What are the best things to do in Gladesville, Sydney?
The best things to do in Gladesville, Sydney, are the riverside parks, the Banjo Patterson Cottage Restaurant and the Aboriginal rock carvings in Glades Bay native gardens.
Gladesville might not be part of Sydney that immediately grabs tourists’ attention, but it’s a pleasant Sydney neighbourhood to hang out in.
Where is Gladesville, Sydney?
Gladesville is on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, its southern edge on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is just west of the Lane Cove River. And it borders the neighbourhoods of Hunters Hill, Ryde, Putney, Henley and Tennyson Point.
Just south of the river from Gladesville are Cabarita and Abbotsford. That said, most people will know Gladesville from the Gladesville Bridge. This is one of the key crossings to and from North Sydney.
The Gladesville Bridge isn’t actually in Gladesville. It’s just to the east in Huntleys Cove. The bridge joins the Lower North Shore to the Inner West. At the other end of the bridge is Drummoyne, home of the Birkenhead Point outlet shopping mall.
13 brilliant experiences in Sydney you should book
- (💲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.
Things to do in Gladesville: Rockend Cottage
Things to do in Gladesville generally fall into the camp of parks and heritage buildings. On the heritage buildings front there’s the St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church and Rockend Cottage.
Rockend Cottage is a cute sandstone house, built in the 1830s and once home to poet Banjo Patterson. Patterson is the closest Australia has to a national poet. He wrote the Man From Snowy River and, better known to outsiders, Waltzing Matlida.
Rockend Cottage is now home to the Banjo Patterson Cottage Restaurant, which unashamedly milks the Patterson links. The Banjo Patterson Cottage Restaurant is both a fine dining restaurant and events venue. The photogenic sandstone house, combined with the Parramatta River setting, makes this a very popular venue for wedding receptions.
Other Gladesville restaurants include Dos Senoritas, Ping’s Kitchen and Da Toto.
Things to do in Gladesville: Parks and walks
The restaurant is in Banjo Patterson Park, one of a series of riverside parks and reserves in Gladesville. There’s a walking trail that hugs the river shore from Banjo Patterson Park, heading round Bedlam Point to the Parramatta River Regional Park.
Perhaps more interesting, however, are the Glades Bay Native Gardens at the western end of Gladesville. The Glades Bay Native Gardens are home to a series of Aboriginal rock carvings. The most obvious of these are the carvings of two jumping kangaroos.
More Sydney neighbourhood guides
Bondi Beach | Camperdown | Chippendale | Doonside | Drummoyne |
Elizabeth Bay | Erskineville | Parramatta | Point Piper | Surry Hills | West Pennant Hills