This was a great daywalk along a beautiful part of the foreshores of Sydney Harbour. It offers a mixture of walking situations – urban walking near Manly and at the other end near Milsons Point, coastal heath along sections of Sydney Harbour National Park, some tiny pockets of rainforest, some historic forts, wildflowers and wildlife in abundance.
Sydney Harbour
It is easy to find notes and maps for this walk online. The Walking Coastal Sydney website is particularly good.
I met Christoph at Circular Quay, and Kim a little later at Manly – and then we set off along the coastal track. The section from Manly to the Spit is very easy to follow – and is well marked. At the start – we felt like we should have had some dogs with us to fit in with the locals.
One thing we saw was lots of lizards – mainly Water Dragons, but also a couple of Blue Tongued lizards.
On the way we passed many delightful beaches. Some were tiny and private – tucked away in hidden coves. Others were large and public – like Balmoral Beach near Mosman.
Our original plan was to walk to Taronga Zoo – and then catch the ferry back to Circular Quay, with the option of continuing onwards to Milsons Point and back via the Harbour Bridge on foot. With such a beautiful day, when we arrived at Toronga Park, we had no hesitation about continuing onwards, and it was more pleasant walking around some lovely bays. It was only the last kilometre or so that was along roads.
One unusual thing we saw – was a bees nest up a tree and a water dragon climbing up and then snapping at flying bees and crunching them up. We saw the lizard eat a dozen or so bees with the other bees in the hive seemingly oblivious. I wonder if the lizard finished the meal with some honey for dessert?
I’m not sure what our total distance was – probably about 25 km or so.
This is a fine walk – and a good showcase for the delights of Sydney Harbour.
More photos on my website here.