My Best 5 Hikes for Nature-Lovers In and Around Sydney
- IDreamofMangoes
- May 4
- 8 min read
Updated: May 6
Don't hate me for saying this, but I don't think the city of Sydney has the biggest personality... It is not old and historical, arty, or cool, and the traffic and construction can be overwhelming - I would be lying if I said otherwise. BUT, what Sydney does offer is an array of great eating and drinking spots (more on that in the next article) and endless amounts of stunning natural spaces. Many of these are close enough for a day trip and free to enjoy; from beautiful botanical gardens to the copious ocean pools, not to mention the expansive national parks, hidden waterfalls, and mystical mountains. So, if you want to get away from the traffic and the plastics for a day, read on to find out all about my 5 favourite hikes for nature-lovers in and around Sydney.
HIKING ESSENTIALS
My number one hiking essential these days is a Kula Cloth. Have you ever come across a product and thought, "Where has this been all my life?" Well, the Kula cloth was that for me. This one is for the girls who hike, and you can read more on their website about the product, but trust me...wild wees will never be the same! I am a pretty low-fuss person, so the only other things I never hike without are: sunscreen, water, and snacks (beef jerky, nuts and dried fruit = the best hiking snacks).
Getting Around
Aside from the glorious natural spaces, another awesome perk of living in Sydney is that public transport links are super efficient and affordable. Just as an example, the 2-hour train ride from Sydney Central Station to the Blue Mountains is only $7! The equivalent journey in England would set you back around $200 if you did not book in advance, maybe more. No joke!
Most of the places on this list of the best hikes for nature lovers in and around Sydney can be reached by public transport, and you may also notice a few of the more popular coastal walks and treks are missing from this article (cough cough, Coogee to Bondi walk). I have deliberately left off the most crowded trails and Instagrammable spots, where you just drive up, wait in turn to take a selfie, and then pop off again to edit the photo and post it to social media. These types of places hold no interest for me.
So read on to find out about the best hikes in and around Sydney, for people who love to get away from the crowds and spend time enjoying Australia's beautiful wild spaces.
The Best 5 Hikes for Nature-Lovers In and Around Sydney
This list of my 5 best hikes in and around Sydney is ordered from the least amount of effort to the most effort, FYI!
1. Coogee - Maroubra Coastal Walk to Mahon Ocean Pool
Escape the crowds on the super-popular Bondi to Coogee coastal walk and instead begin your hike heading south from Coogee. This scenic trail from Coogee to Maroubra is only one hour of walking, and it sees far less traffic. The best part? The coastal walk ends at the awesome Mahon Ocean Pool, so after a short, sweaty hike, you can jump in the water for a cold dip to cool off!
You could easily spend a few hours at Mahon Ocean Pool, there are places to chill on the rocks, toilets, and a few cute cafes in the area - and if you’re feeling too tired for the return walk, you can jump on a Lime bike back home!
I find the easiest way to get to Coogee from other parts of the city is to take the Light Rail to Randwick and then walk 20 minutes down the hill to Coogee Beach.
Why not start your day by having a juicy stretch at The Living Room Yoga Shala, where your yoga class has views of Coogee Beach, then refuel with a delicious breakfast at The Little Kitchen (the spicy spanner crab omelette is divine) - before making tracks along the path to Maroubra.
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2. Karloo Pools
This next hike takes you to the Royal National Park, and is probably one of the more popular outings on this list, so to avoid other humans, I suggest you visit Karloo Pools on a weekday morning.
You can take a train from one of Sydney’s main stations to Heathcote, NSW (not Victoria!), which is on the cusp of Sydney’s Royal National Park and takes 45 minutes. From there, your bush walk literally begins in the train station car park and within a few minutes, you are engulfed by the racket of the rainforest.
RNP is the world’s second-oldest national park after Yellowstone and is full of trails. The Karloo Walking Track is 10km return, and it took us about 90 minutes to walk each way, however, you’ll want to spend a few hours at the pools, which are one of Sydney's best natural swimming holes - and don’t worry, it is too cold for crocs!
For travel insurance, I have put my trust in Safety Wing, and I use their 4-week rolling policy as it is affordable and covers almost every country. They have been great so far!
