Route: Circular Quay, Cahill Walk, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs Macquaries Point, Woolloomooloo Bay, McElhone Steps, Challis Avenue, Beare Park, Rushcutters Bay, Loftus Road, Marathon Road, Double Bay, New South Head Road, Rose Bay, Lyne Park, Tivoli Avenue, Hermitage Foreshore, Steele Point, Mount Trefle, Vaucluse House, Parsley Bay Reserve, The Crescent, Watsons Bay
Date: 08/04/2023
From: Circular Quay
Parking: N/A
Start Point: Circular Quay - Sydney CBD
Finish Point: Watsons Bay
Region: Sydney
Route length: 15.6km
Time taken: 03:31
Average speed: 5.1km/h
Ascent: 300m
Descent: 297m
Points of Interest: Circular Quay, Sydney Opera House, Mrs Maquaries Point, Hermitage Foreshore, Parsley BayCircular Quay is the birthplace of modern Australia. Here, in 1788, the first British fleet landed and established the penal colony which grew into modern-day Sydney, after rejecting a site in the neighbouring Botany Bay. While Circular Quay may be an odd name for a bay that is clearly rectangular, it's simply a shortening of Semi-Circular Quay which was the working port's original name and shape.
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| Sydney's Circular Quay |
Now, Circular Quay acts as a hub for Sydney thanks to the rail station, ferry wharves and cruise ship terminal. Thousands of people visit daily, whether commuting into the city or arriving on one of the many cruise ships that dock during summer. There are iconic views everywhere with the harbour framed by the enormous Sydney Harbour Bridge and the world-famous Sydney Opera House.
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| Sydney Harbour Bridge |
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| Sydney Opera House |
The opera house occupies Bennelong Point on the east side of Circular Quay, reached by following Cahill Walk that runs around the bay. The point is named after Bennelong, an aboriginal man who was befriended and used as a guide and interpreter during the early years of the British colony. Lachlan Macquarie, during his tenure as Governor during the 1810s, built a fort on the point as part of his harbour defence system. This was replaced by a tram depot, which was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the Sydney Opera House.
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| Beneath the sails of the opera house |
The Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings though its current design was close to never being realised. An international competition to design the opera house was announced in 1956, and when Jørn Utzon entered his proposal it was promptly relegated to the bin. When renowned American architect, Eero Saarinen was looking through the rejects he found Utzon’s entry and Utzon subsequently won the contract. The concept of the roof represented a ship’s billowed sails, a representation of Australia’s maritime history. However, no one knew exactly how challenging the construction of this roof would be.
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| Sydney Opera House |
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| Bennelong Point |
The shells of the roof were the most complex feature of the building. At the time, hand-written mathematical equations were required to make the roof construction possible; it took 30,000 separate equations just to work out how much stress could be applied. The margin of error could be no more than 13mm when putting the segments together; anything more would have thrown the whole thing out of alignment as everything is curved and there is no flat plane in the entire roof.
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| You'll find one of the best views of Sydney Opera House from the harbour bridge |
Eventually, it was discovered that the roof 'shells' could be derived from the planes of a sphere - a watershed moment in the design and construction of the building. Despite this achievement, Utzon became embroiled in the political controversies of the day, with his designs, schedules and cost estimates being questioned. It is said that the government at the time withheld money from Utzon. Utzon was hindered and subsequently resigned in 1966. Sadly Utzon and his family left Australia, never returning to see his concept completed.
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| Bennelong Point and Sydney Harbour Bridge |
The colour of the opera house is as famous as its design. More than 1 million 12x12cm ceramic tiles are covering the shells, made in Sweden. The subtle chevron pattern is a glossy white-matte and cream colour that catches the light but doesn't glare and took three years to develop. You can get up close to the tiles as you make your way around the opera house.
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| The beautiful tiles that cover the Sydney Opera House |
From the opera house, a concrete path follows the sweep of Farm Cove through Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden - the oldest scientific institution in Australia and one of the most important historic botanical institutions in the world. Its stunning position in Sydney Harbour ensures it is one of the most visited places in Australia.
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| Sydney Opera House |
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| The opera house and harbour bridge |
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| Farm Cove leads to the Royal Botanic Garden |
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| The Royal Botanic Garden |
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| The Royal Botanic Garden and towers of Sydney CBD |
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| The Royal Botanic Garden obscures the bridge and opera house for a short while |
At the tip of the Botanic Garden, on the east side of Farm Cove, is Mrs Macquarie's Point which honours Governor Lachlan Macquarie's wife, Elizabeth, who had a chair carved out of rock in 1815. She often came to sit and watch ships enter and leave the harbour. It has perhaps THE best view of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, especially in the morning when the sun is shining from the east.
