The Coal Loader & Balls Head Reserve

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Route: Waterhen Drive, Coal Loader Centre, Coal Loader Pier, Coal Loader, Coal Loader Link Track, Isabella Brierly Track, Harbour View Walk, Harbour View Lookout, Midden Walk, Angothora Walk, Balls Head Drive, Coal Loader Platform

Date: 22/12/2024
From: Balls Head Road

Parking: Waterhen Drive
Start Point: Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability
Finish Point: Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability
Region: Sydney

Route length: 2.1 km
Time taken: 00:37
Average speed: 3.4 km/h
Ascent: 66m
Descent: 61m

Points of Interest: The Coal Loader, Balls Head Reserve

Named after Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball of the First Fleet, Balls Head Reserve in Waverton, boasts a rich history for both the Cammeraygal People and modern Australia. The former Quarantine Depot and coal loading depot is now a public parkland, offering beautiful views of Sydney Harbour and the CBD. Located at the southern end of Balls Head Drive, it is a 10-minute walk from Waverton railway station, with parking available in the reserve and on Balls Head Road.

A hike around the headland encompasses local history at the Coal Loader, harbour views from the Harbour View Walk and Aboriginal history on the Midden Walk. It's a genuine bush walk experience, close to the heart of Sydney.

As you enter the coal loader site from Waterhen Drive, make for the Aboriginal Bush Foods Garden, where there is a large whale engraving with faint figures inside. This engraving, which was first recorded in the late 1890s, shows Aboriginal occupation long after colonisation. Balls Head, known as Yerroulbine, is home to the Cammeraygal People. 

The whale engraving at Balls Head

As you approach the Coal Loader, you’ll see the dilapidated timber Coal Loader Wharf. The wharf is heritage listed with plans to make it safe and provide opportunities to express its heritage values, despite its rather forlorn appearance. Moored alongside the wharf is the lighthouse tender MV Cape Don, which is currently being restored by volunteers.

Below the sustainability centre

Approaching the Coal Loader

MV Cape Don

The loading wharf has seen better days

You can't help but notice the huge sandstone wall ahead of you, punctuated by several arched tunnels. These tunnels once serviced the coal loader platform above — you'll see the hoppers that used to drop the coal through openings in the roof into waiting wagons. One of these tunnels is open for access, and it will take you through to the bush walks around Balls Point on the other side.

Entering the old rail tunnel through the coal loader

The coal loader tunnel

One of the coal dispensing hoppers

The coal loader tunnel

There are various short tracks around Balls Head Reserve — if you keep the harbour to your right-hand side, you'll be following the Coal Loader Link Track, which meets up with the Isabella Brierley Track, running down the west side of the headland. At the southern end is a lookout with a beautiful view of Sydney and Darling Harbour.

Coal Loader Link Track

Sydney Harbour

Darling Harbour — home to some of Sydney's newest developments

Sydney Harbour Bridge and a peek at the Opera House

The trail proceeds to the Harbour View walk, which occupies a higher and lower track. The lower section is accessible via a series of steep steps. Along the way, you'll encounter Tom’s Cabin, a natural rock formation transformed into a small cabin. The cabin, featuring a fireplace and chimney, is believed to have been inhabited during the depression years.

Harbour View Walk

Steps on the Harbour View Walk

The remains of Tom's Cabin

At the eastern end of the Harbour View Walk is a view of Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge, though it is somewhat marred by the ubiquitous Blues Point Tower — supposedly Sydney's favourite eyesore. It is regarded by some as one of the ugliest buildings in Sydney. Designed to be part of a modernist housing makeover of North Sydney, the tower proved so unpopular that the project was cancelled. The tower itself is nothing special, however, its situation on the harbour foreshore is likely the reason it is so disliked.

Sydney Harbour Bridge (and Blues Point Tower)

The route now joins the Midden Walk, looking over Berrys Bay and towards McMahons Point. The word “midden” refers to a heap or mound of discarded items, particularly shell and other food remains, left behind by past human populations. Presumably, a midden exists (or existed) in the area, but my untrained eyes could not spot such a feature — perhaps for the best.

Midden Walk

Midden Walk

Berrys Bay

Midden Walk

A perfect place to cool some hot paws

Walking up the hill along the Midden Walk leads to Balls Head Drive, and you'll soon find yourself on the Coal Loader platform which sits above the tunnel I described earlier. The platform, once covered in a large stockpile of coal, is now home to one of Sydney’s largest publicly accessible green roof spaces.

The Coal Loader

The Coal Loader

The platform and adjacent buildings serve as a model of sustainability where visitors can learn not only about growing plants but also how to incorporate sustainable design into their own projects. This includes energy and water-saving technology, stormwater harvesting, solar technology, and recycling.

The old loading platform of the Coal Loader

The Coal Loader is also home to a café, where we concluded our exploration of Balls Head with some cold drinks — the perfect tonic after a hot afternoon on the trails.