Lower North Shore Walking Tour

The Lower North Shore Walking Tour chains Milsons Point Wharf, the Luna Park boardwalk, Lavender Bay, Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden and Bradfield Park into one 5.5 kilometre circuit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is mostly flat, paved foreshore walking with the harbour in view nearly the whole way, and it is one of the few long city walks where a dog is welcome on the lead for essentially every metre.

Leash status

The lead stays on for nearly the whole route. Dogs are on leash through Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden, Clark Park and the Luna Park boardwalk, and must stay 10 metres clear of playground equipment at Bradfield Park and Watt Park under North Sydney Council rules. The exception is the designated off leash areas at Bradfield Park, and that is a boundary to read from the signage on the ground rather than assume, because the zones are specific.

The walk

Five and a half kilometres, graded easy, about an hour and a half to two hours with stops. Most of the surface is flat paved foreshore or gravel path; the one real effort is the Secret Garden, which is built into a steep hillside and reached by steps. Small and older dogs manage it fine at their own pace, and bench seating through the Lavender Bay parklands gives plenty of rest points.

Water and getting there

Water bubblers sit at Quibaree Park near Milsons Point and at Milson Park, with public toilets at Quibaree Park and Bradfield Park. Bring bags for the Secret Garden stretch, because there are no dispensers in there. Public transport beats driving: the T1 North Shore line to Milsons Point Station puts you two minutes from Bradfield Park, or catch the ferry to Milsons Point Wharf. Street parking is metered and scarce, and the Ridge Street car park means a walk down and a climb back.

Max: the boardwalk past Luna Park gets loud and the crowd bunches at the Bridge pylon. If your dog is noise-shy, walk the Lavender Bay side first and turn back before the wharf.

When to go

Weekday mornings, or before 9am on weekends, are the calm windows. From mid morning the Secret Garden fills with picnickers and photographers and the boardwalk turns into a queue, which is hard work for a dog on a short lead.

While you're out there

Altitude Coffee House is the closest coffee to the station and Cool Mac at Kirribilli has outdoor tables mid circuit. The North Spoon at McMahons Point covers the far end, and if you are staying over, View Sydney takes dogs.

More routes are on the New South Wales dog trails guide and the Milsons Point destination page.