Balmain & Birchgrove

This map was created using GPS Visualizer's do-it-yourself geographic utilities.

Please wait while the map data loads...

Route: Bridgewater Park, Balmain Cove, Longview Street, Paringa Reserve, Tilba Avenue, Elkington Park, Dawn Fraser Baths, Birchgrove Public School, River Street, Louisa Street, Birchgrove Park, Wharf Road, Ballast Point Park, Mort Bay Park, Thames Street Wharf, Darling Street, Colgate Avenue, Ewenton Park, Ewenton Street, Adolphus Street, Darling Street, Gladstone Park, Beattie Street, Elliot Street

Date: 28/08/2021
From: Iron Cove Bridge

Parking: Yara Avenue
Start Point: Bridgewater Park
Finish Point: Yara Avenue
Region: Sydney - Inner West

Route length: 10.1km
Time taken: 03:53
Average speed: 2.8km/h
Ascent: 229m
Descent: 204m

Points of Interest: Snails Bay, Ballast Point Park, Mort Bay, Ewenton Park

Balmain is a historic suburb within the Inner West of Sydney, one of the only places we can legally visit while Sydney is in lockdown as it is within our local area. That's not to say that this isn't an interesting hike, however, as you will see if you keep reading. One of the small positives of lockdown is being forced to explore areas a little closer to home.

Balmain experienced rapid urbanisation from the 1840s as major industry established itself along the foreshore. The quiet village quickly became a bustling industrial town. It is one of Sydney’s oldest and most historic suburbs and much of the neighbourhood is a conservation area, so it retains its original charm and character.

We drove the short distance to Iron Cove bridge, the main road bridge that crosses Iron Cove, one of Sydney's popular inner harbour bays. In fact, we visited Iron Cove the last time we were in lockdown, so this hike to Balmain felt like a natural extension. After parking on the nearby streets, we made our way down to the waterside.

Iron Cove Bridge at the entrance to Iron Cove

A path follows the shoreline through Bridgewater Park to Balmain Cove Park. The area was once the Balmain Power Station and the heritage-listed pumphouse building still resides by the water. At the far end of the park, the path gets squeezed between some tennis courts and the bay as it heads into the streets of Balmain and Sommerville Point.

Birkenhead Point - once warehousing, now a retail outlet

The old power station pumping house

Parramatta River

The park at Balmain Cove

Beyond the point is Elkington Park, a shaded elevated park that's has a sweeping view of the inner harbour, including the UNESCO Heritage-listed Cockatoo Island. Cockatoo Island was the site of one of Australia's biggest shipyards, operating between 1857 and 1991. The first of its two dry docks was built by convicts. Today Cockatoo Island retains some remnants of its past. Its prison buildings have been World Heritage-listed, part of a serial listing of eleven Australian Convict Sites.

A small area of remnant bush along the foreshore

White Horse Point

A gloomy Cockatoo Island

Elkington Park and the Dawn Fraser Baths

We made our way to Louisa Road in the suburb of Birchgrove, one of Sydney's prime areas for real estate. It has long been one of the city's most colourful hidden enclaves thanks to the harbour frontages and colonial-era housing.

Birchgrove at Birchgrove Oval

Wharf Road

In the heart of Birchgrove is the sports oval, which backs onto Snail's Bay. Here you will find the tiniest of beaches and an impressive view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Snails Bay

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Snails bay

East, along Wharf Road, is Ballast Point Park (also called Walama), a beautiful multi-tiered park that occupies the site of a former fuel depot. It's a bit of a maze and a great place to explore. The highlight of the park is Ballast Point itself, which looks across the harbour towards Waterview Wharf and Barangaroo, a mixture of old and new. Sydney Harbour Bridge makes an appearance but is largely hidden behind Goat Island.

Ballast Point Park

View across Mort Bay

Goat Island

Waterview Wharf Workshops

Mort Bay

Ballast Point Park

Mort Bay Park adjoins Ballast Point and is another example of old industry being turned into public land. The bay (named after Englishman Thomas Mort) was excavated to become a dry dock, growing to become the largest in New South Wales, taking wartime contracts during World War II. The park includes many remnants, including one of the in-filled dry docks.

Mort Bay

Mort Bay gave us the convenient opportunity to pick up the trail of a local walking tour - available from the Inner West Council. The self-guided tour would take us to several notable spots around East Balmain, starting at Thames Street Wharf.

The wooden ferry building at Thames Street Wharf is thought to be the only 19th Century ferry structure still in use on Sydney Harbour. The building is now used as a charming community library, in addition to the ferry terminal.

The community library inside the old ferry wharf building

Following the map for the tour (on our phone), we left Thames Street Wharf and made our way to Darling Street, the main thoroughfare of East Balmain. Running off Darling Street is Colgate Avenue and you'd be correct in assuming it has something to do with the Colgate company. At the bottom of the street are the beautifully preserved Colgate-Palmolive office buildings.

Colgate Avenue

The Colgate-Palmolive building

The waterside access made Balmain an ideal location for the delivery of ingredients straight off the barge to the company's own wharf. Within two years of opening in the early 1920s, over 140 people were employed and its products became household names in Australia and New Zealand. We spent a few minutes wandering around the exterior (it is now apartments) before we returned to the main road.

Colgate-Palmolive

We decided we'd had enough history for one day so set our sights on returning to the car, with a quick stop at Ewenton Park on the way. Here you will find a beautiful view of the Sydney skyline. The park is named after Ewenton, a large Victorian residence that overlooks the park.

The view of Darling Harbour and Sydney from Ewenton Park

Ewenton

Ewenton Park is adjacent to White Bay, one of Sydney's cruise terminals. It's not as prestigious as Circular Quay as the ships the dock here are smaller - they have to be able to get under the Harbour Bridge. We skirted around the edge of the docks and cut back to Darling Street in time to stop off at one of the local cafes. After grabbing a bite, we continue west along Darling Street.

Darling Street leads to the large Gladstone Park and Beattie Street, which winds through the Balmain back towards our car at Bridgewater Park. The foreshore of Balmain and Birchgrove is an interesting place to explore with a number of historical highlights. The Balmain we see today is vastly different to the shipyards, soal factories and Institutes of the past.

The London Hotel in Balmain

Centenary Hall

Beattie Street