Sydney Harbour Vantage Points
No visit to Sydney is complete without a walk on the city's most famous icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There is a walkway on one side and a cycleway on the other, but the fencing erected to stop people jumping off the bridge makes taking the view from them difficult. If you have the time and money, Bridgeclimb offers the best views. Otherwise, visit the Pylon Lookout which has excellent views over Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and the City centre.
Sydney Tower is the second tallest building in Australia. Its golden turret has a capacity of 960 persons and contains two levels of restaurants, a coffee lounge and an Observation Deck. Skywalk is a popular, breathtaking outdoor tour onto a roof top platform - the views of Sydney and its metropolis are uninterrupted in every direction.
The view across Sydney Harbour from Cremorne Point to the city is truly picture perfect, making it one of the best vantage points to take in the harbour, the bridge, opera house and city skyline in one panoramic vista. A bonus is its ease of access (by ferry from Circular Quay) and the round-the-point walking path which takes you past virgin bushland, delightful formal gardens and classical harbourside homes.
Being upstream from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Lower North Shore peninsulas of Balls Head and Manns Point both offer a somewhat different perspective of the harbour to that normally seen downstream. Look one way and you see the city and Darling Harbour; look the other way and the view is up the Parramatta River to Gladesville Bridge and beyond.
The house in Sydney with the best view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge has got to be the Harbourmaster's House on Goat Island. West of the Harbour Bridge and right in the middle of the harbour, Goat Island was once the fledgling colony's gunpowder store and a source of sandstone used the Sydney's finest buildings.dhood home to poet Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson. A stones throw away are convict relics from the Great North Road, built in 1832.
At The Gap, when it comes to views, they are spectacular no matter which direction you face. Look south and see picturesque cliffs topped by houses; look north and see North Head and the harbour entrance; look west for a spectacular view up the harbour; look down and there's the churning sea pounding the cliff face.
This former colonial military reserve opposite Sydney Heads is a great place to enjoy sweeping views of the harbour and the suburbs that surround it. Sweeping views include the Eastern Suburbs and South Head, Georges Head, North Harbour (towards Manly) and the lower reaches of Middle Harbour. The next headland - Georges Head - which has a lookout and more fortifications, is a 30 minute walk away.
When you take the 30-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly, you have to keep reminding yourself that you are not on a harbour cruise but just using public transport. It's the best value Sydney Harbour trip available with views of the whole harbour from the Harbour Bridge through to Watsons Bay and Manly.
Cockatoo Island is Australia's most unusual urban park - a heritage-listed island in the middle of Sydney Harbour. You can take a guided tour or head off on your own and explore what has to be one of Australia's most interesting islands. You'll visit mainland Australia's most comprehensive collection of convict buildings, relics from Australia's once thriving shipbuilding industry, and of course take in its wonderful views of both the Harbour and Parramatta River.
Located on Dobroyd Head in Tania Park, Arabanoo Lookout offers views across North Harbour to Sydney Heads and Manly. Signs and monuments near the lookout provide some historical information about the area and its early inhabitants. Aboriginal rock carvings can be found beside the walkway to Reef Beach and the Grotto Point lighthouse.
Brdleys Head offers panoramic views across Sydney Harbour towards the city. The fortifications here are the best preserved of all those to be found around the shores of Sydney Harbour. The older fortifications - a firing wall and a single cannon mount - are located alongside the mast and crows nest of HMAS Sydney. There are picnic facilities on the upper and lower levels. Bradleys Head is a short walk from the Taronga Zoo ferry wharf.
Being upstream from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Lower North Shore peninsulas of Balls Head and Manns Point both offer a somewhat different perspective of the harbour to that normally seen downstream. Look one way and you see the city and Darling Harbour; look the other way and the view is up the Parramatta River to Gladesville Bridge and beyond.