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| Sydney Harbour from Mrs Macquaries Point |
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| The north end of Sydney Harbour Bridge |
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| One of my favourite compositions of the Sydney Opera House |
From the lookout, the route towards Watsons Bay heads south alongside Woolloomooloo Bay to the district of Woolloomooloo and its fine Finger Wharf. This was originally a working-class suburb but is now largely gentrified with the redevelopment of the waterfront, particularly the development on the Finger Wharf itself which sports several apartments, a hotel and a restaurant.
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| One of the Australian Navy's two Amphibious Assault Ships - HMAS Adelaide |
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| The Woolloomoolo Finger Wharf |
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| Woolloomoolo Bay |
The navy base at Potts Point blocks any access to the harbour from Woolloomooloo Bay so we followed the main road to McElhone Stairs, a set of steps that afford a fine view of the city as you climb. The stairs commemorate John McElhone, a merchant and politician who had lived in Potts Point.
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| HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Sydney (V) at port in Potts Point |
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| McElhone Steps |
We forged a route through the streets of Elizabeth Bay to Rushcutters Bay, which was once used by convicts to cut rushes used as roofing material in the early days of the Australian penal colony. Adjacent to Rushcutters Bay is Yarranabbe Park (using its Aboriginal name) which forms part of Keltie Bay - the western bay of the Double Bay area (the other bay being Diendagulla).
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| Rushcutters Bay |
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| Rushcutters Bay |
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| Yachts moored in the bay |
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| Diendagulla |
We crossed the other two promontories in the area; Darling Point and Point Piper to reach Rose Bay. The two points are not particularly interesting as they are largely made up of expensive properties with no access to the harbour. Point Piper is regarded as Australia's most expensive suburb with houses being bought and sold in excess of $60 million.
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| Rose Bay |
Rose Bay was home to Sydney's first international airport, used by the Empire flying boats of the 1930s. The flying boats could carry up to 14 passengers and had a flight time of ten days from Rose Bay to Southampton compared to more than 40 days by sea. The flying boats provided a first-class-only service – out of reach of most Australians as a ticket cost the equivalent of an annual salary.
The airport occupied what is now Lyne Park, until the 1970s with the last commercial flight to Lord Howe Island in 1974. A small commercial seaplane operation now uses the bay, offering scenic flights over the harbour to paying tourists - something I would highly recommend. Here are a few of this hike's highlights seen from the air.
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| A seaplane arrives at Rose Bay |
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| Shark Beach, Greycliffe House and Rose Bay - almost the full length of the Hermitage Foreshore |
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| Point Piper |
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| Rushcutters Bay |
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| Royal Botanic Gardens and Sydney Harbour |
We followed New South Head Road to Tivoli Avenue and Bayview Hill Road which provides access to the Hermitage Foreshore Walk, one of Sydney's most popular tracks. The area was established as a reserve in 1912 as part of the Foreshore Resumption Scheme and the land was declared public in the 1960s.
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| Sydney Harbour |
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| Point Piper |
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| Entering the Hermitage Foreshore |
The area was largely left in its natural state so the 3km 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 are now one of the best short walks in the city.
The path heads through the native bush to the tiny Hermit Beach then to the grounds of Strickland House, a largely intact 1850s villa. Its location on a hill overlooking the harbour represents the picturesque aspirations of the wealthy mid-nineteenth-century society. The grounds now form one of the best harbourside parks in Sydney. Just beyond Strickland House is the picture-perfect Milk Beach, with its superb view of the harbour.
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| Parsley Bay Bridge |
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| Parsley Bay Beach |
Once across the bridge at Parsley Bay, the finishing line in Watsons Bay beckoned. It's a short walk along The Crescent before you can get down to Gibsons Beach and Watsons Bay. It's a great place to finish a hike thanks to its collection of small restaurants and cafes, the large Robertson Park and the ferry wharf that links it back to the CBD. For us, we were happy to call it a day but if you have a little more energy then South Head is well worth a visit, as is The Gap. Both are easily accessible from Watsons Bay and are fine additions to this hike.
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| Gibson Beach |
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| Watsons Bay |
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