Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk, Sydney
The Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk through the Sydney Harbour National Park gives a 4km taste of the harbour’s scenery and wildlife. And you can have a swim at the end of it…
The Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk is one of the best ways to see Sydney Harbour. It is not as well known as the classic Spit Bridge to Manly walk, but that helps keep the numbers down. You can have much of this harbourside walk to yourself.
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- (💲Great value 💲) Tick off several bucket list items on a highlights-packed Blue Mountains day tour.
- Get perfect views of the world’s most beautiful city on a Sydney Harbour helicopter tour.
- Save money with a multi-attraction pass.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoy the romance of a tall ship cruise on Sydney Harbour.
- Eat all you can at the Skyfeast at the top of Sydney Tower.
- See migrating humpbacks – on a whale-watching cruise.
- (Highly recommended ✅) Go behind the scenes of Australia’s most famous building on an Opera House tour.
- Dine as the city lights up on sunset dinner cruise around the harbour.
- Combine beers and stories on a historic pubs tour through the convict-era Rocks district.
- Stand on your board and catch waves during Bondi Beach surfing lessons.
- Go to wombat and kangaroo-spotting hotspots on a Southern Highlands tour.
- Enjoy Sydney’s wild side on a Manly snorkelling & nature walk.
- (🥇Top choice in Sydney) And, best of all, paddle to hidden beaches on a harbour kayaking adventure.
How long is the Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk?
The Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk covers a 4km stretch of the Lower North Shore. It’s not a particularly difficult walk. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife service gives it a Grade 3, which means anyone with moderate fitness should have no problems.
There are plenty of steps to make you feel like you’ve had a workout, and a few steep hills. But the uphill sections are short, and the whole walk is well signposted.
Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk start point
The Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk starts just outside the Taronga Zoo ferry wharf, then continues around Athol Bay. The track then continues through the Sydney Harbour National Park to the tip of Bradleys Head.
Here, you’ll find one of Sydney’s best lookouts – the Booraghee Amphitheatre. This popular picnic spot has great views out towards the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Fort Denison.
There are also a few military relics at Bradleys Head. The convict-built battery was constructed after American warships sneaked into Sydney Harbour unnoticed, while the surrounding trench system was added later.
Sydney Harbour national park wildlife
Keep an eye out for native wildlife – plenty of cute creatures live in this section of the Sydney Harbour National Park – as you keep going towards Ashton Park on Taylors Bay. There is the tiniest of cove beaches here, where Taylors Gully trickles into the harbour. But if it’s a swim you want, you’re better off continuing to the substantially bigger Chowder Bay.
And that’s the treat that awaits after you’ve followed the walk around Gooragal, a scenic headland where fishermen like to try their luck from the rocks.
How long does the Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk take?
Depending on how often you stop to take in the views, the Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay walk should take between 90 minutes and two-and-a-half hours.
If you’re driving, then there’s an $8 a day charge to use the Bradleys Head car park.
More Sydney travel
Stop at Symbio Wildlife Park on the drive from Sydney to Jervis Bay.
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Admire the Anzac Bridge from the Glebe Foreshore Walk.
Take the Cockatoo Island ferry for a Cockatoo Island ghost tour.