- Duration
- 8.7 km, 2–3 h, ~160 m of climbing (≈ 4 h 43 min: moving and stop time only)
- Who it suits
- Everyone
- Transport
- walk
- Start
- Steyne Park, Double Bay
- Finish
- Opera House and Circular Quay
- Pace
- relaxed pace
- Best time
- Morning: the Botanic Garden opens at 7:00 and closes at varying times, roughly at sunset. Sunrise at Mrs Macquaries Chair lights the Opera House. Almost all of it is footpath and park, easy with a pram apart from the stairs.
- Budget per adult
- free, plus the ferry to Double Bay; Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool charges entryPrices as of: July 2026; transport and zoo prices October 2026
Getting there
F7 ferry from Circular Quay to Double Bay Wharf, or the train to Edgecliff and walk down. You finish at Circular Quay, with trains, buses and every ferry.
Stops in order
The text version of the route: stops, time at each and the legs between them. Times are estimates, without queues, traffic or swims.
1. Steyne Park, Double Bay~10 min at the stop
Start at Double Bay wharf: across the waterside lawns of Steyne Park, then up the steep Marathon Mews stairs to Darling Point Road. The first ten minutes are the sharpest climb of the day.
Tip: Get coffee in Double Bay: the next kiosk is in Rushcutters Bay Park. The first climb is short but steep.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 20 min · 1.2 km
2. McKell Park, Darling Point~15 min at the stop
A small park at the very tip of Darling Point by the wharf: a lawn, benches and a view across the harbour to the bridge and the city. Few people other than the neighbours make it here.
Tip: A quiet picnic spot, nearly empty on weekdays. Return to Darling Point Road on its western side.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 30 min · 1.8 km
3. Rushcutters Bay Park~20 min at the stop
Past the Cruising Yacht Club on New Beach Road into the big waterfront park with a playground and a timber footbridge.
Worth knowing: The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia here runs the Sydney to Hobart race, which starts on 26 December.
Tip: Rushcutters Bay Kiosk sits mid-park with tables on the grass, next to the playground. This is not a swimming bay.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 35 min · 2 km
4. Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf~20 min at the stop
Through Elizabeth Bay, along Challis Avenue and down the McElhone Stairs to Cowper Wharf Road, past Harry's Cafe de Wheels and the long Finger Wharf.
Worth knowing: The Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf was built in the 1910s and is counted among the longest timber-piled wharves in the world.
Tip: Harry's Cafe de Wheels has sold pies and hot dogs since 1945, a Sydney classic. The McElhone Stairs are steep; going down is the easy way.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 15 min · 1 km
5. Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool~15 min at the stop
An outdoor city pool right above Woolloomooloo Bay, on Mrs Macquarie's Bushland Walk.
Tip: It is seasonal, 1 September to 30 April, and entry is paid. It is the only swim on this section; there is no harbour beach here.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 8 min · 0.5 km
6. Mrs Macquaries Chair~15 min at the stop
A bench cut into the sandstone at the tip of the point by convicts in 1810 for the governor's wife, Elizabeth Macquarie. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge line up in one frame here: Sydney's classic postcard.
Worth knowing: Convicts cut the seat in 1810 for Elizabeth Macquarie, the governor's wife.
Tip: The best light is at sunrise, sun behind you. By day tour buses stop here; walk round the point on the lower path.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 15 min · 0.8 km
7. Farm Cove, Royal Botanic Garden~20 min at the stop
The route enters the Royal Botanic Garden and follows the Farm Cove seawall. Entry is free, and the garden opens 7am to sunset: until 7:30pm in October and 8pm in November.
Tip: Toilets and bubblers in the garden. Entry is free, with a daily guided walk at 10:30 by donation. Shade under the fig trees.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 25 min · 1.4 km
8. Opera House and Circular Quay~20 min at the stop
Out of the garden by the stone gates and along the water in front of the Opera House to Circular Quay. The end of part 3, about 33 km from Bondi.
Tip: The easiest place to eat and catch any transport. The next part starts right here, through The Rocks and over the Bridge.
Open on the map ↗
Before you go
- Route times are estimates: walking, driving and a sensible pause at each stop. Add queues, traffic and swims yourself.
- Prices, timetables and trail status change. Check the venue's official site and the state transport app before you go.
- On beaches, swim only between the red and yellow flags. Use sun protection even when it is cloudy.