Homebush Bay and Parramatta River Loop

The Homebush Bay and Parramatta River Loop is a flat, sealed circuit of roughly 24.5 km that threads together North Strathfield, Rhodes, Wentworth Point and the Sydney Olympic Park parklands, with the rusting hulls of the Homebush Bay shipwrecks along the way. It is a serious day walk at full length, and most dog owners treat it as a choose-your-section foreshore walk instead.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on the shared parkland pathways on lead, and the surface is sealed end to end, so prams, wheels and older dogs all handle it. There is no off-leash section on the loop itself.

The critical rule: dogs are banned from the Badu Mangroves and the Waterbird Refuge inside Sydney Olympic Park. Those boardwalks read as a natural continuation of the loop but are signed only at the entry, so stay on the sealed path through the wetland sections and turn back at the signs.

The walk

The full circuit is graded easy and takes five to six hours at walking pace, but 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, running over mangrove flats and open lawn rather than under tree cover, and the bay itself is tidal mudflat rather than a swimming spot.

Max: the mangrove boardwalks are a hard no, not a keep-him-close. Turn around at the sign and rejoin the sealed path.

Bubblers and toilets are scattered through Bicentennial Park and along the Rhodes foreshore, so carry water between stops. The shipwreck viewing area near Wentworth Point is the most photographed stretch.

Getting there and parking

Rhodes station puts you on the loop after a short walk across the footbridge, and the Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf sits directly on the route, which makes a one-way walk easy to arrange. Driving, aim for the Bicentennial Park or Bennelong Parkway car parks; both fill up on weekends.

Close by with the dogs

For time off the lead, McIlwaine Park and Lower Phoenix Park sit at the Rhodes end, while Bressington Park near Homebush is fully fenced with water stations. The Powells Creek dog off-leash area is handy if you start from North Strathfield. Cafewise, Bare Witness on the Rhodes waterfront and Iluka on Baywater both seat dogs outside.

More options are on the NSW trails guide and the North Strathfield destination page.