Visit Sydney Australia

Mosman was named after Mosman Bay because of it being adjacent to it. The latter was originally known as Mossman s Bay as it was here that Archibald Mossman (1799-1863) established Sydney's first whaling station. It was a successful venture, but its operations were wound down on his retirement because its proximity to a growing residential area and its closeness to the city of Sydney was considered inappropriate. The main objection the locals had, however, was to the smell.

Mosman Bay was originally named Careening Bay as it believed HMS Sirius was careened (beached and its hull cleaned of barnacles) here in 1789. It was then variously called Sirius Cove, Careening Cove and Great Sirius Cove; most of these names are still in use but for other locations. The first subdivision of land for residential development took place in 1853. Taronga Zoo was established between 1912 and 1916 on land previously set aside for a coal mine. The venture did not proceed due to complaints by residents so the company's mining activities were transferred to Birchgrove.

79 known sites within the Mosman municipality have been catalogued though more are believed to exist. These are occupation sites (shelters, middens), religious or ceremonial sites and rock art sites.

Many have been destroyed or lie under buildings, but many others are assumed by archaeologists to survive in the foreshore bushland.

Ashton Park on Bradleys Head contains rock carvings of animals which are located near the steps going down to the beach on the eastern side of Bradleys Head.

Mosman Village Art and Craft Market
Mosman Square. Spit Junction
Trading: 1st Saturday of th Month (except Jan)  8am  3pm
Type: Art & Craft
Phone: (02) 9978 4181

Mosman Bay: According to maps, there are no beaches on Mosman Bay, but if you take a walk through Harnett Park on the bay's foreshore, you will come across a small stretch of sand where young children can enjoy a paddle in the waters of the bay. Mosman Bay is one of the nicest bays in Sydney Harbour. It provides a deep and sheltered cove for numerous boats.

Since early colonial days, Mosman Bay has been associated in the history books and the minds of locals with Australia's maritime legacy. It was the site of a whaling station in the 1830s-50s. Public transport: ferry to Mosman Bay.



Whiting Beach: The most secluded beach on Sydney Harbour, Whiting Beach 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. The beaches of Sydney and Middle Harbours have been known for years as great spots to catch whiting, particularly from November to March when they are readily caught. No doubt someone in the forgotten past made a good catch at Whiting Beach, hence its name.

There are a few examples of Aboriginal rock art on the rocks behind the beach but they are badly weathered and not easy to find if you don't know what you are lookibng for. Due to its position in relation to the tides that scour Sydney Harbour and move flotsam around, Whiting Beach acts as an unintentional dumping ground for garbage tossed overboard from boats or other localities around the harbour. As Taronga Zoo's land goes down to the waterfront and includes the beach and its surrounds, you will regularly see staff from the Zoo down on the beach collecting and removing rubbish that has been washed up on the beach.



After visiting the beach, return to the main track, turn left and you will pass Little Sirius Point - it's a short walk to the tip of the point - on your way to Little Sirius Cove. Curraghbeena Point is the Aboriginal name for the point.


Little Sirius Cove

Little Sirius Cove: this picturesque bay has a sandy beach with shaded grassed areas, play equipment for children, toilets and picnic tables and offers good harbour views. The beach and reserve are pet friendly, and are therefore great for a picnic. Entry is via Curlew Camp Road. Aside from being well-known for its nice secluded location, this beach is also famous as the campsite of artist Arthur Streeton, who set up camp here from 1892 to 1897. Streeton and Tom Roberts painted many of the masterpieces of Australian Impressionism while staying at Curlew Camp on the edge of Little Sirius Cove. Public transport: ferry to Taronga Zoo.


