Bondi to Manly - Part 2 - Watson's Bay to Rose Bay (the Hermitage Foreshore)

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Route: Watsons Bay, Robertson Park, Marine Parade, Gibsons Beach, The Crescent, Parsley Bay, Wentworth Road, Beach Paddock, Coolong Road, Shark Beach, Steele Point, Milk Beach, Strickland House, Hermit Point, Queens Beach, Rose Bay Beach, Lyne Park, Rose Bay wharf

Date: 27/12/2019
From: Watsons Bay

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

Route length: 4.2 miles (6.8km)
Time taken: 02:20
Average speed: 2.0mph
Ascent: 139m
Descent: 133m

Points of Interest: Parsley Bay, Steele Point, Stickland House

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. The first leg took us from Bondi to Watson's Bay along the Federation Cliff Walk, culminating at South Head and the beaches of Watson's Bay. For the second leg, we picked up where we left off at the Watson's Bay ferry wharf.

Watsons Bay with Sydney in the background

We left the beach, heading south through the fringe of Robertson Park until we reached the Vaucluse Yacht Club in the suburb of Vaucluse, one of the most affluent areas in Sydney, along with Point Piper. The properties in these neighbourhoods exchange hands for millions of dollars.

The path follows the shore to Gibson Beach where it is forced onto one of the leafy residential streets. While not unpleasant, suburban streets don't make for particularly impressive photos. We eventually reached an impressive footbridge over Parsley Bay.

Parsley Bay

The 1910 suspension bridge is the focal point of the wider Parsley Bay reserve, a tiny but beautiful bay which has long been one of Sydney’s favourite harbour-side places, and since 1906 have been officially reserved for the enjoyment of the public.

The Parsley Bay bridge

Parsley Bay and its small beach

From Parsley Bay, we made our way through more suburbs, eventually reaching the promontory of Steele Point which is comprised of Shark Bay and Vaucluse Bay. More importantly, it marks the beginning of one of Sydney's most spectacular coastal tracks - the Hermitage Foreshore. More on that in a moment.

A seemingly unnamed beach close to Steele Point

Steele Point, like many coastal areas around Sydney, is home to a former gun battery tasked with defending the entrance to the harbour. Perhaps more interestingly, Steel Point was home to a naval degaussing station. Degaussing is the process of 'de-magnetising' ships to reduce the risk of triggering magnetic sea mines. This consisted of cables placed around the hull which acted as a demagnetising agent The degaussing stations consisted of electronic devices laid on the harbour floor beneath the shipping lanes – as ships crossed this range the magnetism of their hulls was measured to ensure they were still fully protected.

The gun battery at Steele Point

A similar degaussing station at Bradley's Head

Just off Steel Point road is the first access to the Hermitage Foreshore. The area was established as a reserve in 1912 as part of the Foreshore Resumption Scheme though the land wasn't declared public until the 1960s.

The area was largely left in its natural state so that the 3 km of rock and beach along the foreshore is mostly untouched by urban development and is fully accessible to the public. The tracks and facilities were upgraded in the 1990s and is now one of the best short walks in the city.

Shark Beach

Shark Beach

Sydney Harbour

From Steele Point, the track heads south through the remnant bushland to the tiny Milk Beach which, during the height of the summer holidays, was unsurprisingly busy. Despite this, the view of the beach and the harbour is sensational - picture-postcard Sydney.

The Hermitage Foreshore boardwalk

Shark Point

Milk Beach

Milk Beach

Just after Milk Beach, the foreshore track skirts the grounds of Strickland House, a largely intact 1850s villa. Its location on a rise overlooking the harbour represents the picturesque aspirations of wealthy mid-nineteenth-century society. The grounds now form one of the best harbourside parks in Sydney.

Stickland House

As it makes its way south along the shore, the path gets squeezed between the waters of Sydney Harbour and the high retaining walls of the various mansions which line Carrara Road above - one of the most expensive areas of property in the city. One of the properties offered short term leases for A-listers such as Elton John and Brad Pitt before being sold.

Hermit Bay

A fringe of bush

High-value properties line the shore

Hermit Bay boat ramp

 It leads to the small Hermit Bay with its beach and boat ramp before continuing along the shore to Queens Beach before finishing at Bayview Hill Road. We followed a few more of the suburban streets round to the beginning of the vast Rose Bay.

Hermit Bay

Hermit Point

Rose Bay

The wide expanse of Rose Bay was used to train Australian sailors, many for service in World War I. HMAS Tingira, named after an Aboriginal word for 'open sea', was moored in the bay between 1912 to 1927 for this purpose. After, from 1938, seaplane flights to and from London began and terminated in Sydney Harbour on Rose Bay, making it Sydney's first international airport, and what is now Rose Bay Water Airport.

Rose Bay beach

Rose Bay school

Rose Bay

The 1930s were widely considered aviation’s ‘golden’ age. The Empire flying boats could carry up to 14 passengers and with a flight time of only ten days from Rose Bay to Southampton compared to more than 40 days by sea, they began to rival ships as a popular form of transport. Flying boats provided a first-class only service (this was long before the advent of ‘economy’ class) – out of reach of most Australians as a ticket cost the equivalent of an annual salary.

A Qantas Empire flying boat

On 14th September 1945, nine flying boats landed and moored at the Rose Bay wharf, repatriating Australian prisoners of war who were survivors of Japanese camps.

This leg of the Bondi to Manly walk ends at the Rose Bay ferry wharf which sits adjacent to the Cataline restaurant, named after the seaplanes mentioned earlier. The Hermitage Foreshore is a real highlight of the entire Bondi to Manly route but is well worth an excursion of its own. The next leg is perhaps the least appealing of the entire walk as the majority passes through the eastern suburbs of Sydney before reaching the CBD, with precious little harbourside walking. That said, it has an ace up its sleeve, as you'll find out if you continue your journey here.

The Catalina restaurant

Rose Bay