Mosman Bay to Cremorne Point Walk

The Mosman Bay to Cremorne Point Walk is one of the best walks in Sydney!

The walk is fairly short at just over 3km but provides you with some of the city’s best Harbourside and marina views. Not only that, but the houses along Mosman Bay and Cremorne Point are to DIE for!

Some of Sydney’s oldest, most unique and elaborate mansions are located here in this prime position. Even if you are just in Sydney for a few days I definitely recommend you do the Mosman Bay to Cremorne Point Walk!

Read on to find everything you need to know!

Visiting Sydney? Check out this 3 day Sydney itinerary!

After spending my first few days in Sydney visiting the tourist sights, Instagrammable places in Sydney and crowded Bondi Beach, Sydney just seemed like another big city with ridiculously busy beaches!

I struggled to see the fascination the locals had with this city.

That was until I ventured over to the Lower North Shore of Sydney, on the other side of the harbour bridge. The north shore was what made me completely fall in love with this city I now call home.

On the north shore you’ll find less tourists, yet stunning views and the best coastal walks in the city! Yet it is still so close to the city!

Why you should do the Mosman Bay to Cremorne Point Walk

Cremorne Point is a 3km long peninsula on Sydney’s lower north shore. It is a very leafy residential waterside suburb.

Even if you are only in Sydney for a few days you should definitely get out of the main touristy spots and do the Mosman Bay to Cremorne Point Walk. Here are the reasons why:

Very easy to access from Circular Quay (bus or ferry).
The short 3km coastal walk will take just over an hour so is perfect if you don’t have much time in Sydney or don’t want to do a long walk.
Lots of Sydney’s coastal walks are quite hilly but this one is fairly flat so is suitable for all ages and abilities.
You see a much more peaceful side of Sydney and the walk makes you feel miles away from the big city.
There is so much beautiful lush greenery on the walk including secret gardens.
You will get to see some of Sydney’s oldest and grandest heritage houses.
The walk has some of the best Harbourside views – the views across to The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge are stunning from here!
There is even a free swimming pool here with Harbourside views that you can have a swim in!

MOSMAN BAY TO CREMORNE POINT WALK

Where to start the walk

You can start the walk from either end – whichever is easiest for you. That being said, it is actually easier and more practical to start at Mosman Bay end as Mosman Wharf is located at the start of the walk.

There is no wharf at the end of the walk so most people start at Mosman Wharf, walk along the peninsula and then walk back through the streets to Mosman Wharf so they do a loop.

Cremorne Point Wharf is located just over halfway through the walk at the tip of the peninsula so you will either need to go back on yourself or walk along to the next wharf (Kurraba Point) to catch a ferry afterwards.

I also prefer to start the walk from Mosman so you can swim in Maccallum pool towards the end of the walk but it is totally up to you! Below I will detail the walk starting from Mosman.

MOSMAN BAY TO CREMORNE POINT WALK

How to get to Mosman Bay:

Ferry:
The most convenient and scenic way to get to Mosman Bay is to take the ferry to Mosman Wharf from Circular Quay.

The ferry takes 20 minutes and you enjoy the most beautiful views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the CBD skyline from the ferry. You’ll also go around Cremorne Point peninsula before arriving into Mosman Wharf.

Take the ferry on Wharf 4 Side A at Circular Quay – the journey costs $5.

The ferry first stops at Cremorne Point, then South Mosman and Old Cremorne before stopping at Mosman Wharf.

There are public toilets here at the wharf and also a cafe if you want to grab something to eat or drink.

Bus:
You can get the 230 number bus to Mosman Wharf from Luna Park/Milsons Point. You must have a valid Opal travel card as the buses don’t accept cash.

How to get to Cremorne Point:

Ferry:
You can take a 10 minute ferry from Circular Quay to Cremorne Point. Take the same ferry you would take if you are heading towards Mosman Bay (Wharf 4).

Mosman Bay to Cremorne Point Walk

When you are at Mosman Wharf ready to start the walk, stroll along the waterfront (Centenary Drive) which takes you to the other side of the marina towards the Mosman Rowers and boat club.

From here you’ll want to keep going straight on the flat footpath – don’t go on the footpath that goes uphill to the right towards the houses. Follow the sign that says “Path to Cremorne Point”.

I always like to have the maps.me app handy on my phone just to double check I am going the right way.

At first the footpath will briefly take you through a bush track and across a wooden bridge until you reach the start of the Cremorne Point peninsula.

You can take some really nice pictures of the boats in the marina through the trees – the views of Mosman Bay from here are really beautiful!

You will then join onto the footpath that goes infront of the houses (mansions!). The mansions on this side of the peninsula are particularly impressive – all unique in character and from the early 20th Century.

All the time you will have the water on your left hand side. Once you are on this path it is very easy to follow.

Along the walk you’ll see lots of maps like the one above and information boards detailing the history of the area.

For example back in the mid 1800’s Cremorne Point was the site of a popular amusement park as well as almost being the site of a coal mine! Cremorne Point was originally home to Aboriginal inhabitants who named the area Woolwarra-jeung.

You’ll also notice that unlike other coastal walks in Sydney such as the Mosman to Balmoral Beach walk, absolutely no houses are built right next to the water here.

This means for the entire walk you will enjoy completely uninterrupted waterfront views as the footpath stretches right along the water’s edge. For this reason this is my favourite walk in Sydney!