Quakers Hat Bay

Quakers Hat Bay: Quakers Hat Bay is on the northern side of Mosman, on Middle Harbour. The bay was named after Quakers Hat rock, so named because of its shape. Quakers Hat Park is the western-most reserve in The Spit Reserves and is a foreshore park with natural bushland and rocky shoreline. The park, used for storing small boats, is located at the end of the foreshore walk from Spit Reserve West along Middle Harbour to the west. A foreshore walk through Quakers Hat Park is accessed through several informal paths from Bay Street, Delecta Avenue and Pearl Bay Avenue. The bushland walk runs from Pearl Bay, through Quakers Hat Park ending at Pulpit Rock. The foreshore walk through Quakers Hat Park.

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.


Military Road follows a path beaten through the bush from North Sydney to Bradleys Head in the early 1870s. It was created by soldiers and local residents to give access to the new Bradleys Head military installations. These were being constructed in response to fears of an impending attack by Russia, an attack which never eventuated. Stumps along the route were dug out by locals who were paid ten shillings for each stump removed. It was along the path they cleared that the three guns for the fort were rolled through the bush from a jetty at Neutral Bay where they had been offloaded from a ship.



The Borogegal Walking Trail continues beside the foreshore past the Bradleys Head and around neighbouring Taylors Bay. The path continues beyond the bay to Clifton Gardens, Chowder Head, Georges Head and Middle Head. After rounding Bradleys Head and turning north, Taylors Bay, Chowder Head, Clifton Gardens and Chowder Bay come into view.



Facilities: grassed areas, picnic facilities, toilets.
Public transport: ferry to Taronga Zoo. Walk beyond zoo entrance to Bradleys Head, or train to North Sydney station, bus. No. 150 to Mosman, alight in Bradleys Head Road at turnoff to ferry wharf.

Little Athol Bay

On the western side of Bradleys Head is the open, southwest-facing Athol Bay, which has two small beaches located on its western, south-facing shore. Whiting Beach is a 90 m long south-facing beach, backed by densely vegetated slopes, with a small creek pooling behind the centre of the beach and vegetated slopes rising behind to Taronga Zoo. Little Sirius Point borders the western end. The second beach on the bay, that is often referred to as Little 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.


Queen Mary, 1940, at anchor in Athol Bay, with ferry Lady Scott

Athol Bay can be reached via the waterside path between the Taronga wharf and Bradleys Head. Athol Bay and Athol Bight are thought to be named after John Murray, the 4th Duke of Atholl (1755-1830) of the Isle of Man. Athol Bay has deepwater anchorages, which were used during the 1939-1945 war by the giant troopships Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth while waiting for troops to embark.

Originally called Sandy Bay, this deepwater anchorage attracted Robert Millard and Richard Linley in 1831 to request the use of four acres of land named Point Pleasant, at Whiting Beach, Sandy Bay, to build a shipyard. No shipyards were built. The Ferrier family constructed a five room stone house named 'Athol' with a wharf, two wells, an orchard and gardens in 1837. The Crown resumed Point Pleasant for defence purposes in 1871. In 1912, a 42-acre site on Athol Bay was rededicated for use a a zoological park, which became Taronga Park Zoo. A ferry wharf served by a tramline opened near the new zoo in 1917.


HMAS Melbourne in Athol Bay

For many years after World war II, old Australian warships were located in the bay before being scrapped. During the 1980s, Australia's Majestic class aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne laid idle for a number of years in Athol Bay, awaiting here sale to China. A proposal to convert her for use as a floating casino failed, and a 1984 sale was cancelled, before she was sold for scrap in 1985 and towed to China for breaking. She was the third and final conventional aircraft carrier to serve in the RAN. Melbourne was the only Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions. She was launched as HMS Majestic in February 1945, was sold to the Royal Australian Navey in 1955 and remained in conintuous service in her de-commissioning in 1982.

Australia's most well known zoological gardens, it 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. Location: Bradleys Head Road, Mosman. Open 7 days 9.00am - 5.00pm. Entry fee applies.

