Bondi to Manly - Part 1 - Bondi to Watson's Bay (the Federation Cliff Walk)

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Route: Bondi Beach, Hugh Bamford Reserve, Raleigh Reserve, Rodney Reserve, Diamond Bay, Christison Park, Macquarie Lighthouse, The Gap, Gap Park, Camp Cove, South Head, Hornby Lighthouse, Camp Cove, Green Point Reserve, Watsons Bay

Date: 22/12/2019
From: Bondi Beach

Parking: N/A
Start Point: Bondi Beach
Finish Point: Watsons Bay
Region: Sydney

Route length: 7.0 miles (11.3km)
Time taken: 03:07
Average speed: 2.4mph
Ascent: 277m
Descent: 282m

Points of Interest: Bondi, Diamond Bay, The Gap, South Head

Bondi and Manly are arguably Sydney's two most famous beaches. While they are only 10km apart, they sit on either side of the vast entrance to Sydney Harbour. When I arrived in Australia, I harboured an ambition to hike the length of the Sydney Harbour foreshore and the introduction of the Bondi to Manly walking track has facilitated just that.

The Bondi to Manly branding features the aboriginal depiction of a whale

The overall length of the Bondi to Manly (B2M as it has been abbreviated for the inevitable hashtagging) track is 80km and while it has always been possible to walk the route, it has now become formalised with signage and a supporting app. Thanks to the extensive public transport network in Sydney it is possible to break up the route into manageable one-way sections. Starting at Bondi, the first leg would take us from the world-famous surf beach to the more sedate Watson's Bay and includes the dramatic sandstone cliffs of Dover Heights.

After climbing off the bus opposite the Bondi Lifeguard tower (the official starting point of the B2M walk), we set off east along the promenade above the beach, passing the Bondi Pavilion. The beach at Bondi is regarded as one of the best in the world though I don't see what elevates it above other beaches in the area. That said, I wouldn't regard myself as a beach lover so perhaps I'm not the best to offer an opinion on the matter. Bondi is an Aboriginal word meaning water breaking over rock. It has been spelt a number of different ways over time; Boondi, Bundi, Bundye.

The Bond lifeguard tower

A quiet Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach and North Bondi

At the east end of the beach, the Bondi to Manly route climbs away from the shore along Campbell Parade, a winding road that leads to the residential area of North Bondi. We passed a wide area along the road that was once a tram terminus and operated between the 1940s and 1960s.

We continued along the road, now Military Road, as it runs parallel to the Bondi golf course. The course is home to a tall, white column which, while impressive, is no more than a sewer vent shaft built in 1910. Despite this, the vent shaft is an important landmark for a great distance is likely to be unique in New South Wales for its use, design and construction. Additionally, aboriginal rock carvings can be found here if you know where to look.

The impressive sewer vent

North Bondi

Upon reaching a water treatment works, we left Military Road along a short, steep side road that climbs to a grassy area called the Hugh Bamford Reserve. More suburban walking led us along the streets of North Bondi to the Raleigh Reserve, the beginning of a long stretch of cliff-top walking - the Federation Cliff Walk (also the Waverley Cliff Walk).

Our first glimpse of the cliffs at Raleigh Reserve

The sewer vent dominates the North Bondi cliffs

The cliff walk starts along a broad grassy park, Rodney Reserve, which leads to the former site a WWII radar station. After the war, the site was dedicated to the field of radio astronomy and led the way in determining the precise location of the centre of our galaxy - coordinates that are still used by astronomers today. Sadly nothing of the site remains though I believe there are (or have been) plans to mount a replica transmitter close to its original 1950s location.

Rodney Reserve

Before long, we reached the suburb of Dover Heights where the cliff walk truly takes off. A wooden boardwalk clings to the rugged sandstone as it descends down a series of steps towards Diamond Bay. The craggy bay is surrounded by a reserve that shares the same name, home to Rosa Gully where you can find a small bushland remnant.

The beginning of the Federation Cliff Walk

The thin strip of grass above the cliffs is Lancaster Road Reserve

The sandstone cliffs

Diamond Bay

Diamond Bay

The path skirts the top of the gully and then heads along a road back towards the cliff edge. Chris Bang Crescent runs parallel to the cliffs until we made it to Clarke Reserve and Christison Park, home to the Macquarie Lighthouse, the first in Australia, and the longest-serving. North of the lighthouse is the remaining foundations of the Signal Hill Battery - a gun emplacement intended to defend Sydney from bombardment by an enemy vessel standing off the coast.

The top of Rosa Gully

Dover Heights

Dover Heights

Macquarie Lighthouse

Macquarie Lighthouse

Signal Hill Battery

Signal Hill Battery

Old South Head Road squeezes the path onto the pavement for a short distance until we reached the entrance to Gap Park, an area of recreation ground which extends from The Gap to the tip of South Head. The park was dedicated as a public recreation reserve in 1887. Now, thanks to the nearby car park, the small lookout at The Gap attracts a multitude of phone-wielding tourists.

Gap Park

Sydney Harbour

Aside from the view, the lookout is home to a memorial to the "Dunbar", a ship that was wrecked on the cliffs in 1857 with the loss of all but one of her 122 passengers and crew. The tragedy highlighted the need to more clearly define the entry to the harbour, showing deficiencies of the Macquarie Lighthouse, as it appeared that The Gap may have been mistaken for the harbour entry. As a consequence, the Hornby light was constructed at the extreme northerly end of South Head. This would be our next destination.

The Dunbars anchor

The Gap

Gap Bluff Walking Track

The Gap

Looking across the harbour entrance to North Head

From The Gap, the route takes a slightly circuitous route around the existing naval base at HMAS Watson, down to Camp Cove, one of Sydney's idyllic harbour bays. The South Head Walking Track leaves from the north end of the beach and makes a short, 2km circuit of the headland, visiting Hornby Lighthouse before returning back to the beach. In the scheme of the Bondi to Manly trek you may consider it an avoidable detour but it is worth it for the panoramic views of the harbour. It will also give you a sense of perspective for when you eventually reach North Head some 70km of hiking away.

Camp Cove

Lady Bay

The lighthouse keepers cottage

Hornby Battery

Hornby Lighthouse

North Head

There's one more point of interest along the route, having crossed Camp Cove. Green Point Reserve covers a small peninsula, jutting out into the harbour. The Bondi - Manly route follows the exposed rocks along the shore. This passes a stone obelisk and concrete pad, the remains of a winch house which used to serve a WW2 anti-torpedo net which was strung 1.5km across the harbour (the obelisk was a navigational aid built some 90 years earlier).

Camp Cove

Camp Cove

Green Point

Green Point

Watsons Bays

Pacific Street eventually leads to Marine Parade and the north end of Watson's Bay. It runs along the length of the beach to the ferry wharf where we brought this leg of the Bondi to Manly walk to a close. The next stretch would lead us along the affluent Vaucluse foreshore and the Hermitage Track - continue the journey here.