Watson’s Bay to Bondi Beach Walk : Federation Cliff Walk: Coastal Walk
Coastal Walk : The Federation Cliff Walk is much less accessible and famous than the Bondi trail to Coogee, but for some it is more beautiful. Watson’s Bay to Bondi Beach Walk
Australia is the largest island in the world, although it is the smallest continent, and is divided into 6 states and 2 territories.
Due to this geography, one of the most practiced activities in Sydney, whether by visitors or tourists, is hiking. And these trails tend to be mostly in the coastal part of the city. There are more than 90 km of coastline between Barrenjoey and Kurnell (south to north of Sydney).
Learn more about the Great Sydney Coastal Walk.
Usually the difficulty of these trails is easy to moderate, and its regulars are able to enjoy the most beautiful in terms of nature in this city.
The trail that we will indicate next is called the Federation Cliff Walk. This is a great trail for the whole family, and has unrivaled views of the ocean and incredible cliff scenery.
This walk is not very long (from The Gap to Christison Park is approximately 1 km away and up to Bondi plus 5 to 6 km, a total of 7 km), but if you include many photo stops, it may take a few hours before completing it.
The Federation Cliff Walk is much less accessible and famous than the Bondi trail to Coogee, but for some it is more beautiful.
So let’s go to the tips and the route traveled.
The departure point was Central Station and from there we went to Wynard Station.
At Wynard Park we took bus 380 towards Watsons Bay, which ended at Robertson Park.
As soon as we arrived the look was already impressive. A small beach and the port where the Ferries leave Circular Quay and other points were part of the first scenario of the day. In this little piece of Sydney we find a region full of charm and some restaurants. In addition to a well-structured residential area on the edge of a beautiful bay.
We walked along the shore, the Marine Parade, and headed towards the next strip of sand, Camp Cove Beach. Every jaw-dropping step and scene appeared for a few more photo shoots.
In this piece it was already possible to access the trail that leads to one of the main stops of this hike, the Hornby Lighthouse.
We follow the S Head Heritage Trail, then the Lady Bay Road until we reach another important point, Lady Bay Beach. This is a very small and isolated beach that you can access down the trail stairs.
If you notice some naked people, don’t be too surprised, because Lady Bay is actually one of the 3 legally sanctioned nudist beaches in Sydney.
If public nudity isn’t really your thing, you can still enjoy the stunning views of Sydney Harbor from Lady Bay Lookout, just above the small bay.
We continue on the S Head Heritage Trail and after about an hour, obviously making many stops for photos and to enjoy the view, we arrive at Hornby Lighthouse.
The lighthouse was built in 1858 and is now a very characteristic tower with red and white stripes, surrounded by beautiful landscapes.
From this point, you can see the Pacific Ocean to the east, Sydney Harbor to the west and North Head to the north.
If you’re lucky, you might even spot some whales as they migrate north in the winter.
There, more photos and beautiful scenery, and after enjoying the place we return by the same trail to the point where we left, Robertson Park.
From this point we went in the opposite direction, now to walk the Federation Cliff Walk. We climbed the small stairway of Gap Park to find The Gap Lookout. This point was formed after a long period in which the waves hit the coast, creating the current rock formations, today known as the Gap.
At that moment, we started the Federation Cliff Walk, which starts at Lookout, and we headed towards the final destination, Bondi Beach.
Around 2:00 pm we left The Gap, starting point, and after approximately 20 minutes another important spot appeared, the Macquarie Lighthouse , located between the Lighthouse Reserve and Christison Park.
The Macquarie is Australia’s oldest lighthouse, and is still in operation. During a guided tour, you can climb the staircase to the top for magnificent views of the port and the city.
The path continues south, past Christison Park, with its extensive sports fields and Clarke Reserve. These are excellent picnic spots. At this stage we begin to see the first glimpses of the cliffs at Diamond Bay.
At Clarke Reserve, we enter Jensen Avenue via Clarke Street. Then we turned to Marine Street and Chris Bang Crescent, who took us to the Diamond Bay Reserve.
When walking up the steps of Diamond Bay, the feeling is as if we are entering a tropical forest, a fascinating experience. The trail goes around Rosa Gully, an entrance between the cliffs that is a popular place for climbing.
A wooden walkway with viewing platforms was built to provide a safe and scenic circuit route around the cliffs. This passage provides a feeling of being on top of the cliffs, which makes this trail an even more incredible experience. The walkway starts at the Diamond Bay Reserve and continues, with a few stops, to Dover Heights.
We followed the wooden walkway, which took us out of the Diamond Bay reservation. We got to the point where we could see the huge white building known as “the million dollar view” on Ray Street. The cliff walk continued for a few more meters to Oceanview Avenue.
Still on the route we got a little lost and found a beautiful park with a beautiful view of the Harbor Bridge and the center of Sydney: Caffyn Park .
We then followed the cliff to Dover Heights Reserve. Enter Lancaster Road and then Military Road, passing the Dudley Page Reserve.
From Military Road, we continue to Blake Street, to return to the trail. This is the northern point of the Rodney reserve that flows into the Raleigh Reserve towards the south.
From this point on, the focus was total for the arrival at the final point: Bondi Beach.
From Dover Heights we follow Military Road to Wentworth Street through the Hugh Bamford Reserve. We returned to Military Road after the Bondi golf course and from there we continued until, finally, we saw Bondi Beach. Phew, one of the most beautiful trails in Sydney came to an end.
Links Importantes
Australia’s Official Tourism Website (in Portuguese)
Federation Cliff Walk – Official Site
Council Waverley Official Website
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