That’s a pretty big claim, the longest walk in Sydney, eh? Well, I reckon that this track (or collection of tracks all joined together) has every right to the title. It stretches from “Home and Away central”, at Barrenjoey Lighthouse, Palm Beach in the north… all the way to Otford in the south and if you’re up for the challenge, you’ll be stretching out for 315km to complete it. The great news is that you don’t need to tackle it in one go. In many ways, this is the perfect project to keep dipping into, with new sections done each weekend. A great challenge to set yourself, or even as a family.
Sydney Harbour and Coastal Walk
As Phil says in the video above, the genius of this walk is that it links together existing tracks, trails, green spaces and a few roads, to give you a continuous walking experience that skirts the watery fringe of Sydney’s harbour.
And not one to be doing things by halves, this walk doesn’t just stick to the eastern coastal fringe, but leads you all the way west to Parramatta along the river… and back again!
I joined the inaugural trek for a couple of days and enjoyed getting to hear about the walk and how it came about.
In a city that is blessed with an abundance of National Parks and a ludicrous amount of great beaches and awe inspiring coastal cliff tops, it makes a lot of sense to design a walk that takes them all in and that’s exactly what Phil and his team have done. It was a mammoth effort of co-ordination, bringing many different local councils, government departments and other organisations together with a common goal.
But the REAL genius, lies in the fact that you don’t have to do it all in one hit. Although they completed the first walk in 30 days (I reckon fit and fast walkers could do it in around 15-20), staying each night at local accommodation along the way, there are so many trail-heads, start or finish options along the way (many with public transport), that you can jump in and out wherever you please.
Maps and Route Details
There’s a handy online Google map available that outlines not just the Sydney Harbour and Coastal track, but many other walking routes available throughout greater Sydney.
The southern end of the walk, from Cronulla, takes you along the epic Royal Coast Track, through the beautiful Royal National Park.
