Getting back to nature in Sydney
Despite being Australia’s largest city, Sydney is as famous for its natural beauty as its cultural highlights.
It’s not just the big-name beaches that turn heads. Venture beyond the harbour and you’ll find spectacular natural locations in every direction.
The city is ringed by National Parks filled with picturesque waterfalls, swimming holes, incredible clifftop views and pockets of lush rainforest and eucalypt woodland.
Just like the wine regions surrounding Adelaide, each of the national parks on Sydney’s doorstep has its own distinct flavour – here’s how to choose the right one for you.
Mountain villages, valley views and waterfalls
Blue Mountains National Park
With more than six million visitors a year, Blue Mountains National Park is among the most popular destinations in the entire country. Fortunately, the extensive network of 350 walking trails means it’s never hard to escape the crowds.
And, the recently opened Grand Cliff Top Walk connects some of the most scenic tracks into a continuous 19km hike.
Though it’s just 90 minutes west of Sydney, the park is several degrees cooler than the city in summer, while the beautifully preserved Art Deco buildings in Leura and Katoomba are at their most atmospheric when shrouded in winter mist.
Most of the region’s settlements are located near the edge of a rugged sandstone plateau, which means there are plenty of lookouts with sweeping views of the heavily forested Jamison Valley.
At Echo Point you can see the iconic Three Sisters (one of many sites of significance to the Gundungurra traditional owners) in the foreground, while Fletchers Lookout places you directly above the 187m drop of Wentworth Falls.
The spectacular Buttenshaw Bridge connects two sandstone pillars at Elysian Rock. Venture away from the clifftop and you’ll find a world of slot canyons clogged with ferns and idyllic swimming holes, including the breathtaking Empress Falls and tranquil pool of Siloam.
Riverside hikes, native bush and Aboriginal cultural sites
Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park
Today, the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park backs onto Sydney’s northern suburbs. The lower reaches of the Hawkesbury River have been prime real estate for tens of thousands of years. You’ll find more than 800 Aboriginal cultural sites scattered around the beaches, rivers and vegetation covering the traditional lands of the Darramuragal people.
Ku-ring-gai Chase is broken into several areas, and the most popular by far is West Head, where a road flanked by trailheads leads to a hilltop lookout circled by white-bellied sea eagles. The Barrenjoey Lighthouse rises high above the Northern Beaches.
Inland, the wide river winds between steep slopes hidden beneath an abundance of greenery.
One of the most interesting trails is the Aboriginal Heritage Walk, which passes rock art and engravings. Extend your walk and include the Resolute Loop to visit that rarest of Sydney phenomena: a private beach.
The serene inlets on the peninsula’s western side are even more beautiful, and the 2km America Bay track leads through thick bush to a small waterfall overlooking a glassy inlet that turns into a pool of liquid gold at sunset.
Hidden beaches, clifftop lookouts and whale watching
Royal National Park
Located just across the Port Hacking estuary from Cronulla, Australia’s oldest National Park is located on the traditional lands of the Dharawal people and combines rugged coastal scenery with thick temperate rainforest.
The overnight Coast Track follows the wildly picturesque coastline for 26km past spectacular waterfalls that plunge directly into the Pacific Ocean, hidden surf beaches, and weathered sandstone outcrops looking far out to sea. Luckily, many of the highlights can also be visited on shorter walks.
The sandstone terraces at The Balconies, Wedding Cake Rock’s and Curracurrong Falls are all located atop seacliffs that overlook the Humpback Highway.
Visit between June and November to see the majestic 30,000kg whales on their annual migration. Closer to sea level, Wattamolla Beach lets you choose between swimming at a gorgeous sandy beach or a freshwater lagoon fed by a waterfall.
Leave the coast, and you’ll immediately be engulfed by rainforest filled with lush ferns and cabbage palms. The 8.2km Palm Jungle loop takes you deep into this world before emerging at a beautiful hidden beach that’s just a short walk from the famous Figure Eight pools.