© Lonely Planet Publications 106 www.lonelyplanet.com 107 Around Sydney Sydney’s suburbs spread over a broad coastal plain like spilt honey, hemmed in by rugged country on three sides and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The area sustains Australia’s larg- est concentration of people, the urban melange thinning as the kilometres stretch inland. AROUND SYDNEY Beyond the city, bushwalking tracks, cycling paths, scenic train routes and roads connect a small-town smorgasbord, interspersed with gorgeous waterways, uncrowded beaches and magical national parks. The proximity of these delights to Sydney means that public transport is often a viable option – you can cover a lot of ground on day trips, with or without your own wheels. To the west, the wooded foothills of the Great Dividing Range rise to the lofty Blue Mountains, with their heaven-sent scenery and quirky villages. To the south, Royal National Park harbours lost-to-the-world beaches, rainforest pockets and precipitous cliff-scapes. Inland, fertile soils support the rural settlements of Macarthur Country and historic Macquarie towns, extending south to the dignified Southern Highlands. Occupying a hefty chunk of Sydney’s north, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park’s dense bush- land and sandstone outcrops are cut by shimmering inlets. Further north, the landscape is defined by the meandering brown snake of the Hawkesbury River, with its ferry crossings, oyster farms and sleepy towns. Beyond here are the inland lakes and surf-centric communi- ties of the Central Coast. HIGHLIGHTS Hole up in a Blue Mountains ( p119 ) pub or Central Coast Art Deco café as ethereal mists descend Brisbane Water National Park Hawkesbury Stumble across isolated coves, empty River beaches and thick native bush in Royal Blue Mountains Ku-ring-gai National Park ( p109 ) Chase National Park Traverse the rippling reaches of the Parramatta Hawkesbury River ( p114 ) on a houseboat Royal Look for lyrebirds and Aboriginal rock National Park engravings in Ku-ring-gai Chase ( p112 ) and Southern Brisbane Water National Parks ( p136 ) Highlands Soak up the colonial history with some tea and cake in the Southern Highlands ( p131 ) Kangaroo Valley Ride a RiverCat along the length of Sydney Harbour to historic Parramatta ( p111 ) Fall off the edge of the Southern Highlands into the quintessentially Australian Kangaroo Valley ( p135 ) Carve up the surf at the beaches along the Central Coast ( p136 ) AROUND SYDNEY 108 0 20 km AROUND SYDNEY 0 12 miles AROUND SYDNEY Spencer 1 Brisbane Water To Singleton Lower Woy (143km); The Portland To Singleton (152km) National ὈὈὈὈὈὈRiver ὈPark WoyὈ Hunter Valley Wollemi To Dharug National Park Bouddi National (5km); Wisemans Ferry National Park (12km); St Albans (30km) Fwy Park Sackville Tizzana Marramarra Broken Bay National To Bathurst Winery Ck Patonga (58km) Park Brooklyn Barrenjoey Ebenezer 1 Newcastle West Head Head Clarence – 40 PALM BEACH Mt Wilson Road Bilpin Berowra Hwy of Wilberforce Whale Beach Zig Zag Hawkesbury Berowra Waters Lithgow Bell Panorama SydneyKu-ring-gai AVALON Railway Line Hawkesbury Chase ὈὈὈὈPoint Lookout ὈὈὈὈPacificὈὈBILGOLA Great Kurrajong Visitors Pitt Town Bells Mt Tomah National Pittwater Botanic Centre Park Western Gardens Vale Lookout River Richmond Windsor Waratah Park Hartley Earth WARRIEWOOD Hwy 2 1 Anvil Grose Valley Grose River ean 10 Galston Sanctuary NARRABEEN Rock W Sydney Lakeside Holiday Park Mt Victoria Perry's Lookdown Blue Mountains Nep Windsor indsor Gorge National Park COLLAROY Collaroy Beach Pulpit Rock Downs 3 Koala Park Collaroy Beachhouse YHA Govett's Leap Rd Blackheath Sanctuary DEE WHY TURRAMURRA Mt Blackheath Evan's Lookout Castlereagh 7 CURL CURL Curl Curl Beach ὈὈὈὈBlue Mountains RIVERSTONE ὈὈ2 To Jenolan Lookout Springwood Riverview See Greater Sydney Map (pp76–7) Freshwater Caves (20km) Lookout 32 Faulconbridge MANLY Hargreaves 2 Wentworth Marge's 10 Lookout Leura Lawson 1 Falls Lookout PENRITH ST 6 3 Medlow Bath 7 MARY'S Featherdale Katoomba Blaxland NORTH 10 MOSMAN Megalong Wildlife Park PARRAMATTA Telstra RYDE Wentworth Woodford Stadium S O U T H Valley Echo Point Glenbrook