Pram Friendly Walks – Sydney

Guest Post by Caroline Jerrems

My toddler, Nathan, and I love walking around our local area (Lane Cove) – and now he’s bigger he is scootering as well. Walking is great for so many reasons – for fitness, a change of scene, an opportunity to socialise with friends, and because everyone is so much happier outdoors.

I’ve included in this brochure a brief description of our favourite local pram-friendly walks. I recommend researching any walk you intend to do in more detail on the internet and getting a map.

Long Walks near Lane Cove

Artarmon to Flat Rock Gully – about 5km return
This walk follows a well marked, concreted path which gradually slopes down from Artarmon to Willoughby.  It showcases some otherwise hidden beautiful bushland. It is extendable in both directions with street walking.
•    Start at either Artarmon Station or Shepherd Street Artarmon
•    Follow the path to Artarmon Reserve where there is a great playground
•    Then on the surprisingly quiet and bushy cyclepath next to the Gore Hill freeway (separated by a tall wall) to get to Bicentennial Park Willoughby and onto Flat Rock Gully.
•    Return by the same path – going uphill this time.
•    If you want to do the uphill part first, then park at Willoughby Leisure Centre

Tarban Creek, Hunters Hill – about 4km return
This is a fairly flat concreted path that follows a creek’s path. There is some interpretative signage which explains some of the great regeneration work that has been done.
•    Park at Waruda Place, Gladesville
•    Follow the path to the foreshore
•    The walk ends at a small playground at Gladesville Rd. You can return by the same path or
•    Walk down Gladesville Rd past the Hunters Hill shops then turn down Durham Street
•    Cross the Tarban Creek Bridge. There are a few steps to go down and you will then be on a pedestrian path that takes you back to Waruda Place.

Bay Run – 7km round trip
This is a well known, busy, scenic shared cycle/pedestrian path which follows Henley Marine Drive around Iron Cove. There are two playgrounds and one set of public toilets on route.  You can park at several spots including near Drummoyne Swimming Pool, Rodd Park, Leichhardt Park or King George Park

Shrimptons Creek, North Ryde – about 4km return
This shared pedestrian/cycle path goes from Quarry Rd to Waterloo Rd. It is fairly flat and is popular with locals.

Glebe Foreshore Walk – from Rozelle to the Fish Markets – approximately 4km return (or a bit longer by the Anzac Bridge)
This is a flat, scenic walk which goes around Rozelle Bay and Blackwattle Bays.
•    Park at Chapman Rd carpark at Bicentennial Park Rozelle. There is a fantastic playground in Bicentennial Park
•    Follow the foreshore path to Sydney Secondary College at Glebe when you then have to follow streets until you get to the Fish Markets
•    Return by the same route or follow Saunders Road to get onto the Anzac Bridge
•    The walk between the Anzac Bridge and Chapman Road is on the footpath right next to the road so is rather noisy
•    Instead of returning directly from the Fish Markets you can extend the walk by continuing through Pyrmont and catching the light rail back to Jubilee Park.

Birchgrove to Balmain – about 2km one way
This is an on-road walk which is accessible by ferry, so is good to do on Sundays when all-day public transport tickets are only $2.50 each if you are travelling with a child, and traffic is fairly quiet.
•    Catch the ferry to Birchgrove
•    Follow the road to Ballast Point Park. There are quite a few steps down at this point
•    Follow the path to Balmain ferry terminal at Mort Bay where there is a fantastic playground
•    If you want to extend the walk, wander up to the great shops and cafes at Balmain.

Lane Cove National Park
You can do a lot of on or off road walking around Lane Cove National Park
•    The entrance is off Lady Game Drive. Parking spots inside the park cost a minimal sum or you can park outside the park
•    You can push many prams on the grass or tracks, or you can follow the road up Riverside Drive. It’s steep at times but is doable.

Beautiful walks a bit further away

Manly – to Balgowlah, Queenscliff and/or Shelley Beach
•    I generally park on or near Willyama Road at Balgowlah, which means that I avoid the 2 hour on-road parking restrictions and the expensive parking stations in the Manly CBD.
•    You can then follow the popular foreshore walk to get to the Manly Wharf (about 2km). After that, you can either go south to Shelley Beach or north to Queenscliff playground. Either way, it’s a beautiful walk.

