#bushwalk

I’m waiting for a rainy day to take a day of walking. But that was not this day. Probably the best weather so far for walking, super warm and sunny and not windy. This was a long walk, maybe 12km, more of a city walk than the last two, less bush.

It did start in Martin Place, I’m not sure you can get much more Sydney central than that! Then it was out to Mrs Macquarie’s chair via the botanic gardens. Admiring the Phantom of the Opera set as I walked past.

Then up through the rocks and across the bridge. This one was a lot busier than the other walks. At least for this first section.

Once off the bridge on the north shore it quietened down a lot. There is just so much space so once you get away from absolute tourist central it’s really pleasant.

I carried on past Luna Park, need to go back to visit here. It’s free to enter and then you pay for the rides. They looked pretty tame after Disneyland. So I can probably manage them if I go back. Even though I had just had lunch the food inside was smelling particularly delicious. There is something about the smell of hot chips and tomato sauce that get my mouth watering!

Halfway around Lavender Bay there is a tunnel under the railway line and then some steps up. A house halfway up is where Brett Whiteley lived for a while. And now there is a garden that his wife created following his death. Wendy Whiteley had done an amazing job turning what was abandoned railway land into a beautiful oasis. It’s free and open all the time. It’s not owned by anyone it’s just something beautiful she has created for everyone to enjoy.

Once you get to Blues Point there is a small beach, underneath the ugliest apartment block on the north shore. Standing on that small beach is the only place in the city where you are right in the middle of the arch of the harbour bridge.

There is a lot more up and down on this walk. I do remember this part of the north shore being quite hilly. There is also less public accessibility to the waterfront here. More privately owned foreshore. So you have to keep walking up stairs to the roads and back down again.

Having said that there are some wonderful secluded parks, Sawmills Reserve in particular seemed like one worth a return trip.

This was a pretty short walk. But the legs were tired. The day was so beautiful I had to get out. And with the prospect of fish and chips for lunch I couldn’t say no.

Another great walk, I think it was only 3kms or something, around South Head. I popped up to see The Gap after lunch, but it was definitely not a strenuous day.

The houses in Watsons Bay are so cute. They are these little weather board cottages, that sailors and fishermen used to live in and now sell for like $7 million.

I love being able to catch ferries to these places. It makes the journey to the walk something as well. It really is great being on the water when the day is so wonderful.

It was a bit windy though, even though the sun was shining. It was a funny wind though, quite cold, and I was expecting that as we got onto the ocean side of South Head it would really pick up. But instead it was really calm on the ocean and the wind was coming from inland. Not something I am used to with winds in Sydney.

I had delicious fish and chips from Doyle’s, just takeaway and then ate in the park. I just love that about Australia, the parks and how anyone can access these beautiful places. The fish and chips were great, I’m not sure what the 3.8 star rating on google is about. Because even if they are super touristy, they were better than every fish and chip I ever had in the UK.

I think the thing you really need to do to get the best out of Sydney is to get out into the bush that is all over the city. In particular the bush that lines almost the entire harbour. I really like that about the city, how the waterfront seems, mostly, accessible to all.

I compared this to the Thames path in London, and that really wasn’t the case. There so much of the waterfront is in private hands and is out of bounds to the populace. Or where you can walk along it you are between the river and heavy industry. Where I was living you would go for runs and be passing scrap metal yards and sand factories. I guess it’s because London is so much older and the river has been used for work for that whole time. Whereas Sydney there is just so much more harbour so there is space for the bush and for business.

Last time I was living in Sydney, Balmoral beach was my closest beach. And I have to say I had forgotten what a great beach it is. It’s calm and long and beautifully sandy and there’s even an island that you can walk around.

I forget how great the beaches are here. You compare them even to the ones in Spain, which are meant to be good, and there’s no comparison. For a start there are just so fewer people here. And there isn’t that privatisation of the sand. And don’t get me started on the pebbly, wind swept things that the British refer to as beaches.

This walk from Balmoral to Taronga is really great. It’s not quite 9km and is easily accessible with public transport at either end. You can walk it in either direction, I think going to Taronga is an easier walk, more downhill, but then you don’t really have a chance to swim at Balmoral, or indulge in fish and chips. So it depends what you are after as to which direction you go.

The end into Taronga Zoo ferry is pretty great. The view from Bradley Head is lovely, you are really in the middle of the harbour there. Definitely a place to come back to with a picnic.