What can you do in Jannali with kids? You’re about to find out!
Charles Orwin Reserve
Start your day with a play at Charles Orwin Reserve at 2 Davey St, Jannali. It’s a great gated playground and while it is fenced in, the fencing is wooden and kids could climb through it or crawl under it if they really want to (but we suspect most wouldn’t).
There are two swings (one for babies), a couple of mini-rockers, monkey bars, balance poles, noughts and crosses, climbing apparatus and slides.
The spacious park also has a scooter path, bench seating, picnic tables and a bin for your convenience.
We’ve been here a few times and usually get at least an hour out of playing at the reserve, especially if we catch up with another family here.
When everyone’s ready for a rest, head to…
Union Place Hotel
Union Place Hotel is a large hotel pub opposite the Jannali train station, which opened in 2018. They have an expansive menu and great food. I can personally recommend the prawn risotto and sweet potato fries.
The last time we went my kids ordered a cheeseburger with fries and chicken schnitzel and chips. The other Kids Menu items include lasagne, fish and chips, pene and pizza.
The kids meals are $12 each and include a Busy Nippers activity pack and a small cup of ice-cream (though sometimes even if they’re ordering a pizza to share, or something else off the menu, the lovely staff will still bring activity packs over for you!)
After ordering, we sat in a booth in the bistro and the meals came out quickly. My son’s cheeseburger had way too much sauce on it so that made a bit of a mess, and he picked off the lettuce and tomato because he hates healthy food, but otherwise, both the kids’ meals were a big hit. I gladly helped them finish what they couldn’t manage to eat.
Shockingly, they weren’t too full to eat the ice-cream cups. I collected these from the bar and we moved to a sunny table in the beer garden out the front where they were quickly snaffled up.
Side note: If you manage to score a night without the kids, UPH does an excellent range of cocktails including three different types of Sangria jugs.
But back to hanging out with the kids at…
Sutherland Shire Toy Restoration Centre
I try to encourage sustainable shopping and support charitable organisations by treating the kids to second-hand toys from time to time. If you feel the same way you should check out the Sutherland Shire Toy Restoration Centre.
Retired local seniors volunteer their time here to restore old toys. They distribute toys to needy families within the community, as well as sell toys that have been donated or repaired.
The shop isn’t quite as big as it looks from the outside because much of the space is actually the workshop used to mend the toys, but there’s still a good number of toys for sale. There were plenty of dolls, dollhouse furniture, learning toys, puzzles, stuffed toys, blocks, and more to choose from.
After MUCH umming and ahhing my daughter picked a Duplo castle and my son chose an oversized teddy bear and we went on our way.
The Toy Restoration Centre is on the opposite side of the train line to UPH. For a similar experience that doesn’t require hopping back in the car again immediately after lunch, you can also try the SeeChange Op Shop above Jannali Medical Centre, which is just a few doors down from UPH.
Looking for another day out? Find our full series on how to spend a day in the Sutherland Shire with kids here or by searching “A day out in” any time you visit the Mums of the Shire website.
