Summary. Total climbing: 20m, The Castle Rock to Grotto Point walk is a great way to see the Grotto Point Lighthouse. Follow the foreshore footpath keeping the harbour to your right. Here you will find the wonderful Maccallum Pool, a harbourside hangout for anyone who loves Sydney but hates crowds. Total climbing: 101m, The walk from Chowder Bay to Middle Head is an interesting one, passing Georges Head Lookout and its views over South Head, and then going up to the WW1 hospital. Turn right at Honda Road and right on Bogota Road. Be the first to leave a review! Continue past Taronga Zoo Wharf via Athol Wharf Road. 8.1 miles The views along Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk are almost too good to be true. This walk takes you around the point at Middle Head before it abruptly crosses Middle Head Road and sweeps down to Balmoral Beach in Middle Harbour. Total climbing: 26m, The Georges Heights Lookout has a brilliant view, which is well worth the short stroll from the road. 2.2km of this walk follows a smooth and hardened path and another 1.2km follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles. You just follow the rascals going to the zoo itself, and then definitely abandon them before going anywhere near the zoo’s line up. Instead of keeping on the pedestrian path that continues to wind its way through Sydney Harbour National Park I somehow navigated us along Chowder Bay Road, which is essentially a one-kilometre car park and not a lot else. We perfectly timed it so the sun was setting just as we arrived, casting a golden glow over the very cute Balmoral Bathers Pavilion. The walk takes about 2 hrs (3.9 km Circuit), and heads though the delightful Sydney Harbour National Park. WW1 Hospital to Georges Heights Lookout (900m), Chowder Bay to Middle Head return via Chowder Bay Rd (5.1km), Chowder Bay to Georges Heights Lookout (800m), Clifton Gardens to Georges Heights (1.7km), Castle Rock to Grotto Point Lighthouse (2km), Taronga Zoo Clifton Gardens return via Sirius Cove (6.5km), Bradleys Head and Chowder Head walk (3.7km), Taronga Zoo to Chowder Bay return via Bradleys Head Rd (7km), Taronga Zoo Bradleys Head to Athol Hall (3km), Wilsons Promontory – Sealers Cove (19.3km), Wilsons Promontory – Eastern Circuit (36.5km), hiking lovehiking Leading Hikes walking Crampons Photography Kids Safety Gloves Victoria Hiking Tips Weather Hikes New South Wales South Australia bushwalking Skills hikinglife Planning Boots Tents ACT Trails Multi Day Hikes Clothing Overnight Hikes Poles Short Walks Northern Territory Tasmania Footwear Gear Day Hikes iconic hikes adventure Chairs Hiking News letsgohiking Walks trailhiking Queensland hikingadventures Socks Half Day Hikes Down Trip Reports First Aid Water Australia Ice Axes Maps Navigation Insurance Sleeping Mat Jackets, State Watch the ferries as they float in and out of Circular Quay and see if you can spot any climbers on the bridge. On this walk, you will head across the northern end of Camp Cove Beach, up some steps to follow an old sandstone cobbled road. There is a network of tunnels and rooms underground that was build to support the gunning placements to protect Sydney Harbour from enemy invasion. Since there are many different walkways, I have put together several different ways to get to North Head, though there are many different places to explore along the way. Total climbing: 36m, This is a short walk down to Castle Rock Beach, tucked into the rocky shores of Middle Harbour. The trail starts to bend left and heads noteably more steeply downhill, Turn left: From the intersection, this walk heads uphill along the wide gravel trail. Drive (or catch a bus) to Balmoral and at the south end of the beach walk diagonally across the oval to where a sign depicts the beginning of the walk. Enter your email address to receive food envy, travel inspo, Sydney life and other random stuff straight to your inbox. The Basics: Australia's pristine beaches and coastlines are probably its main tourism attraction, and one of the most famous beaches is Bondi Beach in Sydney. There are plenty of options for swimming. Top picks include Maccallum Pool, Chowder Bay and Balmoral Beach.Mix of urban footpaths, bush tracks and beach walking.Beautiful all year round.17km (one way), 700 metres climbing (7 hours easy walking, … The Outer Middle Head Battery is the main complex in the Middle Head Fortifications. The walk then passes the Bacino Bar on the way through the military heritage buildings. With ocean the colour of emeralds, this secluded beach is a little dreamboat. There are a few places to get food along