Visit Sydney Australia

Anyone familiar with 1980s Pyrmont would find it hard to believe that what had degenerated at that time into a blue-collar area surrounded by derelict industrial waterfronts was once a popular and picturesque picnic spot frequented by the early colonists of Sydney. But after being scarred beyond redemption by five decades of intensive quarrying on its shorelines, Pyrmont was given a new lease of life, and became the focus of Australia's largest urban renewal programme of the 1990s.



Its redevlopment as an inner suburban residential area began with the revamping of warehouses, establishing parks and harbourside walkways, and building the Star Casino, the National Maritime Museum and the Powerhouse Museum, all serviced by light rail which used a long abandoned goods railway line. Since 1992, the 100-hectare peninsula has been the subject of intensive master planning, large-scale infrastructure provision and property redevelopment that has transformed Pyrmont into a desirable inner city residential suburb.

Comprehensive Guide to Pyrmont

Barangaroo Reserve is located on the eastern shores of Cockle Bay and the inner-city locality of Millers Point to the north of Darling Harbour. The first bay on Sydney Harbour to the immediate west of the city, it was a major redevelopment project that was opened to the public in July 2015. The site was formerly occupied by wharves which stretched from Pyrmont Bridge in the south to the tip of Millers Point. During major wharf reconstructions in the early 1900s, the eastern side of Millers Point was badly scarred by extensive quarrying to create room for the wharves and for Hickson Road, which was built around the point.

Guide to Barangaroo

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour was one of Sydney's busiest industrial areas in the 19th and early 20th centuries, during which time it was extensively developed into Australia's busiesr port. Containerisation changed everything, and by the early 1970s, became an industrial wasteland, like so many docklands around the world. The Darling Harbour port area, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Ultimo and Pyrmont, was totally redeveloped in time for Australia's bicentennial celebrartions (1988) into an area now known for its recreational facilities and museums.

Balmain East: Next stop is the suburb of Balmain, one of Sydney's iconic inner suburbs, is one of Sydney's oldest industrial areas. Over time, industry left Balmain, and is now synonymous with avant garde cafes, bookshops and galleries. There are several renowned restaurants in Balmain, and the area is well-served by interestingly revamped former workers  pubs, with music and other entertainment.

Balmain and its close neighbour - Birchgrove - is serviced by four ferry wharves - Balmain, Balmain East, Balmain West and Birchgrove, two of which are visited by this ferry. Balmain East Wharf is at the foot of Darling Street, the main street, which climbs its way up the hill and into the main shopping area. About a kilometre from the wharf you'll find the next kilometre is full of cafes, restaurants, character pubs, bookshops, galleries and antique shops.

At its peak the area had over 80 pubs! Today it still has something for everyone from traditional to trendy, neighbourhood friendly to chic and all serving a wide range of beers, ales and often cocktails. Make a night or day of it! The areas pubs are also great places to eat with a range of food from simple to sophisticated. Most pubs also cater for a variety of functions from christenings or birthdays to weddings to wakes or company events.

Comprehensive Guide to Balmain

The first peninsula to the east of Milsons Point and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, McMahons Point is named after Maurice McMahon, an Irish manufacturer of brushes and combs who, in 1864, built his home on the headland. The suburb of McMahons Point is flanked by Berrys Bay to the west and Lavender Bay to the east.

Comprehensive Guide to MacMahons Point

Sawmillers Reserve

A 600 metre/10 minute walk from MacMahons Point wharf (up Blues Point Rd, left into French St), Sawmillers Reserve is one of North Sydney's true hidden gems. As its name implies, this was once the site of a sawmill. Today, steps wind down to the water's edge for beautiful views of the harbour, Pyrmont and Balmain, and west to Balls Head Reserve. Sloping embankments planted with native vegetation give way to an open grassy foreshores suitable for picnics and informal play. The wreck of an old hopper barge sits just offshore in Berrys Bay.

Milsons Point, the first ferry stop, is situated directly opposite Sydney Cove. The point itself is dominated by the northern pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the approaches of which mark the border between Kirribilli on its west side and Milsons Point on its east. Take a walk from the Milsons Point Wharf up Alfred Street South alongside the Harbour Bridge approach and you are soon in the commercial district of North Sydney, now the second largest concentration of office buildings in New South Wales.


