Destination's Journey

Category: Beach

  • Glebe Sydney Australia

    Glebe Sydney Australia

    Glebe

    Glebe is a beautiful old suburb in Sydney. From foreshore parks, old tram sheds and Federation buildings to a Taoist Temple, there is lots to see and do here. The vibe of the suburb from the main street to the water front is laid back and relaxed. It is a great place to chill out on a day off.

    Getting There

    Getting there was easy using the light rail from Central Station. From the light rail station, we went into the Tram Sheds for a coffee and to look around the food stalls, which were amazing for the freshness of the produce they were selling.

    Tramsheds

    The old tram sheds have been repurposed into a remarkable food hall selling fresh produce and containing several eateries. We had a coffee and ate some delicious fresh muffins here, before continuing outside to the parks.

    Tram Sheds Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Tram Sheds

    Jubilee and Federation Parks

    Two parks sit between the Tram Sheds and Rozelle Bay, divided by Johnstone Creek. A bridge crosses this creek, making getting between the two very easy.

    Jubilee Park at Glebe Point offers a relaxed place to unwind in a once disused industrial site. Rehabilitated for the Jubilee this grassed area has paved walking tracks and play areas for children. Sections of the park are also dog friendly and while we were there many people took advantage of this with dogs running around and swimming on the foreshore. Being dog friendly, there are many dog drinking fountains spread throughout the park. From what we saw the owners were all very responsible with no dog droppings seen with only friendly dogs running around.

    Archways at Glebe Federal Park Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Archways at Glebe Federal Park

    Rozelle Bay Waterfront

    As an acknowledgement to its industrial past an old crane and winder sit on the waterfront, which are both interesting to look around. Sitting in the bay, is the old Glebe Island Bridge, which is a unique opportunity for a photo. Preserved for its heritage value, this old rotating bridge and can only be viewed from the shore.

    The new ANZAC Bridge dominates Rozelle Bay and from the shore, you can glimpse the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the same time, which makes an interesting photo.

    Old Winder Glebe Point Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Old Winder
    Old Wharf Crane Glebe Point Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Old Wharf Crane
    Glebe Island Rotating Bridge Rozelle Bay Sydney NSW Australia
    Glebe Island Rotating Bridge Rozelle Bay
    ANZAC Bridge with Sydney Harbour Bridge Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    ANZAC Bridge with Sydney Harbour Bridge
    Jetty Jubilee Park Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Jetty Jubilee Park

    Sze Yup Taoist Temple

    Not far from the park is the Sze Yup Taoist temple, which is only one of four pre-World War One Chinese temples still active in Australia. Built from 1898 to 1904 the temple is now listed on the New South Wales Heritage Register.

    Sze Yup Taoist Temple Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Sze Yup Taoist Temple

    The main road and side streets have a fantastic number of old federation houses and buildings. Walking from the Sze Yup Temple to Glebe Road, we passed several interesting buildings and Federation Style cottages.

    Federation Houses Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Federation Houses

    St John’s Church

    Located on Glebe Road, this lovely old church is a relaxing stop to walk around and admire. The stone work and doorways are great and even the surrounding stone wall is a work of art.

    St John's Church Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    St John’s Church
    St John's Church Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    St John’s Church

    World War 1 War Memorial

    The World War One Memorial sits next to St John’s Church.

    World War 1 War Memorial Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    World War 1 War Memorial

    Street Art

    Walking along the back streets we came across some street art in Mitchel Street There were a few of these art works scattered along the street and some adjacent roads. A great surprise as we walked along.

    Street Art Mitchel Street
    Street Art Mitchel Street Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Street Art Mitchel Street
    Old Glebe Fire Station Mitchell Street Glebe Sydney NSW Australia
    Old Glebe Fire Station Mitchell Street

    What Did We Think?

    Glebe is a wonderfully relaxed place to visit, whether just visiting the foreshore, or venturing into the back streets, there is a huge variety of sites to take in. We had a great morning there.

    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

  • Fingal Bay and Port Stephens Lighthouse

    Fingal Bay and Port Stephens Lighthouse

    Fingal Bay

    Located in Port Stephens near Newcastle Fingal Bay is a quiet town catering to the tourists interested in the beach and surroundings. Our reason for visiting was to walk across the sand spit from the mainland to Shark Island. This spit is submerged at high tide, so we chose two hours before low tide for the walk. There are warning signs stating the dangers of crossing if the spit is submerged. We started the morning with a snack at the Longboat Cafe before walking down the beach and across to the island. This was a very relaxing walk, with great scenery.

