Visit Sydney Australia

Australia's most well known zoological gardens, Taronga Park Zoo has a large collection of native and exotic animals all housed in picturesque surroundings with the unforgettable panoramic vistas of Sydney Harbour as its backdrop. Opened in 1916, Taronga Park is home to over 2,600 animals on 21 hectares, making it one of the largest of its kind. With its panoramic views of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline, the zoo is a "must see" for visitors to Sydney.

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One of the three headlands that define the entrance to Sydney Harbour, Middle Head features peaceful walking tracks that take you through fascinating military relics and scenic outlooks with panoramic harbour views. The point of Middle Head is riddled with a network of lookouts, gun placements, and ammunition stores, all interlinked by tunnels and passages. Most were constructed in 1871 and remained untouched until the second world war. Spurred on by Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour, the Middle Head Fortifications were re-opened and upgraded. The nine guns mounted at Middle head were never fired in anger, but four men were killed in April 1891 in the accidental detonation of a mine.

You can explore Middle Head on foot at your own pace and discover former military fortifications such as gun pits and brick workshops. Nearby Georges Heights Lookout offers panoramic views of Sydney Harbour and features an elegant sandstone platform. Nearby Chowder Bay offers many casual cafes and fine restaurants.

Bus services connect with the ferry service to Taronga Zoo from Circular Quay. The 238 bus meets the ferry at the Athol Wharf below Taronga Zoo. Alight on Middle Head Road (before the bus turns left at Beaconsfield Road for Balmoral) and walk ten minutes to reach Headland Park. Walking tracks link the park to Taronga Zoo Wharf via Bradleys Head. Please note that the walking track gates at the Balmoral entrance and Chowder Bay entrance open at sunrise and close at sunset.

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Being strategically located at the entrance to Port Jackson opposite Watsons Bay, Georges Head soon became a military base with forticiations soon after the colony of New South Wales was settled on Sydney Cove in 1788, and has remained a resctricted-access military reserve until recent times, when it was returned to the people of Sydney for recreational use as part of Sydney Harbour National Park. The fortifications are now the centrepiece of this section of the Sydney Harbour National Park.

Walking paths link the numerous historic military sites sites - forts, headland lookouts, concealed gun pits, underground tunnels, barracks and other fascinating military structures, like the only remaining World War I-era military hospital complex of its kind in New South Wales. The former military facilties at Chowder Bay and Middle Head are within walking distance. That Georges Heights has some of the most stunning vantage points anywhere on Sydney Harbour with uninterrupted views across to Manly, Vaucluse and to the city of Sydney is an added bonus.



Georges Heights Lookout is the perfect place to view a panorama of Sydney Harbour. The vantage point is defined by an elegant sandstone platform allowing visitors to catch stunning views of the Heads, Pacific Ocean, eastern suburbs, and city skyline.



Chowder Bay: the perfect spot for some time out - be that to enjoy a meal at one of the charming waterfront cafes and restaurants or spend the afternoon snorkelling, kayaking, or bushwalking. Named after whalers who made chowder from the bay s abundant seafood, Chowder Bay is located on the southern side of Sydney s Middle Head peninsula, nestled between stunning harbourside frontage and a steep backdrop of natural bushland. It was opened to the public in 2000 following decades of military occupation. Chowder Bay is a great place to relax, enjoy an afternoon on the beach, explore historic buildings or dine by the harbour.

Bus services connect Georges Head and Chowder Bay with the ferry service to Taronga Zoo from Circular Quay. The 238 bus meets the ferry at the Athol Wharf below Taronga Zoo. Alight on Middle Head Road (before the bus turns left at Beaconsfield Road for Balmoral) and walk ten minutes to reach Headland Park. Walking tracks link the park to Taronga Zoo Wharf via Bradleys Head. Please note that the walking track gates at the Balmoral entrance and Chowder Bay entrance open at sunrise and close at sunset.

• More information about Georges Heights

One of Sydney's most historic headlands, now part of Sydney Harbour National Park. The mast mounted on the point is from HMAS Sydney, which did battle with the German cruiser Emden in 1914. Near the mast is a stone column from the original General Post Office in Sydney. It marks a distance of one nautical mile from Fort Denison. The semi-circular convict-built waterfront fortifications, a firing wall and single cannon mount were constructed in the 1840s by Gov. Gipps at the time Fort Denison was constructed. The picnic area beyond the car park occupies the quarry site of the stone used to built the forts.



The fortifications located up the hill towards the zoo were built in the 1870s. They comprise of a firing wall, a jetty, powder magazines, a series of tunnels and three gun emplacements complete with original cannon mounted on carriages. A sealed tunnel links the battery to the jetty on Athol Bay.



Athol Bay has a pleasant yet largely ignored beach that is ideal for a quiet swim away from the crowds or the perfect place to sit and watch a sunset over the city. It can be reached via the waterside path between the Taronga wharf and Bradleys Head.

