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Sydney Walks
Cheap Charlie · October 30, 2000

One of the best -- and most inexpensive -- ways to get to know a city is to walk through it. Being on foot affords any traveler a chance to discover nooks and crannies that would never be found through guidebooks or on a tour bus. You become your own tour guide and find something new around each bend.

Sydney, Australia, with its gorgeous harbor and white sand beaches, is a paradise for walking. Much of the harbor is accessible by footpath and some of the most spectacular sites and beautiful views are along a harborside walk.

That being said, one of the most exciting walks in Sydney is over the Harbor Bridge. Now, this is not by any means a free walk, but after doing it once, I'd spend money again to go and bring along a friend. It was one of the most exciting walks I've ever taken and provides views from a vantage rarely possible otherwise.

The Bridgeclimb has become one of Sydney's top attractions. Opened in late 1998, the Bridgeclimb has already sold more than 300,000 tickets. It is not cheap -- be ready to spend about US$65 during the week and US$80 on weekends. Night climbs are also available for a little more than US$90. Children ages 12-16 get about an 18 percent discount.

This is a three-hour adventure. You are briefed about the climb, take a breathalyzer test, change into a Bridgeclimb jumpsuit, store everything in your pockets in lockers, pick up fleece jackets and rain gear, learn how to use the safety harness, practice climbing ladders and navigating along catwalks, then test your radios. After that hour-long procedure you are ready to go.

The climb itself is a blast. For me the most exciting part was tiptoeing along the catwalks beneath the bridge and climbing the steep ladders up the top of the span. Once on top of the bridge, it is a piece of cake, but by then your heart will be beating. The walk up takes about an hour, and the return the same, with plenty of stops for views and photos taken by your guide. A photo is included in the price of the climb.

Sydney's other harbor walks are around town and in the Sydney Harbor National Park that dots the coastline. These parks offer a bit of bushland, more than 70 Aboriginal sites, vestiges of the first convicts to come to this continent, and forts and gun batteries.

Woolloomooloo to Botanic Garden to Pyrmont: In town, you'll find walkways from the Botanic Gardens (with a tropical plan section and more than 7500 trees spread over 75 acres), around Farm Cove, past the Opera House, through The Rocks district, on to Darling Harbor, and further along to Pyrmont. This walk takes you about eight miles -- from nature to the bustling tourist districts of the city. I suggest your pick your stretch and spend some time.

Taronga Zoo to Bradley's Head and Chowder Head: On the opposite side of the harbor, this walk starts after a ferry ride at the city zoo, where you'll find koalas, kangaroos, seals, and the normal lions and tigers. It continues to Bradley's Head, with fantastic views of the Opera House and the city, as well as old forts. Then it curls around Taylors Bay to Chowder Head, where there are netted swimming areas.

Bondi to Coogee: This four-mile beach walk starts at Bondi and turns around Mackenzies Point, then stretches along Tamarama Beach -- with its pounding surf -- past Bronte, along Clovelly and Gordons Bay -- a favorite scuba and snorkeling site -- to Coogee, with its bustling beach community.

Manly: This is an upscale beach community at the entrance to Sydney Harbor about a 30-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay. One short walk takes visitors from Manly Beach around the northeast shore to Shelly Beach. Another longer walk -- about six miles -- traces the coastline of the opposite side of the peninsula, from Manly Wharf -- where the ferry docks -- to Split Bridge. It passes the North Harbor, Forty Baskets Beach, Middle Harbor, and Clontarf Beach.

Other good walks abound. Try the walk from Obelisk Bay past harbor fortifications to Middle Head. Or, across from Middle Head, walk through Nielson Park, with its spectacular beach, then along Rose Bay, back into one of the most exclusive sections of town.

You can't go wrong with Sydney's walks.

Charlie Leocha is the Boston-based author of Travel Rights: Know the Rules of the Road and the Air Before You Go. Cheap Charlie appears every Monday on this site. E-mail him at leocha@aol.com or access his Web site.