Cremorne Point Walk
A gentle harbour loop with iconic views
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This is an easy harbourside loop walk around Cremorne Point Reserve with sweeping Sydney Harbour views, gardens and a historic tidal pool.
Distance 3.5 km Time 1 hour
Steps 5,500
Level of Difficulty Easy -
Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Fort Denison views
Maccallum Pool - tidal harbour pool with views
Lex & Ruby Graham Garden
Robertson’s Point Lighthouse
Mosman Bay foreshore and Old Cremorne Wharf
Harbour beaches, lawns and picnic spots
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Limited street parking nearby if arriving by car.
Ferries run frequently between Circular Quay and Cremorne Point Wharf.
Most foreshore paths are level and accessible; one short stair/road section links the two sides of the point.
Maccallum Pool closes periodically for cleaning - Cleaning dates and times are posted on the pool gates and on the North Sydney Council website.
Access to the small harbour beach varies with tide.
Whether you’re visiting from overseas or from just across the harbour, Cremorne Point makes a perfect short outing. This easy loop follows the foreshore around the reserve, with constant harbour views and plenty of places to pause — including paths down to the water, Maccallum Pool and Robertson’s Point Lighthouse.
WALKING THE TRAIL
Cremorne Wharf to Maccallum Pool
As this is a loop track there are a few places at which you could start, especially if you drive in and park in a nearby street. The best way though if you have the time, is to come by ferry from Circular Quay and begin the walk from Cremorne Wharf.
Leaving the ferry wharf, turn left to walk up Milson Road. Not far up you’ll see the entrance to Cremorne Reserve and the start of the foreshore walk.
The walk begins as it ends, on a regular level path, with large stately homes on one side and stunning harbour vistas on the other. There are signs dotted around the path with information about the area’s earliest and most recent inhabitants and activities.
The path hugs the foreshore with views to the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Fort Denison filtered through palms, figs and flowering shrubs. A side path leads down to Maccallum Pool, a 33-metre harbour pool dating to the early 1900s. Originally a rock pool built by local residents, it was formalised and later named for Hugh Maccallum when council took ownership in 1930. Improvements such as a timber deck have been added over the years but the pool’s distinctive 1920s style has been preserved.
Sitting as it does in the lap of the harbour, Maccalum Pool requires regular maintenance and is occasionally closed for cleaning.
Exit the pool at the far end and take the stairs back up to the main path. About 500 metres on, a small sandy beach may be visible below, depending on the tide. It can be reached by a rough stairway.
Back up on the path, there are numerous places to sit and take in the view. Here it’s easy to see why this has been such a popular spot for millennia.
A little history
Cremorne Point has long been a popular spot for picnic and pleasure. For thousands of years, the area, known as Wulwarrajeung, fed and sheltered the local Cammeraygal people. Numerous shell middens and rock engravings have been found here.
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In the early 1800’s, following white settlement in the area, the land was granted to James Robertson who later sold it on to James Milson. In the 1850s, Milson leased the land out as a sort of fun park known as the Cremorne Pleasure Gardens. The Pleasure Gardens, though initially popular, soon gained a seedy reputation and closed in 1862.
In the 1890s the land was in danger of becoming fully developed for private housing or even worse, used as to house a coal mine! Thankfully though, it was dedicated for recreation in 1905 so we the public are still able to enjoy it today.
Cremorne Point Reserve to Old Cremorne Wharf
Much of the path on this harbour side is wheelchair friendly but this next section is not. A set of stairs will take you to the end of the path and the roadway. Take a right into Bogota Avenue and follow the footpath and stairs up to cross Milson Road and continue on to Hodgson Avenue where you will soon be directed back on to the waterfront reserve to continue your walk.
Along this side of the reserve the views change from harbour icons to the bobbing boats and sheltered waters of Mosman Bay. There are more grand homes with pretty front gardens and the path undulates a little as it wonders down to Old Cremorne Wharf and back up to level lawns.
Lex & Ruby Graham Garden
A few hundred metres on from the wharf you’ll see a sign guiding you into the Lex and Ruby Graham Garden. This informal garden, about a hectare in size, slopes down to a rock pool and is a pleasing if haphazard mix of native and exotics. It has received many awards owing for the most part, to the hard work of local couple Lex and Ruby Graham.
Like the Secret Garden in Lavender Bay, this garden was born out of a rubbish tip. It began to blossom in 1959 from a bulb Lex had found while swimming. He and Ruby, who were dating at the time, soon added any plants they could get their hands on and as their relationship grew so too did the garden. Lex and Ruby tended the garden for many years until their deaths. They were joined by local volunteers and council workers who continue its maintenance. The garden is protected by the National Trust.
Closing the loop via Robertson’s Point
Continuing around the point, the harbour panorama returns. Nearby are toilets, lawns and a small playground. From here you can take the stairs back down to the ferry or continue a little further to Robertson’s Point and its lighthouse.
Robertson’s Point is a nice place to sit and watch the passing traffic on the harbour. You can see over to Taronga Zoo on your left and back to the city on your right. Take the stairs down to get a better look at the lighthouse. If you’ve been to Bradley’s Head this lighthouse will look familiar. The light itself was built in 1909 with the concrete structure added in the 1930’s.
From here it’s a short return to Cremorne Wharf to complete the loop.
If you’ve got friends coming from overseas and they have only a short time in Sydney, I recommend this walk. Its a ten minute ferry ride from Circular Quay and a great place to get a taste of this harbour city, its beauty, views and history.
If you like this walk and would like to explore this side of the harbour further, I recommend the Taronga to Balmoral loop. It’s a much longer walk (but can be done in stages), and it offers more great harbour vistas, fabulous swimming spots and much more.