Bennelong to Barangaroo
BENNELONG TO BARANGAROO WALK
Distance 4 km Steps 7000
Time 1-2 hours Level of Difficulty Easy
If you want to show off Sydney and impress visitors from out of town, this walk should be high on your list.
This is a scenic tour with a good dose of history thrown in.
It can take less than an hour or several hours, depending on how many stops you choose to take. There are plenty of restaurants, bars and cafes along the way as well as museums and other points of interest to distract and divert.
We begin the walk at Bennelong Point, five minutes from Circular Quay and the site of the Sydney Opera House. The walk ends at Barangaroo where you can circle back to the Quay via ferry.
Bennelong & Barangaroo
Bennelong was a Wangal man and one of the first to form close relations with the British settlers. He was captured along with another man called Colebee in November 1789, as part of Governor Arthur Phillip’s plan to improve relations with the locals. (That’s one way to do it!)
Bennelong and Philip established a working relationship, with Bennelong assisting the governor by teaching the colonisers about Aboriginal customs and language. He in turn learned some English, adopted many European customs and manners of dress and even travelled to England in 1792 and was presented to King George in 1793.
Barangaroo, a member of the Cammeraygal clan, was Bennelong’s second wife and he, her second husband. Barangaroo’s first husband and two children were killed by the smallpox epidemic which decimated the Aboriginal people killing an estimated 80% of the population.
Barangaroo is said to have been a strong, forthright woman. Like most Eora women, she would have been the main provider for her family, daily fishing the local waters in a bark canoe.
Barangaroo was introduced to the British by Bennelong in 1790 but apparently wasn’t a fan. Indeed, she refused to be influenced by the trappings of European dress and alcohol and openly chastised her husband for taking up both.
Barangaroo is the first significant location to be named after an Aboriginal Woman.
The walk begins at the Opera House, on Bennelong Point, once a small tidal island. Bennelong himself was once lived in a brick hut on this point, hence the name. It’s had many other names, according to is use, including Cattle Point, Battery Point and Fort Macquarie. The Cadigal people know it as Tubowgule.
The Opera House
How beautiful is this building!
It’s little wonder that the Opera House is one of the twentieth century’s most celebrated structures. Over one million tiles make up the 4228 tile chevrons of its vaulted shells, which sit like billowing sails on the edge of Bennelong Point.
The Opera House was designed by Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, his design being chosen from many in an open competition in 1956. If you’re interested in the history, The lucky accident of Sydney's Opera House tells the story of the design, as well as the scandals, tragedies, and political wrangling involved in getting the project done.
Take the time to walk up, down and around the building as far as you can, to get a sense of the scale and view from different angles. And head down to the Northern VIP steps facing the harbour and you might Catch a glimpse of Beeny the seal. For at least part of the year, Benny calls these steps home.
The Opera House hosts everything from drama to dance, kids concerts, rock concerts, symphonies and of course, opera. Check what’s on or book a tour to find out more about this unique UNESCO World Heritage listed building.
Leaving the Opera House forecourt, walk back along the path to Circular Quay.
As you walk along soaking up the stunning views, take the time to look down. Underfoot you’ll see a number of markers and plaques built into the path along the foreshore. Some mark where the shoreline was in 1788 and on into the 1800s when land was reclaimed and walls shored up to make way for the quay.
Along the path too, from the Opera House on the Eastern side of the quay to the Overseas Passenger terminal on the west, is a series of 60 circular metal plaques known as the Sydney Writers Walk.
The plaques honour the lives and works of renowned Australian novelists, poets and historians - Judith Wright, Peter Carey and Marcus Clarke to name a few, as well as notable visitors from abroad, including Mark Twain and D.H. Lawrence. Stamped onto each plaque are excerpts from well-known works as well as biographical information about the writer. It’s an intriguing diversion as you make your way around the quay.
Circular Quay
A lot has changed since the British first landed here in 1788, much to the surprise of the locals. They quickly made their mark on the land, first setting up campsites and then buildings on the western shore of Sydney Cove and what we now call Circular Quay.
Circular Quay itself, (or Semi-Circular Quay as it was first known), was constructed with the erection of an artificial shoreline in 1830’s - 40’s. Used primarily as a port, it took in most of the colony’s shipping traffic until the late 1800s when Darling Harbour became the main port.
Circular Quay was increasingly used for passenger transport and the first ferry wharf was built here in 1879 with others soon following. A ferry network around the harbour was soon created with the Quay as its hub. This painting of the Quay by Arthur Streeton (painted in 1892), gives a sense of how it looked at around that time
Circular Quay, 1892 Arthur Streeton
Today, Circular Quay is a main transport centre with ferries, trains and buses taking passengers to and from all directions.