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This walk explores a great section of Sydney Harbour. The walk starts at the Taronga Zoo ferry wharf with views of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The spectacular views continue as you explore bushland, bays (Athol, Taylors, Chowder and Obelisk Bays)and historic military sites along the way, including the fortifications at Bradley s Head, Chowder Bay and Georges Head. Some sections of this walk are closed at night. There are a few places to get food along the way, and many great places to eat your own packed lunch. Allow a minimum of 3 hours (6.8 km one way).

• Walking notes and map

Taylors Bay is the next bay on Sydney Harbour beyond Bradley Head when walking from the Taronga Zoo ferry wharf. The gentle bush track that weaves around the harbour headlands from Taronga Zoo Wharf passes through a strikingly beautiful stretch of virgin rainforest that encircles Taylors Bay. The path then continues beyond the bay to Clifton Gardens, Chowder Head, Georges Head and Middle Head.



The beach at Taylors Bay offers a combination of soft sands and rocks just waiting to be explored and a gurgling creek to rinse your hands in. Like all northern Sydney Harbour beaches, Taylors Bay is a relatively safe place to have a swim under normal low wave to calm conditions. The biggest hazard to children and non-swimmers is the often deep water off many of the beaches, and boating activity off some of the beaches. The entire harbour shoreline attract thousands of anglers, with most fishing from the relatively safe rocks and many jetties, as well as off the beaches fronted by deeper water. Aboriginal carvings of kangaroos are sometimes visible on the rocks at low tide.



Taylors Bay had its 10 minutes of fame on the night of 31 May 1942 when three Japanese submarines, I-22, I-24 and I-27, entered Sydney Harbour, each launched a Type A midget submarine for an attack on shipping in Sydney Harbour. All three midget submarines made it into the harbour. I-24 and I-27 travelled as far as Garden Island, where they fired torpedoes and caused damage. The third midget submarine failed to make it far into the harbour. Spotted in Taylors Bay and attacked with depth charges by naval harbour patrol vessels, Lieutenant Keiu Matsuo and Petty Officer Masao Tsuzuku, shot themselves.

Whiting beach is a south facing beach bwtween Sirus Cove and Taronga Zoo wharf. Upon leaving the wharf, take the track to the left and the beach is a few 100 metres' walk away through a strip of harbourside bushland. Whiting Beach is anout 90 metres in length, with a small creek pooling behind the centre of the beach, and backed by vegetated slopes rising behind to Taronga Zoo. Little Sirius Point borders the western end. Access to Whiting Beach from Mosman itself is down a steep, rugged, concrete and sandstone steps from Whiting Beach Rd.

It is a secluded spot with postcard-perfect harbour views, but unfortunately at times it can be marred by discarded plastic bags, bottles and syringes. The Zoo has carried out extensive bush regeneration work along the foreshore fronting the Zoo and clears the beach of rubbish regularly, however tidal action will occasionally deposit rubbish on the beach after it has been cleaned.

Just around the corner from Whiting Beach is Little Sirius Cove, a small and sheltered corner of Port Jackson. Little Sirius Cove is reached by taking the Taronga Zoo ferry and taking the path to the left on arrival. Follow the narrow ribbon of bushland outside the zoo, then down some steps to Whiting Beach. Further on is Sirius Cove Reserve on Little Sirius Cove. It has a sandy beach and has a few sets of steps which go down to the water. It has shaded grassed areas, toilets and picnic tables and offers good harbour views.

Little Sirius Cove is a dog-friendly beach, meaning dogs can be let off-leash all day during the week and before 9am and after 4pm on weekends. This makes it a popular place for an early morning or afternoon stroll with the kids and pets.


"The Camp, Sirius Cove" (1899)

In the late 19th century many leading Australian artists used to come here to create some of their most famous paintings. This famous gathering spot for artists, writers and musicians became known as Curlew Camp. One of the artists had obligingly marked the spot by carving the name and the year into a nearby sandstone rock. At Curlew Camp, Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, Sidney Long and their bohemian friends lived in tents for several years, painting some memorable images of the area. Sirius Cove (c1895), by Streeton is perhaps one of the most adventurous, showing a long slice  of the harbour and its sandstone rocks. On the headland a narrow path is visible this is the path leading up to the camp where the artists stayed.
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Curlew Camp Artists' Walk: Camp Curlew was abandoned after the siting of Taronga Zoo in the area in 1912. In 2007 the Curlew Camp Artists' Walk was developed by Mosman Council and Taronga Zoo. The walk is over 1.6 km long and extends from the South Mosman ferry wharf at Musgrave Street and continues along to the Taronga Zoo ferry wharf, following the route used by visitors to the Camp during the 1890s. To reach the walk from South Mosman Wharf, walk along Musgrave St, left into McLeod St., cross Raglan St to the Foreshore Track which leads to Sirius Cove Beach. The walk starts from the Sirius Cove Walkway at the head of Sirius Cove.