Cooper Park
Located in Bellevue Hill, Cooper Park covers 15 Ha of bushland in the centre of Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Donated to the Woollahra Council as a park in 1913 by Sir William Cooper the park covers a gully from Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill to Manning Road, Double Bay. With tennis courts and cricket nets at one end and native parkland at the other it’s a wonderful place to visit.
How to Get There
We took the train to Bondi Junction and walked the 15 minutes to the park’s entrance. However, if you want to drive, carparking is available in Bunna Place. Because of the park’s location, there are many entrances off surrounding streets. These have steps leading down to the valley floor where they join the walking track.
The Park
Starting behind the tennis courts, a track winds through the valley floor following a small creek. An information board details the wildlife living in the park as well as the plant species. Scattered along the path are weather shelters, so if it rains there is somewhere to stop for a while.
We followed the well maintained track which wound through eucalypt trees with a fern understory. The creek has many small waterfalls and cascades which are easily accessible from the track.
The damp shady environment has led to most structures being covered in moss. We really liked the arch bridge and a bench seat because they were covered in it.
At the far end of the park, a large set of steps lead up and out to Victoria Road. Of course, you can also enter this way.
What Did We Think?
This is an amazing park, hidden away in Sydney’s suburbia. The walk through native bush, while following the creek was very relaxing and enjoyable.
