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Opera House and Bridge from Macquarie's Point
Walking from Circular Quay to Wooloomooloo via the Botanic GardensAnyone who has ever seen photos of Sydney, let alone visited this beautiful place, will know that it is a city with a close relationship to water. The never ending inlets and bays of Sydney Harbour are the playground of Sydneysiders, this is where they relax at a waterfront bar, exercise at beach bootcamps, catch supper, and even commute to work. And if the calm waters of the harbour are too sedate then Sydney residents and visitors transpose all these activities to the pounding waves of the Pacific Ocean. With this in mind - and as an honorary resident of Sydney for seven months - I took up the challenge to see as much of the harbour and Sydney coast as possible. With limited days off and abysmal fitness levels I admit I could have done better, but with foot and ferry power alone I think I've seen a few of the coastal highlights of Sydney.
Manly to Spit
The first walk I did is probably the most famous in Sydney, featuring in all the tourist literature as a top ten thing to do, yet I met hardly anyone when I was doing it. Not a bad thing and
just one of the reasons why this was probably also my favourite walk in Sydney. The day started with me jumping on the iconic Manly Ferry – the boat affectionately described by a friend out here as working so hard it doesn't even have time to turn around. The ferry in itself is a must do in Sydney, a brilliant way to get out on the water and see the famous silohettes of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House from a new perspective. Back in the summer the sun beat down on me as we chugged across the harbour and out to Manly.
From the ferry wharf I turned left and followed the promenade along the harbour beach and out past the aquarium. The sea sparkled and the heat tanned my shoulders. The path continued along the coast, past small beaches and inlets and I kept my eyes open for penguins, unsuccessfully. Eventually the path climbed up into the Sydney Harbour National Park. Here the native bush crowded the rocky path and I felt a hundred kilometres from the CBD rather than ten. Bizarre rock formations overhung the path, as did huge spiders webs with whole communities of arachnids loitering
tame wild lizard
Manly to Spit walk in them! The wildlife was not as wild as the surroundings suggested though. Rounding a corner - out of sight of civilisation but not forgotten - I nearly stood on a lizard happily munching biscuits from a tourist's hand! Trying to butt in on the action, but severely put in its place by the lizard, was a pied bird.
When I nearly reached the end of the walk the route ran along the beach. Kicking off my shoes I dunked myself in the sea and my heart nearly missed a beat the water was freezing! There was also no shark net so I was happy to leap out again and stretch out on a picnic bench in the sunshine to dry off and warm up. The last few steps of the walk were the most challenging: unable to find the bus stop back into town I ended up walking up the central reservation of a dual carriageway for two hundred metres before dodging across the rush hour traffic. I then sat and waited in the sun, hungry and tired, while thirteen buses went past me without stopping before eventually a bus driver took pity on me and took me back
Bondi Beach
Coogee to Bondi walk into town.
Coogee to Bondi
The walk between Coogee and Bondi beaches is in complete contrast to the other harbour walks I have done. Here the might of the Pacific Ocean is apparent as waves that have travelled thousands of kilometres smack into the cliffs lining the coast. Starting at Coogee where the waves dump you like a laundry cycle on full spin, Nat and I headed north up across the cliffs along the coast path. On a Saturday lunchtime the boardwalk is busy with exercising couples and families coming and going to the different beaches along the way. A particular family favourite is the swimming pool like inlet of Clovelly beach where toddlers learn to doggy paddle alongside snorkelling adults.
From Bronte to Bondi the cliff path becomes an international sculpture park each October. The legacy of these artworks remains year round with one or two pieces left out for the elements to edit. After an hour strolling in the midday heat, (more strenuous exertion was well beyond us that day!) we turned the corner to be confronted by the 'World Famous' Bondi Beach. No more stunning than the previous five beaches we had walked past, although
Sculpture by the Sea
Coogee to Bondi walk significantly longer and more packed with bodies, particularly so on that day because a surf competition was being held. Me and Nat pushed our way through the throng of surf groupies and found ourselves a patch of sand to collapse on after the hard work of walking a few kilometres in the hot sun with a hangover! We were then entertained in true Aussie fashion by a pair of chauvinistic male commentators on the tannoy system, and by the views of hot semi-pro surf bods running across the sand next to us.
