The Bondi to Watsons Bay Walk is a pretty popular coastal walk in Sydney, but as you might have guessed from the title it has pros and cons.
We actually think that only 5km of the track is a genuinely good walk. The portion that goes from Bondi to the start of the Federation Cliff Walk is pretty dull and is characterised by walking along residential streets and busy roads. There are a lot of times when the walk offers an amazing view, only for the trail to abruptly end and you have to head back onto a residential street again.
We recommend skipping this if you can, unless you want to spend some time in Bondi before heading over to Watsons Bay (or because the transport connections to Bondi work better for you).
Nonetheless, we’ll outline the whole route for you! Here’s what to expect from the trail.
The Bondi to Watsons Bay Walk
The stats
Distance: 9km (you can easily make it 5km by just walking the Federation Cliff Path)
Elevation: 198m
Difficulty: Easy
The Bondi to Watsons Bay walk is a lot longer than we expected, but due to the flat terrain it only took us about two hours with stops. There is a little elevation (the starting section from Bondi up to Raleigh Reserve was a gradual uphill walk), but the walk is generally pretty easy as it is never steep and the majority of the walk is along paved road or across parks.
Starting the walk from Bondi
The walk begins at Bondi Beach, which is a great place to grab a coffee or relax on the beach before starting the trail, if you have the time to be leisurely.
We always love visiting Bondi, despite the bad rap it gets for being too busy or touristy. The views are always beautiful and it’s popular for good reason!
Head along the beach to North Bondi and turn right (don’t keep walking onto the road) and follow the path beside the rockpool. You’ll then see stairs heading down to rocks at the very end of the beach.
There’s no signposting for the walk but just head along the rock shelf and up the boat ramp, sticking to the right of the path for panoramic views.
This is the only part of the walk until you get to the Federation Cliff Walk that has any views, so enjoy them : )
The views from North Bondi
Once you can go no further along the coastal path you have to turn in to the residential streets, where you will remain for several kilometres!
Keep plugging on as you’ll come across some excellent Aboriginal engravings in the next section!
Onto the Aboriginal engravings
Leaving the coast you’ll walk briefly along Brighton Boulevard before heading right onto Bay Street. After another 100m turn left onto Hastings Parade.
After 350m you’ll make a right onto Military Road, follow it uphill past the Golf and Diggers Club for 400m until you see Williams Park on the right hand side of the road.
The landmark at Bondi Golf Course & Diggers Club
Head into Williams Park, which is a golf course, and follow the concreted path for 200m until you see a patch of rock which has rope around it, these are the engravings.
The Aboriginal Engravings at Williams Park
We didn’t expect them to be anywhere near as well preserved as they are, and you can really clearly make out quite a few, including what we think is an emu, several fish and a person!
They are arguably the most clear engravings we’ve seen in Sydney itself, rather than in one of the surrounding national parks, which is surprising as they are just beside a cliff in Bondi!
We love Aboriginal art and this lifted our spirits after walking along a boring, busy road.
The views were also spectacular from here, it must be one of the pretties golf courses in Sydney!
Continuing on to the Federation Cliff Walk
Head back out on to the road again and continue going straight for another 900m before making a right onto Raleigh Road.
From here you turn into Raleigh Reserve, one of the many small patches of greenery on this part of the walk.
You’ll head through the reserve which has some nice sea views, a welcome sight after all the houses and traffic.
Sadly, this doesn’t last long as you’ll have to turn back on to residential streets again after five minutes or so.
From the park you’ll head onto Weonga Road - follow it for 800m before taking a right back onto Military Road and head into the Dudley Page Reserve. This is one of our favourite sunset spots in the whole of Sydney.
This is where we recommend starting the walk if you want to do the prettiest bit.
Dudley Page Reserve has a fabulous lofty view of the city and it’s a great spot to sit and have a picnic before continuing on to Watsons Bay.
