Kurnell Foreshore Walk
This walk along the foreshore in Kurnell, is an out and back trail that takes in some important Sydney history and offers sweeping views over Botany Bay.
The walk begins and ends in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, a park which spills over to La Perouse on the other side of the bay.
It’s an easy walk, suitable for families and for wheelchairs and prams for most of the way. Kids will love the playground at Bonna Point Reserve.
Free street parking is available on Prince Charles Parade or you can park in the National Park, (park fees apply).
The Burrawang Walk
The Burrawang Walk tells the story of the first meeting between the local Aboriginal people and the crew the HMB Endeavour, in April 1770.
For many years this area contained only monuments to Australia’s white history. Visitors knew little or nothing of the Gweagal (a clan of the Dharawal people), traditional custodians of the land.
In recent years, the site has sought to promote local knowledge and reconciliation. Interpretive signage along the walk traces the area’s rich cultural and natural history, pre and post settlement. A plaque along the walk reads:
Celebrated as the birthplace of modern Australia, mourned as the site of original dispossession of the Aboriginal people, a place that has remembered and has silenced, a symbol of hope for reconciliation, this is a meeting place of histories, cultures and people.
The walk encompasses the Monument Track and takes you past several of the area’s historic sites, including the Meeting Place, Banks’ Memorial, and Captain Cook’s Landing Place. European and Aboriginal perspectives are given on the meeting between the two cultures.
You’ll notice three large bronze sculptures along the foreshore. These were installed in 2020, the 250th anniversary of the first encounter between Europeans and Aboriginal Australians. The sculptures are striking and prominent additions to the landscape, much photographed by visitors, especially at sunset.
The Eyes of the Land and the Sea was created by Aboriginal artist Alison Page and Nik Lachacjzak. It 'brings together different perspectives on our shared history – the bones of a whale and the ribs of a ship’. (Alison Page)
The Whales and Nuwi Canoes are the work of artists Theresa Ardler and Julie Squires. The first speaks to the dreaming of the Dharawal people and their connection to the sea and the second, to their fishing history. The woven net that sits alongside the whale figures was cast from a net created by master weaver Aunty Phyllis Stewart .
‘The Whales’, mother and calf, sit on the point looking out to sea
Silver Beach
Leaving the National Park you’ll begin the two km or so walk along Prince Charles Parade to Bonna Point Reserve.
The footpath runs parallel to Silver Beach so you might prefer to take to the sand for at least part of the way.
Silver Beach is frequented by locals and, as it’s pretty quiet for most of the week, those who don’t like crowds.
The eastern end of the beach is a good set off point for snorkelling to the Landing Place and beyond. At the western end, near the boat ramp is an off-leash area for dogs.
Bonna Point Reserve
Bonna Point Reserve has a large open space, with facilities for picnics and barbecues.
But the highlight here, especially for kids is the huge playground featuring elevated rope walkways, a 4.5m slide, flying fox and more. There’s a dedicated area for little ones and a ‘skate alley’ where kids can practice their tricks.
Parts of Bonna Point Reserve, including the mangroves in Quibray Bay are designated wildlife and nature sanctuaries. Migratory shorebirds inhabit the beaches around Bonna Point so dogs are prohibited from these parts.
The Return
Retrace your steps along the footpath or beach to return to the start.
If you’re hungry or thirsty, there are a couple of cafes at the end of the road near the National Park. In the park itself, Commemoration Flat picnic area offers a number of shady picnic spots with tables and barbecues.
If you’d like to explore the area further and enjoy some fabulous clifftop views, try the Cape Baily Track on the other side of the headland in the national park. Alternatively, the start of the Cronulla Loop Track is just ten minutes drive away. This walk winds around the Cronulla Peninsula, and along several local beaches and waterside parks.