Blackwattle Bay Loop

The Blackwattle Bay Loop threads the Annandale and Glebe foreshore under the Anzac Bridge with the city skyline across the water. It is an easy, flat, fully sealed circuit of about 6 km that takes an hour to an hour and a half at walking pace, and it works because the loop itself is on lead but the parks it passes include signed off-lead ground.

Leash status

Dogs stay on lead on the shared walking and cycling path, which is the whole of the loop, under City of Sydney rules. Parts of the surrounding Glebe Foreshore parks are signed off lead, so read the sign at each park rather than assuming the rule carries over from the last one.

The walk

The circuit joins the Glebe Foreshore Walk and continues on toward the Pyrmont to Darling Harbour foreshore if you want to extend it. There are no gates or steps and the grade asks nothing of an older dog, and you can shorten it to a there-and-back along the water without losing much.

Max: this is a cycling commuter route and the bikes move fast and quietly. Keep the lead short past the blind corners near the boat sheds and do not let a dog drift across the path.

Water

Bubblers sit along the path and there are a couple of spots where dogs can get down to the bay. This is working harbour rather than a swimming beach, so most dogs settle for a paddle; the grassy foreshore parks nearby are where a proper splash happens.

Hazards

The main one is the speed of commuter cyclists on a path that narrows in places. The paving holds heat on summer afternoons, so walk early or late in the warmer months.

Getting there and parking

Street parking around Chapman Road and the Tramsheds is metered, limited and fills on weekends, so the L1 light rail to Jubilee Park or Rozelle Bay is the easier option and drops you right at the water. Toilets, barbecues and picnic tables sit in the parks along the way.

When to go

Weekday mornings are quiet and weekend afternoons fill with families, runners and cyclists all at once. This suits city dogs who are already comfortable around crowds.

More walks nearby

The dog park at Federal Park sits directly on the foreshore path with open grass and a small beach where dogs paddle, and Canal Reserve is the other green patch close to the loop. Further west, Hawthorne Canal Reserve makes a good second stop.

For a drink afterwards, The Glebe Hotel is a short walk up from the water. More options are on the NSW dog friendly trails guide and the Annandale destination page.