I don’t usually do the whole New Year’s resolution thing, but for some reason I’ve made an exception in 2024. My goal has been to walk at least 10,000 steps every single day and, because that’s a little too easy, a total of 5 million steps over the year. To help me hit those goals and avoid just walking the same local streets over and over, I’ve tried to find the best walks near Sydney.

(By the way, apparently 10,000 steps is just a random target that some Japanese company came up with in the 1960s. It’s still been helpful to have a nice round number to aim for though!)

Anyone who’s familiar with walks near Sydney probably won’t be surprised by the two I’m highlighting. But if you, like me, have lived here for a while and haven’t done these walks, give one a try. I you happen to be visiting the area, I’d also highly recommend them. The sights are amazing and you can get to both by car or public transport. I’ll explain more as we go…

Walks near Sydney: the Royal Coast Track

Located in the Royal National Park south of Sydney, the Royal Coast Track is described as an “epic multi-day walk”. It stretches for 26km between Bundeena in the north and Otford in the south.

I haven’t actually walked the full Royal Coast Track. Part of it, between Garie and Little Garie beach, is closed and has been for a while. But you don’t have to do the entire walk. In fact, only around an hour on the track from Bundeena will take you to the picturesque Wedding Cake Rock.

You can walk the track in either direction. If you want to head north, park at Otford lookout or take the train to Otford station and go from there. If you want to head south, park in Bundeena or catch the train to Cronulla then a ferry to Bundeena.

Remember to check for alerts before you go. If you’re using public transport, also take note of the train and ferry times. It’s not like you can miss the last train since that will be well after it gets dark, although you could potentially miss the last ferry from Bundeena to Cronulla at 6pm or 7pm.

For my walk in late January, I decided to begin at Bundeena. I caught the train to Cronulla station and, after a quick walk to Cronulla wharf, jumped on the ferry. It costs $8.80 each way and takes about 20 minutes to get to Bundeena.

From Bundeena wharf, it’s then a 1.5km walk to the actual start of the Royal Coast Track. (I appreciated the opportunity to squeeze in some extra steps. You might not feel the same way).

My trek on the track

I think I had a good plan. Starting at 9am, I wanted to walk as far as possible in 3.5 hours, then stop for lunch, then allow 4 hours to return. Timing was important since I needed to get the ferry back.

My walk was on a mostly clear summer’s day. I loaded up on sunscreen and applied it regularly. However, I didn’t take enough water. There isn’t anywhere to refill your bottle, so bring plenty!

Pretty much from the get-go, you’re met with amazing coastal views. On the stretch I walked from Bundeena to Garie Beach, the scenic vistas stay by your side most of the time.

A lot of the track is on raised boardwalks but there are other parts on rock faces and along beaches. Everything is well signposted and you’ll likely cross paths with lots of people as you walk. A particularly busy spot is Wattamolla, where there’s a beach, picnic area, car park and toilets.

It’s hard to pick a favourite part. I’m a big fan of Eagle Rock. Wedding Cake Rock is also impressive but they’ve really locked it down so it’s hard to get good photos. There are plenty of other nice spots for pics though. Even the track itself is quite photogenic (see the featured photo).

After a great but exhausting few hours of walking, I got to Garie Beach at about 12:30pm and left at around 1pm. Somehow my walk back was faster (possibly due to taking fewer photos) and I ended up back at the start at 4pm.

Whether you’ll want to tackle this walk will depend on lots of factors, but definitely consider it!

How many steps did I do? 45,474 (35.56km)

Walks near Sydney: Grand Canyon track

Grand Canyon track is located in the Blue Mountains National Park and is a 6.3km loop. I’d say this particular walk is probably best done as part of a weekend away from Sydney by car.

Still, it is possible to do in a single day using public transport. That’s what I did! The train from Central to Katoomba takes two hours. From Katoomba, take the 698 bus as far up Evans Lookout Road as it goes. Multiple people got on and off there when I went. Ask the driver if you’re unsure.

You can walk Grand Canyon track in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. To go anticlockwise, start from Neates Glen Parking Area, about a 15 minute walk along Evans Lookout Road from where the bus will drop you off. Clockwise starts from Grand Canyon Cark Park another 10 minutes up the road. Or if you’re driving, just park directly at either of these. Lucky you.

The general consensus seems to be to go anticlockwise and leave Evans lookout for the end. I did this and am not sure I agree. While it’s nice to leave the lookout til last, I think I would’ve handled the stairs at the end better going clockwise. I’ll have to try it to know for sure.

Whichever way you go, you’ll be walking up and down a lot of steps. Considering it’s a canyon, it’s a good idea to think about the weather before you go. If it has rained recently, the waterfalls will be more impressive, but the creek can flood if it’s been heavy. As with all walks, check for any alerts.

My journey into the canyon

As I mentioned, I walked anticlockwise from Neates Glen Parking Area. It’s cool (literally) how much the temperature drops descending into the canyon. This is definitely a more chill walk than the Royal Coast Track. Okay, I’ll stop.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service suggests it’ll take 3-4 hours all up. It took me 2.5 hours even with lots of stops for photos and videos.

There really is no shortage of photo ops. I struggled to choose just a couple images to include in this post. Note that it is highly likely you’ll get in the way of people trying to get their perfect pic, and similarly they’ll get in the way of yours. So it goes.

I also enjoyed simply taking in all the different waterfalls, rocks and plants. You will probably get a bit wet, but on the fairly warm day I went, that was welcome.

Once again, it’s hard to narrow down the highlights. The photo above might just be my favourite point of the walk though. I have already made it known that I’m a fan of stepping stones One other part worth mentioning is when you have to pass through a rock tunnel, which is a bit of fun.

Really, you have to see this place for yourself. If you’re hesitant about going all out on something like the Royal Coast Track, this might just be the walk for you. It’s still challenging in it’s own way but well worth the effort (and all the stairs) in my opinion. All you really need is a good pair of shoes.

Either way, I hope you’ll go out and explore some more walks near Sydney.

How many steps did I do? 15,802 (11.15km)