Watsons Bay to Rose Bay
Another classic harbour walk, this time on the south side. Being a lazy backpacker incapable of rising before 10am we missed the ferry to Rose Bay and instead started the walk at Watsons Bay. No worries, except Watsons Bay is the home of Doyles Fish and Chip bar, possibly the most scenic place for a fish supper in Sydney, and a massive reward for a few hours walking! So instead James and I started the walk by climbing the steps up to South Head, the cliffs at the entrance to Sydney Harbour. From here you can see all the way back
South Head
Watson's Bay to Rose Bay to the CBD. You could also see all the way to New Zealand and The Americas...if there wasn't thousands of miles of empty ocean stretching well beyond the horizon.
From our vantage point we then managed to miss a sign and get lost down side streets, bypassing the nudist beach but turning up back by the wharf at Watson's Bay. A moment of weakness on my part about whether to stop for fish and chips before we had properly started the walk was quelled by James' lack of appetite in the summer heat. So we headed off west back towards the city. The path followed a mixture of sandy coves, suburban streets and overgrown bush. Sneakily James encouraged me to lead the way. I thought it was because I was more of a local and a better navigator; but it turned out the boy was petrified of walking into a massive spider's web and was using me as a human shield and early warning system. The joke was on him though when I casually walked under a web that was positioned right at his head height!
We passed lots of beautiful, secluded beaches on this walk, safely netted and calm,
yet devoid of people. After the crowds at Coogee and Bondi it was tranquil, but slightly eerie, to see so few other visitors. Particularly at one beach where there was still a huge old changing pavilion housing public toilets and the doors creaked and echoed. This is the first place in Australia I've felt compelled to check beneath the toilet seat for deadly inhabitants before going to the loo! Almost as devoid of life as the beaches were the suburban streets we walked down. Vaucluse reminded me of a South African city, with its huge, gated mansions and CCTV cameras. The only people we saw were in tradies vans, or clipping hedges, or lugging pool cleaning equipment up driveways.
Turning up at Rose Bay was an anti-climax. The sun had gone in and there was no greasy smell of fish frying on the air to greet us. But I felt healthier for the exercise and sea breeze, and a little bit virtuous that my bid to walk as much of the harbour as possible was progressing.
Manly and North Head
I did this walk as a girls day out with Nat and Caitlin. Finally it was a beautiful
summers day, glorious hot sunshine with a refreshing breeze, perfect for a walk around the harbour in our bikinis! Again we started with a trip on the Manly Ferry and then crossed The Corso (the narrow strip of land between the harbour and the Pacific Ocean) to Manly Beach. Instead of joining the hoards of people sunbathing on the beach we climbed up the headland at the end of the beach and into the bush. From our vantage point we could see the Northern beaches stretching out along the coastline. We could also see an ominous black cloud of smoke rising from behind them and were unable to tell if it came from the bushland of the National Park or the wealthy suburbs in that area.
At the centre of the headland we followed a metal walkway through the bushland and popped out in the middle of a barracks. Luckily they were part of the visitor centre and we hadn't just trespassed on military land. We stopped on the steps outside to eat our picnic and an overenthusiastic lady ran out and begged us to come inside and browse the exhibits. She was a bit too fanatical about the local
Bush and bush fires
Manly to North Head walk sights for our liking but we did allow her to point us in the right direction for the rest of the walk in return for use of the toilets!
Once we made our escape we soon found our way out to the end of North Head, the tip of land at the entrance to Sydney Harbour. From there we had magnificent views back to Sydney and of the harbour speckled with sailing boats and pleasure craft.
Out on North Head we also saw lots of signs warning us to look out for endangered Bandicoots, so we had our eyes peeled for the smal shrew like marsupials. At one stage we thought we spotted one, but bearing in mind how elusive they supposedly are, it was probably just a rat! We were so busy looking for rare rodents that we missed the path back down and ended up walking the long way round along the road back to Manly. By this stage the walk had taken a lot longer than we expected and all we could think about was cooling off in the sea. After leaping around in the waves for five minutes we rewarded our efforts for the day with
a couple of cheeky ciders on the beach before enjoying a spectacular sunset from the ferry back to Sydney.
Across the bridge to Kiribilli and Milsons Point
Having lived under the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for four months, it is shocking that I only walked the full length across it once during my stay in Sydney, but there I have admitted my failure. I really can't believe I didn't do this walk more as it is extremely rewarding. Not only do your buttocks get an awesome workout climbing all the stairs up to the bridge, but your eyes can feast on the views across the harbour. You don't need to pay hundreds of dollars to climb the bridge, just walking along the footpath you feel on top of the world looking down upon the Opera House and the ferries. Unfortunately you are only a chain-link fence away from five lanes of rush hour traffic but somehow you can turn your back on all that and it melts away as the calm waters of the harbour fill your horizon.
