Sydney Mini Walk

Indulge on a self-guided walking tour of one of the world’s great cities, Sydney.

Travel journalist, Ian Cross, takes to the road for a series of short reports on people, places and events across the globe – The Grassroots Tour…

It’s easy to explore Sydney by foot – try this self-guided itinerary…

Sydney’s centre is focused on Cicular Quay by the Harbour where the city’s ferries come and go. The Quay is bookended by the iconic sites of The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. This is the perfect place from where you can explore by foot some of central Sydney’s most historic and attractive sites.

Start your walk by heading away from the Quay up to the corner of George and Bridge streets. Then head east up the hill taking in the colonial government buildings. The Department of Lands building features statues on its facade of famous Australian explorers. Stop at the Museum of Sydney to explore more of the city’s history before heading across Macquarie Street to the botanical gardens.

Inside the gardens, the Governor’s mansion has stood on this prime position overlooking the harbour for almost 200 years. It’s still in use today. A wall tracing one of Sydney’s first roads built by Governor Lachlan Macquarie runs inside the Botanic Gardens and it ends on the nearby peninsula at the aptly named Lady Macquarie’s Chair, after the governor’s wife who used to sit here and gaze at the views of the harbour as thousands of tourists do so today and every day.

A walk back through the gardens takes you to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where some of Australia’s most celebrated colonial and contemporary artworks are displayed.

On the return leg of your walk, take in the colonial buildings of Macquarie Street, including the old convict-built barracks and church, and statues of Macquarie himself, plus other pioneers like Matthew Flinders, the first to circumnavigate Australia.

Walking north down the the hill of Macquarie Street, you’ll find yourself back at Circular Quay. Between taking in the majestic setting of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, here you can visit another museum, the wonderful Museum of Contemporary Art.