Bondi Beach to Watsons Bay

This is a  wonderful walk along the northern coastline of Sydney's Eastern Suburbs a distance of about 10 kilometres.

Start at the southern end of Bondi Beach and walk along the promenade to North Bondi. Walk through Biddigal Reserve and turn right into Ramsgate Avenue. At the end is Ben Buckler Point, with its panoramic view from Bondi to Maroubra, as well as spectacular cliffs overlooking the ocean.

 

Proceed along Brighton Boulevard and turn right at Campbell Parade, which becomes Military Road. Follow the road to Douglas Parade and turn right, then left into Lola Road. Walk through Raleigh and Rodney Reserves, with views over the ocean, until you reach Weonga Road.

 

Turn right into Military Road and, after the road bends to the left, turn into Craig Avenue. Three streets to the right turn into Kimberley Avenue  which ends overlooking the ocean. To the left a timber boardwalk traverses the cliff top, with spectacular views along the coast. Walk through Diamond Bay Reserve and when you reach Chris Bang Crescent, head left into Young Street and up the hill. On the left you will pass Vaucluse Cemetery where Australia's first Prime Minister Edmond Barton  is buried.

 

To the right of the intersection of Young Street and Old South Head Road you can have something delicious to eat and drink at 'The Grumpy Baker' or 'Bazaar Deli'. When you are fortified, resume the walk north by either following the path along Old South Head Road, or take the pathway through Christison and Macquarie Reserves. You will pass the two hundred year old Macquarie Lighthouse, the first one built  in Australia,  designed by the convict architect Francis Greenway.

 

Further along is Signal Hill Reserve and eventually The Gap, where many people have fallen to their death. In 1857 this was the site of the worst maritime disaster in New South Wales. On  a pitch-dark rainy night with a gale blowing, a total of 121 passengers and crew of the sailing ship, 'Dunbar'  lost their lives not long after midnight.

 

Walk through Robertson Park to the Watson's Bay ferry wharf to return to the city, or have a meal and the Watsons Bay Hotel or Doyle's On The Beach. You can also walk around to South Head past Camp and Lady Bay Beaches to Hornby Lighthouse and The Hornby Keeper's Cottage.