Homebush Bay and Parramatta River Loop

This is the long way around Homebush Bay: a flat, fully sealed circuit linking North Strathfield, Rhodes, Wentworth Point and the Sydney Olympic Park parklands, with the rusting hulks of the Homebush Bay shipwrecks in view for part of it. AllTrails maps the full loop at 24.5 km, which is a serious day out. Most people walk a named section and catch the ferry or the train back.

The walk. Graded easy and sealed end to end, so prams, wheels and older dogs all cope with it. The full circuit takes five to six hours at a walking pace. Shorter versions are obvious on the ground: the Rhodes foreshore across to Wentworth Point and back is a few kilometres, and Bicentennial Park adds a loop of its own. Nearly all of it is exposed, over mangrove flat and open lawn rather than under tree cover.

The rules. Sydney Olympic Park Authority manages the parklands, with City of Canada Bay covering the Rhodes end. Dogs are welcome on the shared pathways on lead. They are not allowed in the Badu Mangroves or the Waterbird Refuge at all, and that is the part worth committing to memory before you set out, because those boardwalks read as a natural continuation of the loop and are only signed at the entry. Stay on the sealed path through the wetland sections.

Water. Bubblers are scattered through Bicentennial Park and along the Rhodes foreshore, with toilets at Bicentennial Park and near the Wentworth Point wharf. The bay itself is tidal mudflat rather than a swimming spot.

Getting there. Rhodes station puts you on the loop after a short walk across the footbridge, and the Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf sits directly on it, which makes a one way walk easy to arrange. Driving, aim for Bicentennial Park or the Bennelong Parkway car parks. Both are busy on weekends.

Nearby with the dogs. McIlwaine Park and Lower Phoenix Park are the closest off-leash options at the Rhodes end, and there is a Sydney Olympic Park off-leash area inside the parklands themselves. Bare Witness on the Rhodes waterfront and Iluka on Baywater both seat dogs outside.

When to go. Cooler months, or early morning in summer, because there is very little shade and the sealed path throws heat back up at a dog. Weekday mornings are quiet. Good for big runners with the stamina for a long flat day.

Sources

• Pets in the Park - Sydney Olympic Park Authority · www.sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au
• Bicentennial Park - Sydney Olympic Park · www.sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au
• Homebush Bay and Parramatta River Loop - AllTrails · www.alltrails.com

Compiled from public sources and verified listings. Always confirm current rules with the venue or council before you travel.