3. Coastal Track Bundeena to Wattamolla
This hike is also in Sydney's Royal National Park, but this time we are approaching from a different angle. You can start by taking the train from Sydney to Cronulla, which is basically a mini-Sydney full of yoga pants and prams. If you’re too hungry to continue without a feed, head to Blackwood in Cronulla for some breakfast, which is a bit too trendy, but actually the food is really good. From there, you can jump on the ferry to Bundeena, which leaves every hour at half past the hour (9:30, 10:30, 11:30, etc)
If you can wait to get to Bundeena for some grublins, then go to the super cute Earth Thingz for breakfast instead, before you start the coastal track hike. This trek is actually part of a longer 26km trail, but we are only doing the first 18km, finishing in Wattamolla, an idyllic freshwater-meets-salty beach with waterfalls and a grassy picnic area filled with mighty roaming lizards.
The trail is very well maintained, quiet, and FULL of birds and other beings, and it is a really, really beautiful day out. The path zigzags through secluded beaches and cliff edges, and during our 4-hour hike, we only crossed paths with a handful of other humans.
The way home is where we went wrong, but you can learn from our mistakes...
We presumed that we could arrange an Uber from Wattamolla back to Bundeena, but as it turns out, the reception in the Royal National Park can be non-existent, so we ended up having to hitch-hike in multiple vehicles to get back to Bundeena. Depending on the day, the roads can be really quiet... we got lucky. If you’re in the same boat as us, using public transport, I suggest initially getting an Uber from Bundeena to Wattamolla and doing the hike in reverse.
The ferries from Bundeena back to Cronulla run on the hour, and you can wait for the boat at the cute bar called Hume's Bar and Grill with a pint. Do not swim deep in the beaches around Bundeena, it's quite sharky, and a woman was mauled 50m offshore here just a few weeks ago.
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4. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
We visited Ku-ring-gai-chase NP as a day trip from Sydney, and due to public transport being a bit lengthy (although possible), we decided to drive. Renting a car from No Birds is pretty affordable at $100 a day, especially if you are splitting that between multiple people.
We decided to do the coastal hike from Resolute Picnic Area to Great Mackerel Beach, which was so gorgeous. There were very few people around, and due to the secluded nature of the beaches, you get them all to yourself. After paying $12 to enter the park (per vehicle), we pulled up in the free car park and headed to West Head Lookout past the Aboriginal cave paintings, which are thousands of years old. The views of Pittwater are breathtaking, and the wild wallabies hopping all over the trail were an added highlight. The hike to Great Mackerel Beach took around 2 hours with lots of ups and downs, but you could easily spend longer if you want to take your time at all the small beaches. After splashing about at the beautiful Great Mackerel Beach (there are no shops or cafes there, so bring water and snacks), the trail doubles back for a short while and then loops back to the car park.
We loved this nature-filled day out, only a 50-minute drive from Sydney, and of all the places on this list, this has the fewest visitors, so if you’re looking for some quiet time and seclusion from Sydney’s Hustle, this one's for you.
5. Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains are a stunning 3000 km2 National Park a stone’s throw from Sydney filled with walking trails, waterfalls, stunning views and dotted with cute villages.
The train journey is 2 hours from Sydney’s Central Station, and the ticket is a bargain at $7! You could visit the Blue Mountains as a day trip, however, we wanted to do the Great Cliff Top Walk over the course of 2 days, so we booked a hotel.
The walk is 19km and has a few steep climbs and descents, but we don’t hike that often these days, and we found it manageable. It rained over the course of our trek, which honestly just made the whole thing more atmospheric. Prepare to be stunned by the views and embraced by the forest on this epic walk that starts in Wentworth Falls.
Start in the morning and fill up on coffee and a delicious breakfast at FED Cafe opposite the train station, before commencing the trek from Wilsons Park Picnic Area - be sure to check for any track closures here.
Spend the morning meandering through the forest, along the clifftop, and under and over emerald cascades, before checking into the lovably retro Fairmont Hotel, which is literally ON THE TRACK at Leura. The next day, do the slightly shorter walk (and arguably even more beautiful) to see the iconic Three Sisters.
We rounded off our hike by having a delicious meal at Miss Lillian, a surprisingly phenomenal Asian restaurant in Katoomba, before jumping on the 2-hour train back to Sydney. Trains run every 30 minutes, so there is no need to plan ahead too much. As I said before, Sydney is SO well connected.
Of all of the hikes on this list, this was my favourite - The Blue Mountains BLUE me away!!!
Thank you for reading my post: The Top 5 Hikes In and Around Sydney for Nature-Lovers!
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Happy Travels
xx
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