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Prior to making its home on the shores of Athol Bay, Sydney's zoo was located at Moore Park in an area bounded by Old Grand Drive, Anzac Parade and Robertson Drive. Moore Park was originally the location of marshlands known as Billygoat Swamp, but became host to Moore Park Zoological Gardens after the swamp was filled in. Opened in 1881, the zoo featured a variety of animals including Jessie the elephant, a gift from the King of Siam (Thailand). The zoo was transferred to the Taronga site at Mosman in 1912. The animals were shipped across the harbour by vehicular ferry.



Many years before Mosman was considered as a location for a new zoo, a flat area of ground that today falls within Taronga Zoo was a test site for a coal mining venture in the 1890s. In 1878 and 1879 Mr. E. D. Adams, of the firm of Ford and Adams, applied for and obtained the necessary rights to mine for coal under the waters of Port Jackson and Middle Rarbour, resulting in the formation of the Sydney and Port Hacking Goal Company, Limited, in July, 1890. In April, 1894, after two unsuccessful test drills on the Cremorne peninsula, the company applied to the Mines Department for a portion of Bradleys Head as a mineral lease. A mineral lease was issued, allowing ming of a 6 acre site at Bradley's Head. Approval to build a shipping wharf was also granted. The company had also purchased a site at Kurraba Point as an alternative shipping place, if needed.

The Bradleys Head mining site, that today falls within grounds of Taronga Zoo, was cleared of timber and scrub by a team of 18 men. Results from the inital test drill were promising, but not as successful as had been expected. Furthermore, public meetings had been held in Mosman Council Chambers, at which resolutions were carried almost unanimously protesting against the Government granting any of the foreshores of Mosman, for coal mining purposes. The protesters claimed the mining operation would be a disfigurement of the area, and tbat there were other places in the harbour, such as Balls Head near existing coal bunkering facilities, where coal mining ccuid be carried on without the accompanying disadvantages.

Though the site had been cleared and levelled, the Sydney and Port Hacking Coal Company was eventually stopped by an act of Parliament, brought about by public pressure. The mining company lost £3,500 in the venture.

The eastern shore of Little Sirius Cove is the site of Curlew Camp where several famous Australian artists, including Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and Sidney Long, used to come in the late 1800s for sketching opportunities. One of the artists had obligingly marked the spot by carving the name and the year into a nearby sandstone rock. At Curlew Camp, Streeton, Thomas 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 the narrow path which led to the camp where the artists stayed still exists and has been turned into a well signpostede feature walk. - this is the path leading up to the camp . 'The Camp, Sirius Cove (1899)', by Roberts, shows the collection of huts and tents nestled in the bush that was Curlew Camp. Both Streeton and Roberts nostalgically returned to the themes they explored during their time at Curlew Camp in later years. In 1897, Streeton (possibly during a stay in London) painted Sydney Harbour: A souvenir. The final painting Tom Roberts completed before his death in 1931, Ring a Ring a Roses, is a version of a landscape he originally painted of Cremorne, during his time at Sirius Cove.


"The Camp, Sirius Cove" (1899)

"The Camp, Sirius Cove" (1899), by Roberts, shows the collection of huts and tents nestled in the bush that was Curlew Camp. Both Streeton and Roberts nostalgically returned to the themes they explored during their time at Curlew Camp in later years. In 1897, Streeton (possibly during a stay in London) painted Sydney Harbour: A souvenir. The final painting Tom Roberts completed before his death in 1931, Ring a Ring a Roses, is a version of a landscape he originally painted of Cremorne, during his time at Sirius Cove.


Arthur Streeton's Sirius Cove (c. 1890) shows the eastern shore of Little Sirius Cove where Curlew Camp was located.