    Sand Spit Fingal Bay Port Stephens Australia
    Sand Spit
    Rock Formations Shark Island Fingal Bay Port Stephens Australia
    Rock Formations on Shark Island
    Mount Tamaree From Shark Island Fingal Bay Port Stephens Australia
    Mount Tamaree From Shark Island

    Port Stephens Lighthouse and Shark Island

    Once on the island, we followed the marked trail to the Port Stephens Lighthouse, which was an easy walk. Well maintained, the lighthouse is still operational and therefore cannot be entered. The old lighthouse keeper’s cottage is being restored by National Parks and Wildlife, but still looks nice, with its old sandstone walls. Before returning to across the spit, we explored the sand cove on the island. Here, we found some interesting rock formations as well as views out to Tomaree Headland.

    Walking Track to Port Stephens Lighthouse Shark Island Fingal Bay Port Stephens Australia
    Walking Track to Port Stephens Lighthouse
    Port Stephens Lighthouse Shark Island Fingal Bay Port Stephens Australia
    Port Stephens Lighthouse
    Light House Keeper's Cottage Shark Island Fingal Bay Port Stephens Australia
    Light House Keeper’s Cottage

    Barry Park Lookout

    While in the area, we also visited Barry Park Lookout. There are beautiful views out over Fingal Bay towards Shark Island, making this a great stop while here. The gardens and short walks are well put together and maintained and the seating makes it a great place for a picnic.

    Barry Point Lookout Fingal Bay Port Stephens Australia
    Barry Point Lookout

    We have previously walked to the summit of Mount Tomaree and visited Nelson Bay and these are two other great options if you are in the area.

    Remember to check the tide times for Fingal Bay before you go as people have drowned in the area, while trying to cross the spit.

    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

  • Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park West Head Beach

    Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park West Head Beach

    Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

    The West Head area of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park has some wonderful bush walks with fantastic views over the surrounding waterways.

    Driving into the park you get to see lots of natural scenery, whilst on a good sealed road. The road has a lot of hills – with poor visibility at times, this mainly refers to the huge amount of cyclists (there were groups and dozens of single riders on the road).  We had to  drive slowly as it was not always safe to pass then.

    We chose to do the Red Hands Track and Resolute Track to West Head Beach. There is plenty of parking available in a well sign posted car park. For us the first track was a little disappointing, with uninspiring bush land and badly damaged aboriginal hand stencils. The second walk however made  up for it, being a challenging  grade 4 walk. We liked it because is provided a different challenge to the ordinary tracks,with more unpredictable laid out paths and natural rock formations that we needed to navigate to continue on the walk. At the same time it was still easy to find your way through. At the beginning of the tracks, there are maps with details of each walk. On the tracks, you will be rewarded with an amazing views, beaches, wildlife, and Australian bush scenery.

    Red Hands Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
    Red Hands

    West Head Lookout

    The walk commenced at the West Head Lookout, which has great views.  Take a look at the picture below! We spent some time here enjoying the views over Broken Bay before, planning our walk on the Resolute Track.

    View From West Head Lookout Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
    View From West Head Lookout

    Resolute Track to West Head Beach

    The Resolute Track took us through great bush scenery, climbing over rocks, enjoying varied stops to look out at the different views as we descended to the bottom towards West Head Beach. The track continues past the beach, but we turned here to walk down and enjoy all this little beach offered. 
    The steps down and back up are steep, but the reward is a lovely little remote beach, with scenic inlet views and yacht watching.  If the weather is good, you could take your bathers and have a swim.  The walk is very hilly so wear good waking shoes, to protect your feet.  You can take your shoes off to walk in the water.

    Walking around the beach we found some amazing weathered rocks looking like honeycombs as well as some great views over the water. We were the only ones there on our visit,  We sat on the rocks and had a bite to eat, it was very peaceful.

    The return walk to the lookout was very steep, but we stopped regularly to enjoy the natural surroundings and take some photos.

    • Steps Going Down Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
      Steps Going Down
    • Steps Going Up Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
      Steps Going Up
    • West Head Beach Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
      West Head Beach
    • Honey Comb Rock West Head Beach Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
      Honey Comb Rock

    The Resolute Track and West Head Beach were beautiful and we really enjoyed the opportunity to spend the morning walking, savouring the great scenery and the amazing  views in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.