Sydney Harbour National Park

Sydney Harbour National Park Review

This massive park is made up of 958 acres of separate foreshores and islands, most of them on the north side of the harbor. To see the best areas, put on your walking shoes and head out on the many well-marked trails. The Hermitage Foreshore Walk skirts through bushland around Vaucluse's Nielsen Park. On the north side of the harbor, Bradleys Head and Chowder Head Walk is a 5-km (3-mi) stroll that starts from Taronga Zoo Wharf. The most inspiring trail is the 9½-km (6-mi) Manly Scenic Walkway, which joins the Spit Bridge with Manly by meandering along sandstone headlands, small beaches, and pockets of rain forest, and past Aboriginal sites and the historic Grotto Point Lighthouse. You can take day tours of two harbor islands, Fort Denison and Goat Island, which have interesting colonial history and buildings. They depart from Cadman's Cottage, at The Rocks, with prices starting at A$27. You can also visit Shark Island (off Rose Bay) on a cruise with Captain Cook Cruises (A$20) departing daily from Wharf 6 at Circular Quay. The other two islands in the harbor park—Rodd and Clark—are recreational reserves that can be visited with permission from the New South Wales National Parks and payment of a landing fee of A$7. Visitors are allowed on these islands in small groups only, between 9 am and sunset or until 8 pm in summer. As there is no public transport, access is via private vessel, or water taxi. Water taxi fares cost around A$70 to A$120 for 6 passengers one-way. Contact New South Wales National Parks by telephone, or visit Cadman's Cottage to pay the landing fee or organise tours. The landing fee is included when you book a tour or a Captain Cook cruises.