Apex Lakeside Park (Aeroplane Park)

The aeroplane is the big drawcard here — kids spot it from the car and that’s it, you’ve lost them to the cockpit for the next half hour. It’s right on the edge of Lake Forbes, so there’s that easy, open feeling you get when water’s nearby, even if you’re just sitting on a bench watching the ducks. The accessible paths make it genuinely easy for everyone to get around, which isn’t something you can say about every park in regional NSW. Grab something to eat from one of the spots close by and make an afternoon of it — Forbes locals have been doing exactly that for years.