Kirribilli Loop
This walk is beautiful, a picture postcard around every corner and you’ll find many Sydney landmarks along the way. And it's an easy walk too; a few stairways but nothing too difficult.
To start
The walk begins at Kirribilli Wharf. When you leave the ferry you’ll pass the popular Celsius Cafe which serves breakfast and lunch but it appears they have a large Instagram following, so expect to wait a bit for a coffee or a seat and be warned that on weekdays at least, they turn the coffee machine off at 2.
Head on up the steps to Holbrook Avenue then turn left into Carabella Street. At the end of the street, looming large is Admiralty House, the official Sydney home of the Governor General, currently David Hurley.
Next door is Kirribilli House, official Sydney Prime Ministerial residence since 1956 and official revolving door of the government since John Howard packed his bags in 2007.
The high sandstone walls of Kirribilli House lead down to the end of the street and Lady Gowrie lookout. Named for the wife of former GG Baron Gowrie, it is a peaceful little park where you can sit and enjoy the flower-filled terraced gardens and marvel at the behemoth cruise ships, increasingly frequent visitors to our shores.
Head back up the hill and walk down Kirribilli Avenue until you come to Waruda Avenue where you’ll turn left. Take the next right into Waruda Street and you’ll come to Dr Mary Booth lookout and a park, before which you’ll turn left to take a set of stairs down toward the water.
Along the foreshore
The Kirribilli foreshore lies directly opposite Sydney Cove where settlement was established in 1788. As you look across the water at the busy harbour and rising skyline on the opposite shore you can only imagine what the first Australians made of the commotion that came with white settlement. This peaceful spot, frequented by picnickers and shaded by grand figs, looks directly at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and is a favourite haunt for photographers seeking that perfect Sydney shot.
Continue walking along the pathway that will take you under the bridge, past Ripples Cafe and around to North Sydney Pool. The pool, its complex adorned in Art Deco style, opened in 1936 and played host to the swimming and diving events for the 1938 Empire Games. There can't be too many public pools around with a better view than this.
Just past the pool is the iconic entrance to Luna Park. This colourful amusement park first opened in 1935 and still brings in the crowds on weekends and school holidays.
On the boardwalk
As you follow the boardwalk around the perimeter of Luna Park, don't miss the delightful miniature collection of children's storybook characters, scattered among the foliage. These pieces, the work of local resident and sculptor Peter Kingston, collectively form part of North Sydney Council's public art trail. Dotted along the path you'll find figures which include Blinky Bill, The Magic Pudding and May Gibbs’ Gumnut Babies. There is also a bronze sculpture created in memory to the seven people who died in the Luna park ghost train fire of 1979. The piece, designed by cartoonist Micheal Leunig and sculpted by Kingston, features Leunig's beloved Mr Curly. The names of the deceased are engraved on the sandstone plinth.
Great picnic spot
At the end of the boardwalk you will turn right and take a stairway up to Wendy's (not so) Secret Garden. When I first visited this garden some years ago, I fancy I saw fairies hiding under a mushroom shaped shrub. Admittedly, I was with a three and four year old at the time, but so much the better if you can explore the garden in the company of a child. Take time out for a picnic or just wander along the many meandering paths with their withered branch handrails, whimsical sculptures and secret nooks.
Leaving the garden, take the path and steps toward Lavender Street. Turning right into Lavender Street, head up the hill toward Milsons Point station. At the roundabout cross over Alfred St and walk through the shady park toward the station entrance.
Kirribilli shops
Walk past the entrance to the station taking instead the next left and going under the bridge. If you're walking on the weekend you may be lucky enough to have timed your travels to coincide with the popular Kirribilli Market Day. There are two markets held each month: The Art, Design & Fashion Market, held on the second Sunday of the month and The General Market, held on the fourth Saturday of the month.
Exiting the tunnel you will come out on to Broughton Street, with the pedestrian entrance to the harbour bridge on your right. If you've worked up an appetite take a diversion here and grab something to eat. There are a number of cafes and restaurants along this strip or pick up a salad at Billy Raw or fish and chips from Kirribilli Seafood and head down to Bradfield Park for a picnic.
Back on the trail, take a left down Bligh or Fitzroy Street and then a right back onto Carabella Street for the final stretch. On the left of the street you will pass Loreto Kirribilli, a private school for girls established in 1892. As you make your way down the hill, crossing Peel St and heading and back toward the ferry, you’ll pass under some beautiful jacaranda trees which draw a crowd to the area in September/October.
A left turn into Holbrook Avenue will take you back to the start.