Balmain to Birkenhead
Day 3: Balmain to Birkenhead Point
Ever wondered what secrets Sydney Harbour hides beyond the postcard views? Today’s Warrane - Sydney Harbour Wanderings uncovered a few! And no matter how many times and how far I walk these shores, I always discover something new – you can just never tire of this maritime jigsaw.
Unlike my Dreamtime to Eden coastal trek, today’s journey was all about urban discovery—hidden parks, an historic oval, sunrise magic and this superb harbour. Today’s route, accompanied by my wife Jelly was from Balmain East Wharf to Birkenhead Point. About 20 km without my no bridges rule (but 26 km for us to get around Hawthorn Canal and Iron Cove Creek).
Started at Balmain East, around Mort Bay, and up to sensational Ballast Point for sunrise. This place is a gem—perfectly renovated, with industrial touches and wooden walkways. If you’re planning a harbourside picnic, put this on your list. Balmain boys might not cry but this is a place worth a weep of delight.
We retraced our steps to Thames St (a la Balmain) Wharf and caught the ferry back around the point because what is better than an early morning ferry ride? Well, an early morning ferry ride from Thames St with an incredible street library right at the wharf, that’s what!
Birchgrove is a beautiful suburb, but waterside walking involves a few roads to get around the waterfrontage houses harbourside of Wharf Road – hope they all leave a slice of land to the government in their wills to fill in this missing link of an almost complete waterside walk. No worries though, because the real highlight of Birchgrove is Birchgrove Oval – home to the first ever game of NRL (on 20 April 1908). Souths vs Norths. I checked out the plaque once again hoping for a different result, but the North Sydney Bears managed to lose the first ever game of NRL 11 – 7 to South Sydney –the more things change…
From the oval it was down Louisa Road to Long Nose Point – I think it’s a pity that the ferry wharf has been renamed to Birchgrove – a lovely bit of geographical romanticism lost there methinks. Back along Louisa Road with a quick squiz at Cove St Reserve and then down to Fitzroy Avenue Reserve, Elkington Park, the wonderful Dawn Fraser Baths and marvellous White Horse Point.
Around Paringa Reserve to Elliot St (now Balmain West Wharf) and an excellent waterside café – Balmain’s most panoramic caffeine fix.
The excellent Lockhart Walk and a quick stroll along Longview Street brought us to Balmain Cove Park. This forms the tip of the ever-popular loop of Iron Cove – better known these days as the Bay Run. It’s a 7 km circuit of the Bay – but if you want to avoid bridge crossings, you have to add on an extra 5 kms up Hawthorn Canal to Taverners Hill along the Greenway – soon to run all the way to the Cooks River. Iron Cove Creek is easily crossed near Ramsay Road so only an extra km or so. But really these are only diversions of interest to me – for most the perfectly fine pedestrian bridges on the Bay Run will do just fine.
The Western shore of Iron Cove includes a great diversion out to Rodd Park with cute little Rodd Island sitting a short distance away in the middle of the bay. Continuing on along Henley Marine Drive we enjoyed the great views from the Thompson St Heritage Jetty and waterfront Drummoyne Swimming Pool – training ground of many champions including ‘our’ Dawn.
Finally, it was under Iron Cove Bridge to Birkenhead Point where we wrapped up for today with great views of Snapper, Spectacle and Cockatoo Islands. Perfect Spring weather, unimaginably beautiful views, a mainly flat walk and ‘bang-on-the-water’ nicely formed paths and harbourside parklands 95% of the way. If you have a bit of loose change for a coffee and a ferry ticket, then many days of magical seaside walking, such as today’s, are yours! Walking Sydney Harbour – the gift that just keeps on giving.
Swipe through for sunrise at Ballast Point, the legendary Birchgrove Oval, and those unbeatable harbour trails and views.
Do you have a favourite hidden spot or interesting trivia morsel anywhere along the harbour? Or is there a diversion I should add to my list? Let me know below – I’m heading ever westward until the headwaters of the Parramatta River before turning back eastwards along the northern shore.
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