I have chosen to start the walk at Town Hall. To the west of Town Hall is St Andrews Cathedral, see of the Archibishop of Sydney and the home of the Anglican church in Sydney. Choral evensong is sung on Mondays and Thursdays. They also have some musical events which when scheduled are shown on the website.
Head north along George St and cross over to the QVB. This magnificent Sydney retail palace was saved from demolition by one of many Green Bans implemented by workers under the leadership of the legendary and still influential Jack Mundey who has made an enormous contribution to the preservation of Sydney's heritage and earned himself a slot as one of the ten Sydney visionaries celebrated at the Museum of Sydney (which is not on this walk).
The QVB could consume some time if you like to browse the shops, or stop for morning tea, but even those who loathe shopping should at least walk through and look up and around as you wander. You won't be short of options for indulging in some guilty pleasures along the way.
Emerge from the QVB onto Market Street. Head to the east to George Street and then start heading north. Cross the road. You pass the Galeries Victoria "a lifestyle and cultural destination for fashion art and music".
If you don't lose yourself in the Galeries.. perhaps in Books Kinokuniya (which seems to have a devoted set of disciples).. soon you will come to Dymocks. Dymocks is a Sydney institution and (like Kinokuniya) one of Sydney's best book stores... Plenty of Australian literature and kid's books can be found here.
Continue walking north along George St to the Strand Arcade an atmospheric and beautiful high end retail arcade.. and by far the loveliest way to get across to Pitt St Mall and on to our next destination... which is...
Sydney Tower Eye for a highrise view of our beautiful harbour with all it's winding nooks and quiet bays and across to the coast of golden beaches interrupted by craggy cliffs and headlands creating a string of sandy smiles for hundreds of miles north and south. Access to Sydney Tower Eye is located in Westfield Sydney which can be accessed from Pitt St Mall.
With your feet back on the ground, before we move on, I must point out that another of the heritage glories of Sydney - the State Theatre is located to the west along Market St. The State Theatre is a very busy live performance venue. Originally built as a moving picture palace in the late 1920s best seats are in the stalls for modern live performances, but back in the days of silent movies best seats were dress circle which still provides excellent views of performances and is the more impressive seating in terms of appreciating the theatre itself.
Walk straight up Market St to Hyde Park and the Archibald fountain and it's lovely backdrop of St Mary's Cathedral. You can visit the Cathedral which is the "spiritual home of Sydney's Catholic community". They are more geared up for casual visitors than the Anglican counterpart and offer a program of choral services and events. St Mary's is home to Australia's oldest ringing society in Australia the St Mary's Basillica Society of Change Ringers. Practice night is Thursday, and there are regular ringings for services listed on the website.
Back to Hyde Park: you have an option here to explore the park and take a loop down to the Anzac Memorial Hyde Park. It is a very beautiful memorial full of symbolism and has a small museum onsite. It is well worth your time. Honouring and remembering our service men and women is a fundamental element of Australian culture.
As we have included some of the largest Christian places of worship in our notes, it's also worth mentioning that just across the road from Hyde Park on Elizabeth St (west of Hyde Park) is the entrance to The Great Synagogue. "One of the finest Synagogues in the world". Check the website for tour times and information.
Moving on from Hyde Park, it's simply a matter of crossing the road to get to St James Church, Sydney's oldest church and one of our most significant historic buildings designed by convict architect Francis Greenway. A while ago a British TV series was made about amazing buildings, for Sydney they passed over the Opera House and chose St James's Church because they felt it astonishing that it was built when and where it was. It demonstrated an awe inspiring ambition and confidence in the future of young Sydney town. Both St James's Church and Hyde Park Barracks (another Greenway building) were built in the Macquarie era. Lachlan Macquarie was a great visionary and the people of Sydney still hold him in great esteem for his work advancing the young colony, however it is acknowledged that, as part of the British invasion of traditional Aboriginal lands he was responsible for ordering the massacre of Aboriginal people at Appin. Macquarie and his wife Elizabeth are commemorated in many names and places in Sydney and across NSW. Macquarie's Grave, on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, is maintained at the expense of the National Trust of Australia and is inscribed "The Father of Australia".
Next on our agenda, is of course the World Heritage Listed Hyde Park Barracks. I would recommend allowing at least a couple of hours for exploring this site. Many early immigrants to Australia passed through the doors here, including two of my own forebears, my great great grandfather as a convict, and ten years later my great great grandmother, a free Irish orphan brought out under the Earl Grey Scheme.... both were shipped on to Moreton Bay (now in Queensland) where they married in 1850. You will learn about both these (and more) uses of the Barracks during your visit. Even if you choose to simply walk past the Barracks, do have a look at the Irish Famine Memorial which commemorates these young Irish women and their contribution to this country.