North Sydney Pool

One of Sydney's smallest suburbs, Milsons Point is 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, next to North Sydney. It is named after the geographical feature that juts into Sydney Harbour from the northern side, It is home to a number of Sydney's icons, including Luna Park, North Sydney Pool, the picturesque Lavender Bay and the northern pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Comprehensive Guide to Milsons Point

Acclaimed as one of the most remarkable feats of bridge construction in the world at the time it was built, until recently the Sydney Harbour Bridge was the longest single span steel arch bridge in the world and is still in a general sense the largest. Since its completion in 1932, it has been an icon and an internationally recognised symbol of the the city of Sydney.

The first sod was ceremoniously turned on the site of the North Sydney Railway Station on 28th July 1923. The acquisition and demolition of buildings in the path of the new bridge and its approaches on both the northern and southern shores commenced on 28th July 1924.

The bridge was opened to roadway, railway and pedestrian traffic by the then Premier of New South Wales, Mr JT Lang, on Saturday 19th March 1932. The time taken to complete the whole work, including bridge and approaches was eight years. The contract for the bridge construction provided for six months' maintenance by the contractors from the date of opening, after which maintenance became the responsibility of the State.

Built at a cost of $20 million, it was only paid off in 1988, much of the cost being raised by tolls placed on vehicular traffic using the bridge. Tolls collected after the bridge was paid for has gone towards the cost of the construction of the harbour tunnel.

The first suburb to the west of the Harbour Bridge is Kirribilli, one of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods. Kirribilli is one of Australia's older suburbs, with the first land grants in the area being granted by the colonial government during the 1790s. The name Kirribilli is derived from an Aboriginal word Kiarabilli, which means 'good fishing spot'.

This terminal was built to provide better accommodation for the many larger passenger ships being built after World War II which brought thousands of migrants to Australia from Europe. By the time it was completed, the move away from sea to air travel had already begun and ironically, the first ship to use the terminal was the cruise liner, SS Oriana. The terminal was rebuilt on a smaller scale in 1988 at a cost of $16 million to a rather austere Structuralist style design. The stark look of the complex was tempered in another refit prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Circular Quay is the hub of the Sydney Ferries network. It lies at the head of Sydney Cove, named by Gov. Arthur Phillip in 1788 in honour of Lord Sydney, Secretary of State for the Home Department, who had chosen him for the task of establishing a penal settlement in New South Wales. Lord Sydney never visited the cove or the city that would later be named after him. The wharves built around the three sides of the cove are known as Circular Quay, and were thus named because the original wharves lining the cove were circular in their aspect (or more accurately, semi-circular).

In years gone by, Circular Quay was the focal centre of maritime activity on Sydney Harbour. It was here that the tall ships of the 19th century unloaded their cargoes, that thousands of migrants - convict and free - got their first sight of Australia, and from here that many troops went off to war. Today, its maritime activity centres around pleasure craft and ferries taking residents and tourists to a variety of locations around the harbour, though every once in a while Circular Quay is graced by the presence of a cruise liner.

Once a small island off what the First Fleet colonists called Cattle Point, Bennelong Point is today the site of one of the world's most well known 20th century buildings - The Sydney Opera House . When the first fleet arrived, cattle were brought ashore here. It was soon developed as a fort to protect the infant colony on Sydney Cove to its immediate west, then as a tram station before the opera House was built.

The Sydney Opera House is one of the world's iconic buildings of the 20th century and one of the few buildings to be erected in that century that is instantly recognisable in just about every country in the world. It's a building some people travel half way around the world to see, and marvel at its shape and setting. That it has one of the most inadequate, ill-designed opera theatres every built is irrelevant to all but those who use if for the function it was built for - what matters to the rest is that it represents Sydney, and indeed Australia, to many people of the world.

The next peninsula after Bennelong Point, on the ferry's right hand side, is Mrs Macquarie's Point, so named because it was a favourite spot of the wife of the Colonial Governor, Lachlan Macquarie. Between Mrs Macquarie's Point and Bennelong Point is Farm Cove, so named because the young colony of Sydney planted its first crops here beyond the cove in 1788. Today, Sydney Botancial Gardens circle the cove. Featuring gardens, grassed areas and gently sloping paths, it is a peaceful haven from the hustle and bustle of the traffic and noise of the city just a block away.
Facilities: picnic areas, restaurant, takeaway snack bar, visitors centre, gardens shop.
The first ferry stop is Garden Island.

