The Quirky Lower North Shore

You have to keep telling yourself that this is a form of public transport and not a harbor cruise. Ferries are a great and cheap way to appreciate Sydney and its harbor highlights. City workers living on the northern foreshore covered by this guide must have the best commute in the world. They are blessed with three ferry stops, so it makes sense to start the trail at one of them. Arrive by water or add it to the itinerary for later.

Milsons Point (ferry wharf is the POI marker on the guide map) and McMahons Point are both on the Darling Harbour circuit route that gives you Opera House and Harbour Bridge photo opportunities as it makes its way to and from the main ferry terminal at Circular Quay. Balmain and the popular tourist precincts of Darling Harbour and Pyrmont complete the circuit. It's a pleasant 45-minute trip even if you don't have a destination in mind--just stay on the ferry and it returns via the same stops.

Kirribilli Wharf (at the end of Holbrook Avenue) is on the Neutral Bay line and the boats skirt around the pleasure craft moored in the bay, passing the homes of the prime minister and governer general at the tip of the Kirribilli peninsula before heading off to Circular Quay.

To make the most of the experience, if the weather is good, go for an outside seat. If the weather is cold, dress warm and go for an outside seat.

Tickets can be purchased on board.

The slightly sinister, toothy-faced entrance to this 1930s amusement park has become a Sydney icon. Arrive by ferry to get the full impact. Don't expect to find modern roller coasters or high-tech amusements--this place is about old-fashioned fun. Judging by the squeals, it still works for the kids.

That squealing can be less fun if you're staying in an apartment next door, but noise is not an issue if you plan to be out and about during the day. The park doesn't open before 10am and shuts down by 6pm most days (11pm on some Friday and Saturday nights).
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Luna Park
Phone:(02) 9922 6644
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Admission: Free

Coming from the Milsons Point ferry, stick to the boardwalk that skirts to the left around Luna Park and takes you around the edge of picturesque Lavender Bay.

If you are staying here, it's likely to be in one of the high-rise apartment buildings above you on the right or across the bay on McMahons Point. Either way, expect visitors in the form of rainbow lorikeets (colorful Australian parrots) as you enjoy the views from your balcony. If you feed them, expect them to return daily with a few friends.

At dusk in the summer months, your balcony views will be enhanced by "flying foxes" (a large species of fruit bat) flying past on their nightly migration from the Royal Botanical Gardens to parks on the north shore. Unlike the lorikeets, they are not interested in stopping but it's a great spectacle.

If you can't find an apartment, it's worth trying the Harbourview Hotel that looms in front of you as you walk down the boardwalk. It mainly caters to business travelers working Monday to Friday in North Sydney, so there can be some excellent weekend bargains.

As you get to the wooden piers toward the bottom of the bay, you can find some Australian popular culture hiding in the garden beds on the right. Among the native shrubs are small statues of some of Australia's most famous comic and storybook characters from the past 100 years. You will have had to have been an Australian child at some time to recognize the significance of the Gumnut Babies, the Magic Pudding or Ginger Meggs but, curiously, Felix the Cat is also claimed as an Aussie creation. Apparently, it has been a debate among cartoon historians for decades about whether the feline with the magic bag of tricks was the brainchild of an Australian cartoonist/studio owner or his American chief animator.

This botanical gem is the inspiration of local resident Wendy Whitely, otherwise best known as the former wife of the late Australian artist Brett Whitely. Brett's paintings sell for millions but you can enjoy Wendy's creation for free.

Brett achieved global fame in the 1960s when his work became sought by everyone from the Beatles to the Tate Gallery. He died in 1992 after losing a long battle with heroin addiction, and Wendy turned her artistic talents to the garden soon after.

Starting as derelict railway land in front of their Lavender Bay home, today the area is a mixture of overgrown paths, sculptures and exotic plants that begs kids to explore and adults to contemplate while staring back across the bay to the bridge and opera house.

It's tucked away a bit, but not really that secret. To find it, turn right opposite the Lavender Bay Jetty, under the railway bridge and up the steep steps.

NYE fireworks are a mega production in Sydney and the areas around Lavender Bay and Kirribilli are prime viewing locations. The competition will be fierce for apartments with harbor-facing balconies but the view is as good from the bay foreshore and Clark Park, just above Wendy's Secret Garden. It's family friendly with a 9pm display for anyone who might struggle to stay up for the main event at midnight.

Keep in mind that more than a million people will be searching for viewing spots across the city, so a bit of preparation is needed. Many streets on the lower north shore are closed to cars from 5pm, as is the Harbour Bridge. There is a boat exclusion zone to keep craft 500 meters from where the rockets are fired, which effectively closes down the ferry service at 7pm. The best option is get to where you want to be well before then, stake your viewing spot with a picnic blanket and start making new friends.