Falls 4 tern 4 Wes W Sydney International The Three Elizabeth's Mwy Great 2 P A C I F I C Sublime estlink Tennis Centre Sisters Lookout Western SYDNEY Point Hwy O C E A N Jamison Prospect Sydney 4 5 BONDI ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ Children's Valley Reservoir 7 (under Museum 6 See Blue Mountains Map (p120) 3 5 1 COOGEE Coxs Hwy Hume Sydney International Northern Rd co Maroubra Blue Mountains n 5 Airport s LIVERPOOL River National Park tr u Wicked Campers ction) 1 Botany 3 Bay 7 LA PEROUSE Bare Island 6 Grand Pines KURNELL Tourist Park LEPPINGTON Botany Bay ὈὈὈὈὈ ὈHwy National Park Mwy lonelyplanet.com Kanangra-Boyd Hwy) rn LOFTUS Princes Cronulla National Park Lake te Burragorang 6 Port Hacking Wes (Hume Heathcote 1 Audley Bundeena Narellan National South5 Park HEATHCOTE Kanangra Walls Camden Campbelltown Royal The To Southern To Melbourne National Oaks Wattamolla To Picton (15km); Highlands (36km); 31 via coast Park ὈὈὈὈὈ Canberra (214km) (1038km)ὈὈὈ to 5pm). hourly8am $4/2, 20minutes, way adult/child from Cronulla trainstation 10kmaway (one- it Botany Bay themanybotanical after speci- (hisnaturalistJoseph Bankswas here named Cook’s Australianlandfall that Captain James Botany Bay. 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Sun) admission free; CapeSolander Dr,Kurnell; 9111; www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au; trashy Kurnell.The theparkintrailer- is onthesouthernsideof landingplace track. Cook’smonument-marked andan8kmcycle walking tracks,picnicareas bushlandandcoastal of bay –458hectares Park sions andbusinessparks, endearing placeinAustralianhistory. andholdsaspecial, Bay hasscenicstretches Botany therefineries, trial heartland.Despite indus- poses southSydney’ssmoke-stacked butdigging deeperBay’s ex- coastal verges, Botany stilldominate ashore when hestepped Cook thatconfronted bush scape andnative craggy beaches, land- the north.Thewhite source15kmto water reliable more Jackson’s aroundPort mens hefound),butSydneygrew 5.30pm Jun-Aug) GREATER SYDNEY Beyond industrialsubdivi- theoiltankers, conveys the impact of Europeanarrivaland theimpactof conveys (cars $7,pedestrians &cyclistsfree; ( % 02-9523 4047; www.buslink.net.au) h occupies both headlands of the occupiesbothheadlandsof 11am-3pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4.30pmSat& SYDNEY••BotanyBay GREATER Discovery Centre Botany BayNational h 7am-7.30pm, to ( % Crowthers bus987 02-9668 in 1885 to discourage a feared Russian inva- Russian afeared in 1885todiscourage fortbuilt concrete decaying, grass-tussocked pedestrians &cyclistsfree; further south. 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A45-minute h toursadult/concession/family$8/6/22; parks.nsw.gov.au; strange hibitions onlocalhistoryandenvironment. ex- manyexpeditions,pluschanging Perouse’s fromLa hasrelics station (1882).Thecentre h adult/child/family $6/3/13; Cable Station,AnzacPde,LaPerouse; Centre visit thefabulous Youcan also theexplorer. to commemorate sailors, builtin1828byFrench at La Perouse, amonument in theSolomonIslands.There’s nearVanikoro onareef discovered ships were their of It wasn’tuntil1826thatthewrecks never tobeseen again. off intothePacific, sailingat Botany weeks Bay before forafew andhismencampingusual disdain,La Perouse withoutthe conducted apparently tions were Anglo–Franco rela- England adecentscare. Mother andgave soonerthanexpected) (much Fleet arrived Cook’sFirst just sixdaysafter turnedup in1788.He the same namearrived of explorer theFrench land, atthespotwhere and Aboriginal sites). sites). and Aboriginal Bundeena-Maianbar Heritage Walk ming at Horderns Beach andwalking the beyondswim- notalot to dohere There’s world away fromSydney’s clashandthrob. to Bundeena La Perouse The national park begins at Port Hacking, The nationalpark beginsatPortHacking, isthe atLa 50m offshore Perouse About 10am-4pm Wed-Sun) 1.30 & 2.30pm Sat & Sun Oct-Feb, SunonlyMar-Sep)1.30 &2.30pmSatSunOct-Feb, ( % Bare Island 02-9311 3379; www.environment.nsw.gov.au; 02-9311 3379;www.environment.nsw.gov.au; , a small town on Port Hacking –a , asmalltownonPort Hacking isonBotany Bay’s northernhead- was established in1879,makingit