Woolloomooloo Bay is the large, deep bay after Farm Cove. Bordered by the Domain, Kings Cross and Potts Point, the harbourside suburb of Woolloomooloo is home to some iconic Sydney landmarks, including the Andrew Boy Charlton Pool, Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, Garden Island Naval Base and the Matthew Talbot Hostel, the largest hostel for homeless men in the Southern Hemisphere. The historic Woolloomooloo Bay Wharf dominates the bay; this former passenger and cargo shipping facility provides stunning views of the Sydney skyline and harbour surrounds. Its restaurants and dining options abound with some of Sydney's hot chefs delivering a variety of excellent dishes.

Comprehensive Guide to Woolloomooloo

Seen from the left hand side of the ferry opposite Farm Cove, Fort Denison is one of the most visited and photographed islands on Sydney Harbour. In 1788 a convict named Thomas Hill was sentenced to a week on bread and water in irons on what had originally been given the descriptive name of called Rock Island. It came to be known as Pinchgut. The fort which covers the island was built in the 19th century to help protect the town of Sydney from naval attack. Fort Denison can be visited by ferry from Circular Quay.

Comprehensive Guide to Fort denison

Situated to the east of the Sydney Central Business District on the eastern headland of Woolloomooloo Bay is Garden Island. As its name suggests, it was once an island, but is now connected to the mainland via the Captain Cook Graving Dock. Garden Island has been associated with the defence of Sydney and eventually Australia, since the first fleet of convicts arrived in 1788 and built a fort there. It is today the home base for the Royal Australian Navy fleet, and consequently, access to Garden Island is restricted. A naval museum is open to the public and affords easy access to travellers on the Watsons Bay ferry.

Comprehensive Guide to Garden Island

This small island off Darling Point is named after a First Fleet Lieutenant of the Marines, Ralph Clark, who in November 1789, planted a private garden of corn, potatoes and onions there. The island has remained pretty much as Clark had left it, being declared a public reserve in 1879. This ferry does not stop at Clark Island.

Comprehensive Guide to Clark Island

The harbourside suburb of Darling Point can be seen beyond Clark Island. Renowned for its desirable and expensive real estate, Darling Point is mostly residential and regarded as one of the most exclusive and prestigious suburbs in Australia. It is a delightful combination of the essence of a past, opulent age and of modern convenience. Situated between Rushcutters Bay and Double Bay, Darling Point has always been noted as a suburb for the prominent and wealthy.

Comprehensive Guide to Darling Point

Just around the corner from Darling Point the ferry offers views of the equally exclusive suburb of Double Bay. It is known as the most fashionable and expensive shopping district in Sydney. Its shopping strip features boutique hotels and top-end shops, restaurants and cafes. The retail area is a short walk up Bay Street from the Double Bay ferry wharf, which is a stop on the Watsons Bay ferry run.

Comprehensive Guide to Double Bay

The suburb of Point Piper occupies the small peninsula which separates Double Bay from Rose Bay.

Comprehensive Guide to Point Piper.

Rose Bay is an affluent locality on the shores of Sydney Harbour in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. Located 7 km to the east of the Sydney central business district, Rose Bay enjoys views of both the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge together. The ferry wharf adjoins Lyne Park, which was the site of Sydney's flying boat airport. From 1938 until 1974, Catalina and Sunderland seaplanes landed on Sydney Harbour and berthed here, at what was Sydney's first international airport. Sea planes still take off and land there, but these days they are only joy flights. The ferry wharf stands on the very spot where Qantas Sunderland flying boats were serviced during the inter-war years.

Comprehensive Guide to Rose Bay

Located between Rose Bay and Bradleys Head on the Lower North Shore, Shark Island offers uninterrupted views up the Harbour to the Bridge and down to the heads. Crowned by a large Gazebo on its hill, the island has picnic tables scattered under the trees and man-made grottos providing nooks with wonderful harbour views. This ferry service does not stop at Shark Island.

Comprehensive Guide to Shark Island

After leaving Rose Bay, the ferry follows the shores of Vaucluse before rounding Steel Point. Neilsen Park, a family recreationsl area with a clean harbour beach (Shark Beach), a cafe/kiosk and picnic facilities, which can be seen between the two headlands of Steel Point and Bottle And Glass Point.


Neilsen Park

The next two bays on the right hand side of the vessel are Vaucluse Bay and Parsley Bay. It was onnce possible catch a ferry to Parsley Bay, but the service was discontinued many years ago. Today it can only be reached by car, bus or on foot from Watsons Bay. It is well worth a visit; the bay has a picturesque suspension bridge, safe waters and a park for children to play in, grassed areas, picnic facilities and a kiosk, not to mention a bush walk that leads to a pretty waterfall (after rain) at the head of the small valley.

