An epic walk through the heart of Sydney

Sydney walk – Photo supplied by Benh Lieu Song

Start/Finish	Category	Distance	Estimated Walking Time
St Andrews Cathedral / Art Gallery of NSW	History and Architecture, Tourism	7.3 km	1 hr 50 min*

Summary

An epic walk which passes the most iconic tourist attractions in Sydney.

Public transport

You can catch a train or light rail to Town Hall station. Buses leave from the Art Gallery of NSW.

Directions

Starting Point – St Andrews Cathedral

This walk starts in George St, opposite St Andrews Cathedral. The cathedral, which is one of the oldest in Australia, opened its doors to parishioners in 1868. Easily accessible, you can catch a tram or train to get there.

From St Andrews walk in a northerly direction past Sydney Town Hall. This building houses the chambers of the Lord mayor of Sydney, council offices, and venues for meetings. The building is known for its high Victorian interiors and rich decoration.  A less well known fact is that the building sits within the former old Sydney burial ground. It was the city’s first permanent cemetery and it is estimated that at least 2,000 burials were made there between 1792 and 1820. 

From the Town Hall turn left onto Druitt St and then right up York St continuing in a northerly direction. On York St you will pass the Queen Victoria building. The building, which opened in 1898 consists of four main shopping floors. A dominant feature of the building is its central dome and stained glass windows. If you have time, take a look inside as it is definitely worth a visit. 

Queen Victoria Building

Image: QVB, photo by Dietmar Rabich

From the Queen Victoria building continue north along York St and then turn left in a westerly direction along Market St. Near the end of Market St is the Pyrmont footbridge. Cross the bridge over the Western distributor and then take the escalator down to the Sydney Aquarium. Continue heading north along the promenade until you reach Barangaroo Reserve at the northern end of the Barangaroo precinct. The reserve features a reconstructed, naturalistic headland. If you need a break this is a great place to take it. 

Take the main path in the reserve, which goes to the most northerly point of the headland and then loops back around in a south easterly direction out of the reserve. This will take you to Towns Place. Walk up Towns Place, which then turns into Hickson Rd. If you walk all the way along Hickson Rd you will cross under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Sydney. Opening in 1932, it is the eighth longest spanning arch bridge in the world.

After walking under the bridge, take the path through the Hickson Rd reserve and then after passing the Hyatt Hotel take the path that joins back up with Hickson Rd and then Geoge St. This will take you through the Rocks precinct, a historic part of Sydney where convicts and the local Aboriginal people once cohabited.  These days the Rocks is better known for its art galleries.

From George St turn down Circular Quay West and head towards the ferry terminal in Circular Quay. Pass the ferry terminal and walk along the promenade heading in a northerly direction. This will take you to the Sydney Opera House, which is arguably Australia’s most famous building.  

Sydney Opera House

Image: Sydney Opera House at night, photo supplied by Lenny K

Once you have finished admiring the Opera House continue walking through the Botanic Gardens.  There are multiple pathways in the gardens. Take the one that goes to Lotus Pond, which is near the Botanic House restaurant. From the restaurant head south and make your way out of the park to Art Gallery Rd.

Finish – Art Gallery of NSW

If you continue down Art Gallery Rd in a southerly direction you will get to the Art Gallery of NSW which is the end of the journey. From here you can catch a bus back to the city.

Sydney walk – GPX file

To access to the GPX file for this walk click on the download button below.   

Information on GPX files and how to import them into Google maps on your phone can be found here.

Sydney walk – Map

Start –  St Andrews Cathedral

1. St Andrews Cathedral
2. Sydney Town Hall
3. Queen Victoria Building
4. Barangaroo Reserve
5. Sydney Harbour Bridge
6. The Rocks
7. Circular Quay
8. Sydney Opera House
9. Royal Botanic Gardens
10. Art Gallery of NSW

Finish –  Art Gallery of NSW