This walk is stunningly beautiful from the start. It really feels the best of both worlds as you walk through lovely bushland yet have stunning city views. It also showcases the historic coastal defences of Sydney.

I caught the ferry from Central Quay to Taronga Zoo Wharf. Hundreds of people got off; 97% got straight on the bus to go to the upper main entrance of the zoo. With the others I walked the gentle 300 m up to the lower entrance whose 1916 embellishments suggest that it was probably once the main entrance in the days when people simply got off the ferry and walked. Today, I would think it a good option to avoid the crowds at the top!

A shady path bears off opposite and suddenly I was alone. After about 20 m there is a turn off for Athol/Whiting Beach. It has superb views and would be a great beach for an after-zoo visit before catching the ferry back.

Old cement ‘wooden’ fencing briefly lines the sandy track before steps branch off for Athol Bay and Beach. There are seats above and below with great views.

The beach is perfect and had two people on it. I walked on alone except for little lizards with horny bodies which I later discovered are called Eastern Water Dragons!

The next section towards the Royal Naval Memorial on Bradley’s Head is particularly stunning with twisted red gums lining the track and harbour views.

The doric column just offshore came from the 1847 Post Office which was demolished in 1863. The salvaged column was moved to Bradley’s Head in 1871 to mark one nautical mile from the martello tower on Fort Denison, so giving accurate measurements in sea trials.

The memorial incorporates the mast of HMS Sydney which was the first Australian ship to see action in WW1 on 9th November, 1914. Four sailors were killed in a skirmish off Keeling Island in the Cocos Islands with the German cruiser Emden. The Emden lost 184 men and was badly damaged.

It also honours all those lost at sea in the Royal Australian Navy and the 19 ships which have been lost in service. A central circle commemorates all those who have been lost on the named Sydney ships.

The memorial would be a good picnic stop and there is a small nicely shady beach. The area also has old 1840’s gun emplacements and a military wharf.

The next section has less distractions as you have left the harbour views behind and the bush is quite thick, creating corridors of shade. It is quiet walking with few people and one feels a hundred miles from Sydney.

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Finally the blue waters of Taylor’s Bay are revealed. It was here on the 31st May 1942 that one of the three midget submarines which had entered Sydney Harbour was destroyed by depth charges; it had never managed to fire it’s two torpedos. The two crew committed suicide rather than surrender. The second became entangled in the anti submarine netting and was blown up by its crew.

Only one managed to fire its torpedoes, killing 21 sailors in a depot ship. It was never found but in 2006 its wreck was discovered off the northern beaches.

The path continues to Clifton Gardens Reserve within the quaintly named Chowder Bay where screaming beach noise told me I was close to civilisation. There is a statue of a kelpie dog and the long wharf is a popular fishing spot. Kayaks and snorkeling equipment can be hired by the old wooden dock.

There is a short stretch of beach walking to reach the old naval buildings – as early as 1889 it was used as a submarine mining depot whereby an electrically triggered minefield was strung across the harbour. It had various other uses down the years but these days it is just the naval fuel depot.

Climbing away from the old jetty, there is the beautifully sited Ripples restaurant with a wonderful view over the whole of Chowder Bay.

A set of rough steep stairs lead to George’s Head which was once the nerve centre of the Harbour defences and controlled all the other batteries on the various heads. The date 1871 can be seen carved on several of the old gun emplacements. There is a superb view to the Heads and one can really appreciate this great entrance to Sydney Harbour.

There are more Heads views before the path emerges by the road.

However it ducks back into thick bush to parallel it and you feel well removed from it – don’t miss the gorgeous tangle of red gum trees.

The path drops down to the carpark for Middle Head from where one soon enters the old military area through a barrier gate. The path leads straight on to an extensive area of gun emplacements – these even have most of their metal doors remaining and underground storage.

Middle Head has a long history: the first fort was built in 1801 and the last in 1942. There are actually three areas of fortifications designed to protect the Heads. The path continues past a smaller gun emplacement, but the other large section is presently closed for restoration.

There was a turn off for little Cobblers Beach although I was flagging by this stage and didn’t venture down. This rather off the beaten track cove is one of Sydney’s nudist beaches – as the phrase devices from the Cockney rhyming slang cobblers awls = balls somehow the name appears strangely appropriate!

A house near the end was once the home of Major General Sir William Throsby Bridges: he commandeered the Australian forces at Gallipoli where he was killed by a sniper. In a strange twist of fate, his warhorse was the only horse to be returned to Australia: Sandy lived out his life in Victoria. The house is now rental accommodation.

I might have been tempted to jump on a bus as I backtracked to the car park and then faced a long uphill walk, but there were none in evidence, so I trudged on and finally came to the steps which lead down to Balmoral Beach.

These are beautifully built and drop steeply through the trees to the southern end of Balmoral Beach, where massive fig trees provide shade.

It was a beautiful spot to end a week’s wanderings around the Sydney coastline. I jumped on a bus back to Taronga Zoo Wharf to get the ferry back to Central Quay – it was like a final roll call of the iconic sights of Sydney as we steamed in between the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

NOTES

Fabulous bush walking largely away from the roads. Approximately 10 km long. A few hills towards the end. Both ends have good transport links.