Comprehensive Guide to Vaucluse

It is perhaps a blessing that Parsley Bay is overshadowed by its more famous neighbour, Watsons Bay, as this picturesque corner of Sydney Harbour is a quiet haven for those lucky enough to know of its existence and have discovered its tranquility. Though the least frequented, it is as attractive as any other bay on the South Head peninsula, and the perfect place for children to take a dip in its sheltered waters or fossick for shells and crabs on the rocks while the adults laze away the afternoon in the shade of the Moreton Bay fig trees.



Circling Parsley Bay is a rocky ridge which forms a small valley through which a small stream flows. The stream enters the valley high on the escarpment at the valley's head and cascades over rocks for some metres before winding its way through the only remaining natural strand of rainforest on Sydney Harbour's southern shores, to empty into the harbour.

Parsley Bay reserve is a 15 minute walk from Watsons Bay. After disembarking from the ferry at Watsons Bay, walk through Robertson Park, then f ollow Houptoun Avenue towards Vaucluse; a signposted laneway about 1 km from Robertson Park leads to Parsley Bay.

Comprehensive Guide to Parsley Bay

The ferry service terminates at Watson Bay, a charming maritime village tucked away in a pretty corner of the harbour. It is the starting point for a number of walks and activities both around the village and on nearby South Head.

Once a fishing village, Watsons Bay is now one of the must-see places for visitors to Sydney Situated on a peninsula at the the southern entrance to Sydney Harbour, Watsons Bay offers panoramic views up the harbour as well as coastal vistas on the ocean side. There are enough things to see and do here and in the vicinity to fill a few hours or a few days. Fish and chips on the grass at Robertson Park is somewhat of an institution in Sydney - and if you prefer to dine a little more upmarket, another Sydney dining institution - Doyles Seafood Restaurant - is a just over the road on the beachfront.



Robertson Park is the large grassed area in front of you as you leave the ferry wharf. It is a short walk across the park and Military Road to The Gap and Gap Bluff, where a wall of cliffs facing the Pacific Ocean offer stunning vistas both of the cliffs themselves and up the harbour to the city. The Gap is a notorious place for suicides. The Gap Lookout, to the left after reaching the cliffs at the top of the steps, offers panoramic views up and down the coast as well as up the harbour.

Comprehensive Guide to Watsons Bay

As its name implies, South Head is the southern headland at the entry to Sydney Harbour. A 30 minute walk from Watsons Bay village, it offers panoramic views of the heads, Manly and the lower end of the harbour, and a popular spot on Boxing Day (26th December) to watch entrance in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race head out to sea on their way to Tasmania.



The headland features Camp Cove, the heritage listed Horny lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's cottages, historic gum emplacements, spectacular coastal cliffs as well as numerous examples of Aboriginal rock art. On the way, walkers pass HMAS Watson, a Naval Training School, and Lady Bay, a secluded beach where nude bathing is permitted.



Camp Cove: If you take a short walk from Robertson Park through the Watsons Bay village to the end of Cliff street you will come to Camp Cove. It was here where, on the night of 25th January 1788, Gov. Arthur Phillip and a party of soldiers from the First Fleet camped during their expedition to find a more appropriate settlement site than Botany Bay, hence the cove's name. On the following day, Phillip found and chose Sydney Cove as the site for the new colony. Today a stone obelisk marks the spot where Phillip came ashore and camped. Camp Cove is used by many sailboarders and scuba divers to begin their activities. Nearby Laings Point recalls Edward Laing, the first landowner in the area who was granted 20 acres in the Watsons Bay area in 1793.



Colonial Era Fortifications: The cobblestoned roadway near the top of the steps above Camp Cove is a remnant of the original road constructed in 1871 along which military hardware was transported to the various installation points on South Head. The Inner Battery was built in 1873 and consisted of a series of gunpits and numerous lookout points on the headland from Green Point and Lady Bay. Five guns were aimed across Watsons Bay. A new Outer Battery was erected beyond the Hornby light and facing the ocean and a series of tunnels to connect the inner and outer batteries were cut.



In 1914, the guns were briefly mobilised, but never fired in anger and more bunkers were erected. One has a hand painted 1915 with an upwards pointed arrow (the defence department symbol) above it. During World War 2, a new series of tunnels were built linking HMAS Watson to a wharf used to offload military supplies at Camp Cove. These tunnels are quite deep and rather labyrinthine, their entrances today are blocked by steel doors. At the same time, a series of new observation bunkers were cut deep into the cliff face. These include one which was particularly well placed for viewing the Lady Bay nudist beach.


Lady Bay