All the houses are set back 100 feet (33 metres) from the water. This is due to the 1828 Government Order that stated a 100 foot strip of land that goes around the entire Cremorne Point peninsula should be for the public.

Lex and Ruby’s Garden

About 300 metres after passing the Old Cremorne Wharf you’ll come to Lex and Ruby’s Garden on your left.

The garden is also known as The Garden that grew from an Elephant’s Ear as one day Lex was swimming in the water here and an elephant’s ear bulb floated past him so he decided to plant it.

To his surprise it grew, so him and Ruby cleared this part of the land which had previously been filled with lots of rubbish and over the years the garden grew. These lush waterside gardens even went on to win several awards.

Head down the stone steps of the garden that lead towards the water and see all the beautiful species of plants.

Carry on walking past the gardens and enjoy the harbour views on your left and the ever-impressive mansions on your right. There are also lots of benches here for you to relax on.

As you get nearer to the tip of the peninsula you’ll start to see the Harbour Bridge, CBD and Sydney Opera House come into view. From here the views are so impressive especially on a sunny day!

Cremorne Reserve

You’ll see Cremorne Point Wharf below you on your right and public toilets on your left but continue walking straight into the Cremorne Reserve – this is where Cremorne Point amusement park once was.

You’ll see an information board here providing you with more information about the history. There is a child’s playground and an open grassy space, and then at the tip of the peninsula you’ll see a lighthouse.

The tip of the peninsula is actually known as Robertson’s Point and the big rocks by the lighthouse (Robertson’s Point Lighthouse) are a popular place to sit and enjoy the views across the CBD.

You can also head down the steps by the lighthouse and sit on these rocks too. Please be careful though!

Cremorne Point Wharf

You can always take the ferry back to Circular Quay from Cremorne Point Wharf if you don’t want to walk along the whole of the peninsula and do the loop back to Mosman Bay Wharf.

However only 200 metres along from Cremorne Point Wharf is the public swimming pool (Maccallum Pool) so go for a dip there before you catch the ferry back.

I actually think the walk from Mosman Bay to Maccallum Pool is the best part of the walk, so don’t feel bad if you want to head back after this.

Maccallum Pool

Sydney is known for it’s stunning sea water pools (such as the busy Bronte Ocean Baths and Coogee Ocean Baths) that are free to visit and Maccallum Pool is no exception.

Although the great thing is that even though Maccallum pool is very well known amongst the locals, it is surprisingly unknown to most tourists!

Maccallum Pool is a 33 metre long sea water pool with incredible panoramic Harbourside views. The pool dates back to the 1920’s and has lots of character.

It originally started as a rock pool that was actually created by the local residents to make a safe place to swim in the harbour. The residents moved big boulders to create a rock pool, and eventually several years later a proper pool was built.

The pool is above the high water mark and so needs to be cleaned once a week usually (tide dependent).

Whilst the pool is being cleaned and emptied obviously it will be closed to the public – you can check the closing times here. Note that if you come right before the pool is cleaned you’ll see the water is very green!

With free entry there’s no excuse for you not to have a dip and then bask in the sun on the deck here for a little bit afterwards! The timber deck here offers a great place for sunbathing.

Cremorne Point Foreshore Walk

After Maccallum pool you’ll find lots of green open space along the foreshore with great city views that makes a popular picnic spot. From here you can clearly see The Opera House, The Harbour Bridge and the CBD.

This is actually one of the best spots to clearly see all three sights very close together, meaning you can get some great photographs from here!

As you continue along the foreshore you’ll end up walking towards Shell Cove, although the path starts to become quite heavily lined with trees so you’ll only get glimpses of the cove.

The path here provides a lot of shade and you’ll also see some interesting caves along the walk.

Heading back to Mosman Wharf

After you come out of the footpath you’ll find yourself on Bogota Avenue. From here you can turn right and then take the two sets of stairs up onto Hodgson Avenue.

Walk along the length of Hodgson Avenue then at the end take the stairs down infront of you on Kareela Road and you’ll find yourself back near the start of the peninsula by the wooden bridge and the mansions on Mosman Bay.

From here you can retrace the steps you took at the beginning of the track until you reach Mosman Wharf again. It is always a good idea to have downloaded offline maps onto your phone so you can see your location incase you are not sure of the way.

Alternatively, take a photo of one of the many maps along the route so you can see the way to walk back.

Continuing the walk along to Kurraba

Alternatively if you don’t want to head back to Circular Quay and would like to carry on walking, you can head up to Spain’s Lookout in Kurraba, although the view here is not quite as good as on the Cremorne Point foreshore as the Harbour Bridge is obscured.

Equally, you need to walk along the streets as there is no Harbourside footpath and the houses all back onto the water so the walk is not as picturesque.

Carry on walking and you will come to Hayes Street. Just before you get to the foreshore and Neutral Bay Wharf you’ll see a sign for Hayes Beach on your left – you’ll need to go through a little covered alleyway to get to this small beach.

It is a nice beach with lovely views of the yachts and residential areas on the south side of harbour.

If you still have energy continue walking towards Kirribilli (home to the famous Jacaranda Street!). There is a nice promenade here with stunning views of The Opera House and you are right underneath The Harbour Bridge.

You can even walk across The Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay instead of taking the ferry back!

What to bring on the Mosman Bay to Cremorne Point walk:

water bottle
suncream
hat
camera
I was very comfortable walking the route in flip-flops but you may want to wear trainers for the walk
swimming costume
insect repellant