the way, and many great places to eat your own packed lunch. Download maps and tracknotes for Balmoral to Middle Head Forts hiking track from wildwalks.com. Take the path near Neutral Bay Marina and turn right at Kurraba Road. After walking down from Middle Head, you’ll reach Balmoral Beach where you can explore the various historical parts of the popular beach, such as the old tram sheds, the Rotunda and Rocky Point Island. Turn left: From the gate, this walk heads across the oval to the far side, next to the baseball nets. Getting to Taronga Zoo, where this walk starts, is super easy. The walk passes the Bacino Bar and enjoys the view from an old gun emplacement at George Heights Lookout. While it may be lesser-known, this 6.5-kilometre, medium difficulty Sydney Harbour walk deserves a standing ovation. This blog has looked at North Head several times as well as South Head, but until recently I had never visited 'Middle Head' opposite the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Turn into Carabella Street, right into Peel Street and then left into Elamang Avenue. This neighbourhood has some interesting residents. The spectacular views continue as you explore bushland and the bays along the way. The track is well marked and has some information signs. You will pass a path leading to Curlew Camp. The walk travels along a well used track through the thick coastal bush. Continue along until you pass a short set of stairs on your right dropping into Manns Avenue. Veer left: From the gate, this walk heads to the intersection of Middle Head Road and Chowder Bay Road. The fencline is followed as it tends right, coming to a gate. We recommend including the Middle Head walk too. Get ready to feast your eyes on a banquet of harbour views and nature at its best, while exploring quiet beaches and beautiful luscious bushland. The Outbound works best with JavaScript enabled. The sandstone seats and shaded grassy areas make this a perfect walk for a picnic too. Take the walking track on the right and continue past Athol Hall towards Bradley's Head. There could be a lot more - if they knew about it. The gentle bush track weaves around the harbour headlands from Taronga Zoo Wharf around Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay and is guaranteed to impress. This whole walk, 3.9km requires no previous bushwalking experience. Select Length Total climbing: 58m, This walk leads you around the perimeter of Middle Head. This is a great place to explore, with many forts, barracks and views over Sydney Harbour. Turn right: From the intersection of Chowder Bay and Middle Head Rd, this walk heads down through the car park to the far end, where there are signs. This walk to the Middle Head fortifications is a great way to break up your day at the beach. You will arrive at Jeffrey Street Wharf with a wonderful view of the Bridge stretching to the southern shore and the Sydney CBD. From the intersection, this walk heads away from the car park and beach to pass ‘1st Balmoral Sea Scouts’ and a childcare centre, on the left. Getting home from Balmoral is a little more complicated and inevitably involves a bus or if you’re really shagged an Uber. So you in fact walk from one harnour to another. Dropping into Chowder Bay you will find public bathrooms and a beautiful beach to cool your feet or a place for a quick dip before continuing up over the headland and down into Balmoral. For the best harbour views in Sydney, this one is hard to beat. Shortly after you will join Hollowforth Avenue and Shellcove Road. Total climbing: 746m, This walks follows the coast from Balmoral to the Spit and across Spit Bridge. There’s regular ferries running from Wharf 4 at Circular Quay to Taronga Wharf. The track then turns left to continue down more stairs, which lead the walk across a bridge and next to an oval with a signposted intersection. Based in Sydney. It's a great way to get outside the Sydney and escape for a few hours withou... Camp out, chill, and swim with ease, nice large beaches with beautiful access to nice grassy park which has picnic tables, gazebos and plenty of shaded space from large trees! Also enjoy the panoramic ocean and harbour views from the cliff line at Hornby Lighthouse. Many of the houses in this area are typical of the Federation era. The Balmoral Cairns were erected in the 19th century by members of Queen Victoria's family to commemorate various events. There are a few alternate routes for use at high tide or high seas. Allows time to wander and explore. The Balmoral to Middle Head Forts bushwalking track takes about 2 hrs to walk and is 3.9 km long.