Bicentennial Park Homebush / Blaxland Riverside Park
•    Both these locations are next to the Sydney Olympic Park complex. You can park at either Bicentennial Park or Blaxland Riverside Park and do some of the lovely scenic walks in each location. There are playgrounds and lots of signs at both locations.

City walks

Harbour Bridge / Botanic Gardens / Hyde Park
Depending on how ambitious you are, you can walk all the way from North Sydney station to Town Hall station.
•    There are bicycle route signs from North Sydney station that show the route to get to Milsons Point station
•    There are several stairs to get up to the Harbour Bridge walk – but I’ve always had offers of assistance to get my pram up these stairs
•    After walking across the Harbour Bridge there are some more stairs to get up and then you can follow the path along the Cahill Expressway until you get to a lift just past a scenic lookout
•    You can use the lift to get down to Circular Quay then walk around to the Opera House then through the Botanic Gardens – or from the lookout you can go directly to the Botanic Gardens skipping the Opera House
•    From the Botanic Gardens you can then go through the Domain to get to Hyde Park, then to Town Hall Station

Pyrmont/Darling Harbour
You can do this walk as either a continuation of the Glebe Foreshore walk or as an out-and-back from Pyrmont Point Park. It is a scenic, historic area.
•    If you are continuing on from the Fish Markets, follow Bank Street until you get to a footpath going down to the foreshore at the highrise apartments
•    Follow the foreshore walk until Pyrmont Point Park which has plenty of meter parking and a fantastic playground including a waterplay area
•    Follow a combination of foreshore walks, piers and roads until you get to Darling Harbour. You can skip the piers if you want to shorten the walk but I think they’re really historic and attractive.
•    There is a fantastic playground at Darling Harbour including another waterplay area, although it’s usually very busy on weekends
•    If you did this walk as a continuation of the Glebe Foreshore walk, then you can catch the light rail from Pyrmont to get back to Jubilee Park/Bicentennial Park.

Centennial Park
You can do the 3.5km circuit around the edge of the grounds or explore the grass, the bush, the lakes and the inner roads. It is a beautiful park and is very flat.

Short but scenic walks

The following walks are too short to classify as exercise – but are so scenic that it’s worth going there anyway.

Balmoral
There is a relatively short walk along the seaside but you can go back and forth several times without getting sick of the view. You can also extend the walk by going around the oval.

Lavender Bay to Kirribilli
You can park in Bayview St at McMahons Point, then walk down several stairs to Lavender Bay. The foreshore walk to Kirribilli past Luna Park and under the Harbour Bridge is then flat. The walk isn’t that long but you can extend it by exploring nearby streets or going across the Harbour Bridge

Cremorne
The Cremorne Foreshore walk starts from Bogota Avenue and has a relatively flat concrete path to the lighthouse at Cremorne Point. Most people with prams would stop here, turn around and go back to Bogota Avenue. For hardy people who don’t mind several sets of stairs you can continue following the bushland track around to Mosman Bay where there is a lovely playground. The path to Mosman Bay is concreted so is passable for prams but the stairs get irritating.

Field of Mars Reserve / Buffalo Creek Reserve
There is a beautiful but short boardwalk along the creek at the Field of Mars reserve which is accessible for prams and useful if you want a solitary spot to meditate. On the other side of the road there is a great playground at Buffalo Creek Reserve and a kids’ bike track which can be used by prams.

Scenic street walks

If you want to do a street based walk in a scenic location on a well maintained, relatively flat footpath, then you may want to consider walking around Longueville or Woolwich/Clarkes Point Reserve. Both have great harbour views. Other options include Artarmon, Chatswood and Lane Cove West which don’t have spectacular views but do have pleasant leafy avenues.

Happy walking!

Caroline is the mother of a wonderful 3 year old boy, Nathan and resides in Lane Cove, Sydney. She has always enjoyed walking and has had a lot of fun introducing her mothers group to some of the fantastic pram-friendly walks around their local area –  a great way to socialise, enjoy the outdoors and get fitter after having babies.