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Hartnett's Falls, also known as Mosman Bay Falls, was one of the most picturesque waterfalls on the North Shore to disappear with the advent of urban development. Richard Hayes Harnett Senior was a major influence in Mosman, as was his son, Richard Harnett Junior. Harnett Senior purchased Archibald Mosman's original 44 ha in 1859. Harnett was responsible for promoting the beauty of the area, encouraging day trippers to visit the waterfall and beaches. The increase in the number of visitors led to the establishment of pleasure gardens and various camps, including the artists camps of the 1890s.

In 1878 Harnett established a quarry at Mosman Bay, producing first class quality sandstone which was used in the construction of many historic buildings throughout Australia. When Harnett subdivided and sold the land above the falls, dramatic changes were made to the land around the creek which fed the falls, and to the falls themselves. So dramatic were those changes, it is difficult to identify the exact spot where the falls were.



The escarpment over which the water plunged has disappeared, one suspects it may have been excavated when the houses on Rangers Avenue near the corner of Avenue Road when they were built, and its remnants remain buried beneath them or their back yards. There is no sign of the plunge pool at the base of the falls, where children splashed and played on hot summer days - it appears to have been replaced by a jumble of rocks over which what is left of the creek flows after rain. These rocks do not appear in period photographs of the falls, but can be seen today from the head of the walking path which led up the valley from Reid Park to the plunge pool and falls. Today it stops well short of where the falls were.


The closest point to the site of the falls that can be reached from Reid Park today

There appears to have been a smaller, upper falls on or near the site now occupied by the BP service station on he corner of Cowles and Avenue Roads. The creek which fed it, and eventually fell into the valley after passing over the main falls flowed through what is now Memory Park. What is left of the creek which fed the falls is channelled underground, and run-off from the streets around where the creek once flowed is diverted down through the rocky gully into Reid Park. It only flows after rain, and its location is not well known.

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. Little Sirius Cove is a popular place for an early morning or afternoon stroll with the kids and pets. Facilities: childrens playground, toilets, picnic tables. Little Sirius Point and Little Sirius Cove were named after the flagship of the First Fleet, HMS Sirius, which was careened here in 1789.

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Prior to European settlement, over 3,000 years ago, Mosman was home to the Borogegal and Gamaraigal clans, evidence of which can be seen in the rock shelters, paintings, carvings and middens in the area. European settlement began with a few small farms and the first recorded European settler was Thomas O Neil at Hunters Bay in 1814. In 1831 Archibald Mosman received a land grant at Great Sirius Cove (today Mosman Bay) where he established a whaling station. In 1859 Richard Hayes Harnett Snr purchased Archibald Mosman s holdings and set about subdividing the area. Harnett was responsible for promoting the beauty of the area, encouraging day trippers to visit the waterfall and beaches and subsidising public transport. The increase in the number of visitors led to the establishment of pleasure gardens and various camps, including the artists camps of the 1890s.

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The neighbouring suburb of Balmoral is a harbourside residential area 8 km north east of the Sydney central business district. The locality is mostly known for its beach, officially divided into Balmoral and Edwards Beaches. Expensive residential real estate on the surrounding "Balmoral Slopes" benefits from the views and beach proximity. The naval depot HMAS Penguin is situated at the eastern end of Balmoral Beach. It houses a naval hospital and is accessed from Middle Head Road.

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The neighbouring suburb of The Spit is a residential suburb of Sydney to the north of the suburb of Mosman on Middle Harbour. The geographical feature which gives this locality its name is a sandbar which extends beyond Beauty Point on a bend on Middle Harbour prior to it joining the two other harbours which, combined, form Port Jackson. To the south east of The Spit is the Sydney suburb of Balmoral. The bridge at the northern end of The Spit is the gateway to Sydney's northern beaches and beachside suburbs from Sydney's Lower North Shore.

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The neighbouring suburb of Clifton Gardens is a residential suburb to the south east of the suburb of Mosman. Clifton Gardens was named after Captain E.H. Cliffe's home, Cliffeton, which gave rise to the naming of a hotel in the area in 1871 as the Clifton Arms Hotel. Cliffe, a whaling captain, bought land here in 1832, anchoring his ships in nearby Chowder Bay. The Clifton Arms was bought by David Thompson in 1891. He built a wharf, dancing pavilion and picnic facilities nearby and called it Clifton Gardens.