If time is an issue, you can cut this trail short by heading up the hill from the Secret Garden, turning right at Lavender Street and right again at Alfred Street and pick up the trail at Milsons Point train station. Otherwise, the café strip on Blues Point Road is a worthy destination.

The POI marker is on Delicado, a popular lunch and dinner destination that puts a modern twist on tapas. Dine at one of the outdoor tables but, if you're interested in vino, also head inside to browse around the cramped wine shop filled with hundreds of Spanish and local vintages that are unlikely to appear on the shelves of your average liquor chains.

There are plenty of other nearby drink and food options--Italian, Indian, Thai and sandwich shops--but head a bit farther down the hill to Blue's Point Hotel if you fancy a traditional Sydney "schooner" (large beer) in a traditional Sydney pub (albeit one that has been modernized with large TV screens for sports). Food is excellent here, too.

The most peaceful route from the Secret Garden to Blues Point Road is to head back down the steps to the Lavender Bay path, continue walking around the bay for another 100 meters and turn right at the archway under the railway bridge that takes you into Watt Park. Access to Waiwera Street is up some steps on the west side of the park. Hopefully the trail is easy to follow from here--only a block separates you from your cappuccino.

While the whole suburb you've just walked through is called McMahons Point, the tip at the end is known as Blues Point--a good spot to just sit and enjoy more harbor viewing and get up close to passing ships.

The reserve is dominated by the controversial Blues Point Tower. Built in 1961, it earned a heritage listing for pioneering high-rise apartment living in Sydney, but is often voted as the city's ugliest building. Whatever your opinion, the views from it and around it are stunning. If you are tired of looking at the bridge, take the short foreshore path around the building to get a westerly perspective.

Afterward, walk down Henry Lawson Avenue to find the McMahons Point ferry stop.

Take the ferry back to Milsons Point and immediately in front of you is North Sydney Pool. It's about as close as you can get to swimming under the Harbour Bridge. Even if you don't fancy a swim, it's an interesting piece of architecture in its own right--the style is Art Deco meets Austrailiana.

Up the steps between the pool and Luna Park, you'll find the upscale Aqua restaurant. It doesn't get more Sydney than sharing some oysters and a chilled white on the terrace overlooking the pool and the bridge. If the prices look daunting, try the cheaper sister restaurant Ripples at ground level at the other end of the pool (also good for breakfast). It doesn't have a liquor license but you can bring your own alcohol.

Trains to and from Milsons Point run across the Harbour Bridge; the station is built beneath it in one of the pedestrian tunnels. It's only one stop to the central city district and 45 minutes to the airport.

It's not like traveling by ferry, but trains go places ferries don't and come more regularly (it's rare to wait more than 10 minutes).

Once you've passed through the train station tunnel, you have crossed from Milsons Point to Kirribilli. The name means good fishing spot and residents continue to rely on it for nourishment.

It's a strip of shops, cafes and restaurants catering to hankerings ranging from Italian to Malaysian. There are four Thai restaurants within a couple of blocks but the POI marker is on the one that locals recommended to us when we moved to the area: Thai Fusion. It's consistently excellent and the soft shell crab is a classic. It's BYO but the drink prices are reasonable so you don't need to bother. If you have to wait for a table, leave your cell phone number and head up the hill to the Kirribilli Hotel (the only bar in the area) for a schooner while you wait.

If you have an apartment with a kitchen, this strip caters to you with butchers, bakers and green grocers. The Kirribilli Deli (in the arcade toward the bottom of the hill) sells everything from cheese to electrical plug adaptors.

When you're ready to walk off the Broughton Street lunch or dinner, you are in the right neighborhood to access the pedestrian path across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Let's not be under any illusions that this is a peaceful stroll. You will be sharing the bridge with eight lanes of traffic and a railway line, but it's on the tourist must-do list and the views of the harbor will keep your camera snapping.

To reach the path, go up the stairs on the Broughton Street side of the bridge (where you'll find the POI marker). If you want to ride across the bridge, there's a cycle path accessed by stairs and a ramp in the equivalent spot on the Alfred Street side.

The bridge has a colorful architectural and social history and there is a museum built into one of the pylons you pass on this walk that will bring you up to speed.

A more exciting way to be educated on all things bridge (albeit more expensive) is to book one of the guided walks that crosses the arches at the very top of the bridge. It will cost you around $200 (more for going at twilight or dawn/discounts for children) but the three-hour "climb" could be the experience of your trip. It's safer and less scary than it sounds.

Look left at the end of the bridge pedestrian path and you'll see the white umbrellas on the roof of the Glenmore Hotel mingling with the "sails" of the Opera House. Looks like the perfect setting to reward yourself for completing the trail.