This year on Easter long weekend my fiancé and I decided to ditch the chocolate and head off to Sydney for a weekend of hikes, farm animals and boozy lunches. We spent many afternoons lounging at restaurants overlooking Sydney’s gorgeous beaches, a whole day at the Royal Easter Show and a morning walking one of the most breathtaking cliff walks that Australia has to offer. This fairly easy/moderate 10km walk is called the Federation Cliff Walk and it’s a must do in Sydney.
The walk can be commenced either from Gap Park in Watsons Bay, or Bondi Beach. We caught a bus into Watson Bay and wandered down the coast, conveniently landing in Bondi around lunch time. We wandered through the suburb of Vaucluse, Dover Heights and ended up in Bondi Beach to bask in the sunshine.
The Gap is located on the eastern side of Watsons Bay and offers one of Sydney’s most famous ocean cliff lookouts with views that are absolutely breathtaking. Even if you don’t plan to walk, I highly recommend visiting Gap Park for the views. Grab a picnic and enjoy one of Sydney’s best.
From The Gap, we followed the cliff-side path leading up to Old South Head Road. The track is clearly marked and we enjoyed the views of the ocean on our left.
As we continued, we walked through the Lighthouse Reserve, past the famous Macquarie Lighthouse. Constructed in 1818 and rebuilt in 1883, the Macquarie Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in Australia and looks pretty spectacular amongst it’s surrounding cliffs.
The path continues south past Christison Park with its wide sports fields and Clarke Reserve. We made a mental note to come back for a picnic in the summer time as the area is perfect for sports and features plenty of amenities, a playground and even an outdoor gym.
At Clarke Reserve, we wandered up into Jensen Avenue via Clarke Street. Then we turned into Marine Street and Chris Bang Crescent that lead to steps going down into Diamond Bay Reserve.
As we walked down the steps into Diamond Bay, we felt like we’ve stepped into a tropical rain forest. The track goes around Rosa Gully, an inlet between the cliffs that is a popular place for rock climbing…although I don’t know if I would be that brave!
We followed the timber walkway, leading out of Diamond Bay Reserve, around a massive apartment block with million dollar views, to Ray Street. The cliff walk continues a few hundred metres south at Oceanview Avenue.
We followed the cliff walk all the way to Dover Heights Reserve, into Lancaster Road and then into Military Road. While you are wandering the streets, take a moment to enjoy the spectacular city and harbour views from this park area on your right. A great spot for Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks as the bridge and the city is in clear view.
From Military Road, we turned left into Weonga Road to get back to the cliff walk track. Here, we saw stunning 80-metre high sandstone cliffs at Raleigh Reserve.
The remainder of the walk from Dover Heights into Bondi Beach is an easy stretch full of spectacular views. From Dover Heights we followed Military Road past the Bondi Golf Course all the way to Bondi Beach.
Once at Bondi, we wandered down to The Bucket List café/bar located just a few steps of the sand. This bar is home to quirky cocktails, delicious burgers, tacos and a cool paradise vibe.
I’d recommend the walk in the morning, aiming to arrive to Bondi at around lunch time. All up, we think it took about 2 hours with lots of photo stops and water breaks. Remember to slip, slop, slap and pack plenty of water to keep hydrated!
