Taronga Park to Balmoral

[iandsmith]

I wrote the following for another site but thought some of you might be interested:
Sydney, obviously due to its location, has harbour walks. Fortunately, Australia tends towards being public spirited and so it is that the tourist (as well as many locals) get to enjoy Sydney Harbour's finest viewing points for free.
This is the site for your map: http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-an ... beach.html
If you're doing this walk in its entirety you should allow 3 hours. Fast walkers without stops could possibly do it in two but then you would miss the point of the walk which is to soak up the views and natural scenery in my opinion.
It's 6.8 kms long and there's 328 metres of climbing in total. That's one way. When you reach Balmoral there's a bus stop and you can get one back to the ferry terminal at Taronga.
So, I've done quite a few walks around the foreshores and the Taronga Park to Balmoral is arguably the finest of them all. You can reach the start point by ferry (as I did) or bus. When you alight from the ferry you'll almost immediately see the signs indicating you should head off to the right towards Bradleys Head. There's a couple of crossover points that can be slightly tricky so if you get a map before you go it should be easier.
There are eating and drinking places along the way but you'll have to make sure your wallet is handy. One advertises afternoon tea for $40! If you last till Balmoral there is a better range of places to eat.
You'll see some homes with views to envy, secluded coves and lots of nature although the banana trees were a surprise.
Speaking of animals, the harmless water dragons (pics 1 & 5) are everywhere, particularly when it's warm. They love nothing more than resting on the sandstone in the middle of the trail and scurrying off when you approach. If you tread quietly and approach stealthily, as I did, you can get quite close to them.
Other animals you'll almost certainly see at various times of the year are kookaburras, lorikeets and pigeons. Wrens flitter about in the bushes right next to the trail as well and are quite cheeky.
One animal I didn't expect was the rabbit that I saw hopping around on Chowder Bay beach. There are plans to eradicate them so you may not see one as I did.

Attachments

Eastern water dragons are prolific

There are a few secluded bays en route

Project bay.jpg (89.63 KiB) Viewed 6951 times

Colour on the trail

There's even a minute waterfall or two

Project waterfall.jpg (67.5 KiB) Viewed 6951 times

Lovely harbour views are also common

[north-north-west]

Neat!
The water there looks surprisingly clear. Hasn't Sydney been getting the rain we've had down here?

[iandsmith]

Yes, but it gets flushed out twice a day......around about high tide I think you'll find.....
Having said that they actually haven't had all that much in the catchment which is fairly normal.
Cheers, Ian

[juju]

Nice pics, makes me miss Sydney. I remembering swimming naked, pregnant at Reef Beach...Julie

[iandsmith]

Yes Jules, swimming naked can get you pregnant....... Cheers, Ian

[juju]