If you head north along Macquarie Street towards the Opera House you pass some of Sydney's other colonial era treasures including NSW State Parliament, The Mint and the State Library. Also along Macquarie St are a number of small cafes serving breakfast and lunch and entrances to the Royal Botanic Gardens.
We will follow the road as it sweeps around to the left / north and into Art Gallery Road. You will walk under the beautiful shady canopy of an avenue of Port Jackson fig trees through the Domain. As you pass, keep an eye out for the speaker's podiums on your left opposite the Art Gallery of NSW, this is Speaker's Corner, established in 1878 as a place where people can speak to whatever issue they feel needs public attention. Nearby is a restaurant and cafe where you might choose to take a break or have a meal.
We will follow the road as it sweeps around to the left / north and into Art Gallery Road. You will walk under the beautiful shady canopy of an avenue of Port Jackson fig trees through the Domain. As you pass, keep an eye out for the speaker's podiums on your left opposite the Art Gallery of NSW, this is Speaker's Corner, established in 1878 as a place where people can speak to whatever issue they feel needs public attention. Nearby is a restaurant and cafe where you might choose to take a break or have a meal.
The Art Gallery of NSW has plenty to see for art lovers including some of the nations best loved and most famous works. There is a lovely restaurant onsite with views down over Woolloomooloo Bay (pronounced Woola-malloo) and the historic Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf.
To continue down to Mrs Macquarie's Point, the best route is to follow the path on the eastern side (Art Gallery side) of the road as it veers down to the foreshore of Woolloomooloo Bay. Don't neglect to explore the little nooks and crannies along the way as they lead down to some surprises, such as the sculpture, Dual Nature, by Nigel Helyer. Along this way you will also find the Andrew (Boy) Charlton swimming pool. Boy Charlton was a champion Australian swimmer, born in North Sydney, who won the 1500 metres title in 20 minutes 6.6 seconds, setting new Olympic and world records at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.
From the Boy Charlton pool, it's a lovely walk down along Mrs Macquaries Road through an area where they have been re-establishing original vegetation, to Mrs Macquarie's Chair.which is actually a stone seat carved into the headland on Mrs Macquaries Point. Through this walk you have beautiful views of the harbour.
As you round Mrs Macquaries Point the vista opens onto what has to be the most iconic view of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour bridge. It is also one of the most attractive views of the Sydney skyline as the modern towers hover above the green of the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney as it hugs the headland and foreshores of Farm Cove.
Take your time and take a stroll admiring the stunning Sydney views as you walk along the level foreshore pathway into the botanic gardens. There is plenty of scope for exploring in the gardens, or having a lie down on the grass, a meal in the cafe or restaurant, or simply use the facilities. The gardens has changing botanical exhibitions at the Calyx and there is a variety of day and night time walks. If you fancy some time off your feet there is a small road train that operates within the gardens.
The obvious next stop on the walk is the Sydney Opera House. The Opera House is on a promontory called Bennelong Point. Woollarawarre Bennelong was one of the most notable Aboriginal people in the early history of modern Australia. Spare him, and his people, a thought as you contemplate the modern metropolis. You can learn more about Sydney's first people here. I recommend you take a tour of the Opera House. You may also choose to have a bite to eat at the Opera Bar or the Opera Kitchen. Pause for a while on a seat along the Opera House forecourt and admire "The Coathanger" as Sydneysiders affectionately call the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Luna Park (a beautiful spectacle of light in Sydney's night-time sparkle); and Fort Dennison out in the harbour.
You can end the walk at Circular Quay using transport connections to return to your base, or you can continue around Circular Quay past the various street performers. Beyond the quay you reach The Rocks, another area saved by the Green Bans discussed above.
As evening moves in, or at another time you can continue around the foreshore all the way around Dawes Point, under the bridge to Walsh Bay for access to more theatre complexes such as Sydney Theatre or The Wharf that provide a home for the world renowned Sydney Theatre Company. The land around Walsh Bay, Millers Point and Barangaroo was once the scene of intensive marine industry, ship building and repair and commercial docks. The Barangaroo Project named for Barangaroo, a prominent Aboriginal woman of early Sydney, was initiated as an urban renewal project converting the old shipping container terminals into parklands and shopping and business precincts including restoring the original contours of the headland. The Barangaroo Project website provides information on the area and activities you can do there which includes regular Aboriginal cultural tours. From Barangaroo you can connect with Sydney Trains at Wynyard, or beyond Barangaroo is Cockle Bay and then Darling Harbour where you can connect with Sydney Ferries.
