s North Shore
- A riding adventure at Jubes Mountain Bike Park in Wahroonga
- Splashing fun at Sydney’s best Water Playgrounds
- A water wonderland at Balmoral Beach
- How’s the serenity? Waverton Park and Merrett Playground