The path from the Quay curves around the water with the Museum of Contemporary Art on your left and that gorgeous harbour vista on your right.
We’re going to keep going on past the MCA to Campbells Cove but it’s worth noting that the MCA, is defiantly worth as visit as is the slice of Sydney history that sits behind it, known as The Rocks.
The Rocks
Now a major tourist attraction with its laneways, markets and specialist retailers, The Rocks (Tallawoladah), bears many traces of Australia’s first colonial community and remnants of early Sydney. It has a chequered history as a slum that attracted sailors, prostitutes and gangs and was the site of a major plague outbreak in 1900.
Some of Sydney’s earliest colonial buildings can be found in The Rocks including Sydney’s first pub - Fortune of war on George St or the Lord Nelson on Kent according to who’s telling the story. Cadman Cottage, which sits beside the MCA at the entrance to The Rocks, is one of Sydney’s earliest buildings, second only to Elizabeth Farm in Parramatta in terms of age.
The Rocks is a walk in itself and a great drawcard, especially on the weekends when the markets are on. But we can come back another day to see more. For now, we’re just going to pass it by as we skirt around Campbells Cove to Dawes Point.
Dawes Point
Dawes Point now lies in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge but Sydney’s first observatory used to sit on this point. The observatory was established by William Dawes who came out on the First Fleet as the colony’s first astronomer, though he also served as engineer, botanist, and surveyor.
Dawes is a bit of a legend really and writer Kate Grenville is clearly a fan. Her story The Lieutenant is basically a romantic retelling of Dawes’ actions and interactions in the new colony. Her more recent novel, A Room Made of Leaves is set at this very point and pairs Dawes romantically with another legendary figure of Australian history, Elizabeth Macarthur. How much of the story is history and how much fantasy is certainly open to question, but it’s a good story.
On the hill at Dawes Point, sit remnants of the colony’s first battery, with guns first mounted here in 1788.
Walking around the point you’ll see the wharves of Walsh Bay (and this amusing sculpture) ahead.
'Still Life With Stone and Car', Jimmie Durham
Walsh Bay
The wharves of Walsh Bay were constructed in the early 1900’s and served as part of a working port. They were converted to apartments, theatres, and cafes in the nineties and various arts organisations began to take up residence from this time.
The area is now a real hub for the arts and was designated a Major Arts Precinct in 2015. Iis home to Sydney’s premier arts companies including Bangarra Dance, Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Dance Company and The Australian Chamber Orchestra.
This might e a good place to stop for coffee or a bite to eat. The cafes and restaurants around here were hard hit when Covid forced shutdowns, but things are looking up. With theatres reopening and crowds returning, the area is certainly bouncing back. It has a great vibe, enhanced no doubt by the presence of so much creativity. The Walsh Bay Sculpture Walk, is welcome though temporary, recent addition.
Barangaroo Reserve
Leaving the wharves, walk to the end of Hickson Road and turn right to enter Barangaroo Reserve. Opened officially in 2015, this beautiful parkland sits on 6 hectares of what was formerly an industrial site, and long before that, a meeting place for Aboriginal women.
It is now a multi-levelled, multi-purpose public space attracting, walkers, joggers, cyclists and even swimmers, with a new dedicated swimming area, opened in 2023.
There are wide lawns perfect for picnics and a playground at the top of the manmade hill. The wide paths and lifts to different levels make it easy going for strollers and wheelchairs.
Take the time to walk up and down and around the park to fully appreciate the views and surrounds of what is essentially a native botanic garden, planted out with indigenous shrubs, trees and grasses and landscaped with local sandstone.
As you head toward the exit of the reserve, check out the Wellama, Welcome to Country video installation in the Cutaway.
Barangaroo
Beyond the reserve is the business and commercial end of Barangaroo, parts of which are still being built, but due for completion soon.
At the far end past the construction you’ll find offices, restaurants (some really good ones), cafes and retail shops as well as a very big (and very ugly) casino building. The mix of building styles elsewhere make this an interesting area architecturally. Barangaroo House on the waterfront is a standout, with its wide curves and cascading greenery.
The ferry wharf is here to take you back to Circular Quay. If you have to wait for the next one, use it as an excuse to pop into nearby Riverino Gelato which I reckon has the best ice cream in town. Coffee, littered with shards of chocolate - Yum!