I'm no engineer or bridge geek, but it's actually quite interesting to see the huge girders of the
Walking across Sydney Harbour Bridge
Across the bridge to Kiribilli and Milson's Point bridge towering above your head. You get a real feel for how big the bridge is - and the monumental effort it took to create it - when you are in the middle of it. You also realise what an important lifeline the bridge is to Sydneysiders when you see the streams of traffic passing across it, not just cars and vans and buses, but pedestrians, cyclist and trains all busily trundling back and forth in their designated lanes.
At the north end of the bridge you get to perve on the posh pads of Kirribilli. The bridge gives you an excellent vantage point to look down on roof gardens, terraces and conservatories of the wealthy. After that I skipped down the steps to sea level for awesome views of Sydney Opera House and the bridge itself from the footpaths lining the harbour. Unfortunately the real estate blocks the path from hugging the waterfront the entire way round the harbour so I turned west instead and braved the vicinity of Luna Park. With its gaping clown's mouth entrance and jingly music, the fairground amusement complex that is Luna Park is an anomaly and monstrosity that I have successfully avoided so
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Across the bridge to Kiribilli and Milson's Point far. For some reason that day I was compelled to enter the pearly teeth and see what horrors lay beyond. Thankfully it wasn't school holidays or I may not be alive now to write this. Instead I turned round and jumped on the first ferry to pull up at the Milson's Point wharf and put some watery distance between me and the fun of the fair.
Darling Harbour to Wooloomooloo
From rejuvenation to working shipyards. From swanky restaurants to swaggering sailors. From a very average named place to possibly the best named location ever. Via building sites, botanical gardens and big rocks.
Darling Harbour is a strange place, built entirely to extract money from tourists in restaurants, cinemas, zoos and museums. The place has a fake feel about it: the fountains are only on at peak times, people pose on disgustingly expensive yachts and demand restaurant food be served to them on their deck. The oasis in this extravagance is the Chinese Gardens which are one of the most peaceful places I have ever been, and here they are in the centre of a huge city.
It's not that hard to imagine what Darling Harbour looked like before
Then and Now
Darling Harbour to Wooloomooloo the rejuvenation, you only have to walk a few metres further before you are in the concrete wasteland of Barangaloo. Once the dockyards, the harbour control tower still keeps watch over this barren piece of real estate. Earmarked for transformation into a dream inner city destination, at the moment it is still a cut through for joggers and lost tourists. At the other end you pop out into the historic terraces of Millers Point and The Rocks and pass under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, around Cambell's Cove with her tall ship and posh hotel and into Circular Quay, where you have to dodge buskers and tourists at every step. Finally I am within arms reach of the Opera House. From every angle and viewpoint the soaring sails of the Opera House demand to be photographed. Up close this urge is intensified. You can see every tile of her gleaming roof, each the size of your hand. Every sharp angle of her structure is stronger against a swimming pool blue sky.
Sydney is a city blessed with green space, none better positioned than the Botanic Gardens, pushing back the CBD from the harbour. This is the daytime playground of residents and
Navy dockyard
Walking from Circular Quay to Wooloomooloo via the Botanic Gardens tourists to the city as much as Bondi and the other beaches. If you get there at lunchtime you'll be lucky to avoid being crushed by stampedes of joggers. And if the sun is out then every patch of grass will be spread with rugs and hampers and picnic platters. While maintaining vast collections of rare national and international flora, the gardens are probably most visited for the viewpoint from Mrs Macquarie's Point. Here the Opera House and Harbour Bridge are wed together in all their glory with the sparkling waters of the harbour confetti all about them. Mrs Macquarie, wife of the first Governor of Sydney, may not have had the bridge and opera house to ogle at all day, but she knew a good spot when she saw one and had her servants set up a chair for her on this promontory so she could be the first to get the gossip from freshly arriving ships. These days you don't need a servant to set you up in the perfect spot, instead you just grab a sunlounger dotted around the public swimming pool overlooking the harbour.
Descending out of the Botanical Gardens the surroundings become some what seedier.
The Opera House and Bridge from Farm Cove
Walking from Circular Quay to Wooloomooloo via the Botanic Gardens Wooloomooloo is still home to a busy Naval Shipyard and Kings Cross, while now a tourist destination for backpackers, still caters for the primal needs of boys on tour. While I have little interest in the splendid ladies of the night, there is one indulgence that everyone can enjoy at the end of a long walk...a pie from Harry's Cafe des Wheels.
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