When it comes to a place for a day out with the family or friends, the very picturesque Chowder Bay is one of those harbour bays with everything. There is a wharf, enclosed baths, change rooms, childrens playground, lots of grass, picnic tables and several places to buy food. When the picnic lunch is over, there's bushland to wander through, or you can go fishing or snorkeling in the clear water. And if that is not enough, there's the extensive George Head fortifications to explore next door. The bay's name recalls the seafood stew eaten by American whalers who set up a whaling station in the vicinity of Clifton Gardens in early colonial times. Aboriginal name for the bay: Koree; Aboriginal name for Chowder Head - Gurugal.
Facilities: grassed playing areas, picnic facilities, toilets.
Public transport: ferry from Circular Quay (summer weekends only), or Taronga ferry and walk from Athol Bay, or train to Milsons Point station, bus No. 228 to terminus.

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Taylors Bay, between Clifton Gardens and Bradleys Head, remains virtually as it was when Sydney was first established - ringed by a very pretty strip of rainforest. Aceess on foot is via a track down through Taylors Gully to the beach from the Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walking track. Aboriginal carvings of kangaroos are sometimes visible on the rocks by the water at low tide. Taylors Bay is named after Joseph Taylor, a fisher4man who lived there early than 1838.

The steamer Centennial was wrecked in the bay in 1889 after colliding with another vessel. In 1942, Royal Australian Navy patrol boats cornered and sunk by depth charges in the bay one of the three Japanese submarines involved in the daring attack on Sydney.


The Manor

The largest house overlooking Taylors Bay is The Manor, or 'Bakewell's Folly', on the corner of Iluka and Morella Roads, Clifton Gardens, which can be clearly seen from the eastern side of Bradley Head. Built by William Bakewell for his family in 1911 as an eight-room cottage, over the next few years it grew to over thirty rooms, most of which were lined with beaten copper, with an internal maze of corridors.

From 1922 it was the home of a Theosophist community under Charles Webster Leadbeater, which seeks to find God and achieve universal goodwill by spiritual ecstasy, direct intuition or special individual relations. In 1926, the Theosophical Broadcasting Station called 2GB, was established at The Manor and operated there for a short time before moving to Sydney. The Star Amphitheatre was built in 1923 24 at Balmoral Beach as a platform for the world teacher. In the 1920s, thanks to Leadbeater, public interest in theosophy increased greatly, and the Sydney Theosophical Lodge was the largest and wealthiest in the world.

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. Today, visitors can discover the rich military history of the area year round.

With arguably some of the best views in Sydney, Georges Heights was once used by the military as a lookout spot to see approaching enemy ships. It s home to a WWI-era military hospital the only remaining building complex of its kind in NSW as well as concealed gun pits, underground tunnels, barracks and other fascinating military structures. Visitors can explore the area s defence heritage and take in the spectacular views.

A self-guided tour of Headland Park takes you through nearly a dozen attractions and can be found in our visitor guide (pick one up from the Harbour Trust office at 28 Best Avenue, Mosman). On the tour, you ll visit the Georges Heights Lookout, which offers panoramic views of Sydney Harbour and features an elegant sandstone platform designed by award-winning architect Richard Leplastrier. You ll also stop at the WWI-era military hospital and be sure to visit Building 21, where you can read the stories of hospital workers and the soldiers they treated. Leave time to check out the former military fortifications around the park, including gun pits and brick workshops.

The name Georges Head honours King George III, who was the reigning monarch when the First Fleet set sail in 1787. It is believed to have been named during an exploration of Port Jackson in 1788 at the same time as Bradleys Head. It was named after the expedition leader, Lieut. William Bradley.

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