Heading onto Diamond Bay
From Dudley Page to Watsons Bay the walk dramatically picks up. There is still the odd section which requires a bit of residential walking, because private land goes right up to the cliff edge, but for the most part you follow the coast.
From the stairs at the end of Dudley Page Reserve, head right onto Lancaster Street and then continue into the Eastern Reserve.
This next part of the walk offers some of my favourite views on the whole trail.
You head down a series of staircases with ocean views to your right and the headland in front of you.
It’s hard not to stop and look in awe at the houses on the left and imagine the views from there, they’d even be able to whale watch from the balcony!
Unfortunately you can’t continue all the way along the coast (like a lot of this walk) and have to head up the staircase on your left and briefly right onto Ray Street, for 250m before you enter Diamond Bay Reserve.
Diamond Bay Reserve
Diamond Bay Reserve is stunning, and is one of those places that you’ve probably heard of but might not have visited! The views from here are beautiful and well worth stopping to really take in.
The trail heads down the stairs and you’ll soon come out to a series of crumbling cliffs and a much closer view of the headland.
You can see the Macquarie Lighthouse in Watsons Bay ahead of you. You used to be able to go and sit on the cliff tops of Diamond Bay and watch the waves crash over the rocks below but sadly there is now tall fencing surrounding the whole area.
We’re not sure if it’s because someone tragically died here when taking a photograph, or whether it’s because the cliffs have now become unstable. You can see further along the boardwalk that some of the cliffs have become considerably cracked and look ready to drop at any moment!
Following the boardwalk round to the Diamond Bay sign, you then turn right and head along the path until you come to the ramp up to Chris Bang Crescent.
Before heading up, take a moment to notice that directly in front of you is what looks like a completely out of place patch of jungle!
It’s really quite extraordinary to see it there and it genuinely feels like you’ve suddenly arrived in the rainforest.
Onto Watsons Bay
After the rainforest you have roughly 600m more road walking until you get to Clarke Reserve. For the majority of it you have good sea views though.
Once you get to Clarke Reserve you’ll see Macquarie Lighthouse, one of the oldest in NSW.
The walk then follows the paved path hugging the coastline, past the South Head Signal Station, which looks like another lighthouse. The sea views are fantastic and we’ve regularly seen whales here in season (May to October).
There is one very brief bit of road walking, but overall for the next 1.8km you’re heading along a gorgeous path with great views before arriving at The Gap.
The Gap is one of the most famous viewpoints in Sydney offering fabulous views of the cliffs and ocean, as well as the city in the opposite direction. It’s worth checking out all three viewing platforms if you don’t mind climbing a few more stairs!
The views from the Gap
From The Gap you walk down the stairs and after 200m walking through Robertson Park you’ll arrive at Watsons Bay Ferry Wharf.
If you wanted to extend the walk you can carry on round to Hornby Lighthouse which is a really gorgeous walk, here’s all the details on the track.
It’s well worth the additional few kilometres, and it’s a generally flat walk, so doesn’t require too much extra energy.
If not, there are lots of great places to grab a coffee or drink beside the wharf, including the famous Doyles fish and chip shop (our fave for lunch), Dunbar House (brunch or coffee) and the Watsons Bay Hotel (glass of wine!).
We’ve got a full guide to Watsons Bay if you need some more ideas!
Packing suggestions for the walk
Having the right gear can make a huge difference. Here’s what we pack and have relied upon for years:
Sunscreen: Cancer Council Active. With a high SPF, but not the greasy feel of other sunscreens. Makes a big difference when you’re working up a sweat on a sunny day! Check it out on Amazon
Good Rain Jacket: North Face This is an essential item we always pack in our bag! This jacket from North Face is designed to keep you dry but also comfortably warm (many rain jackets will make you feel like you’re in a sauna). Check it out on Amazon
Day Pack: Osprey Talon 22 (we’ve owned this for years). Check on Amazon or direct with Osprey
Hiking Boots: Merrell Moab (for men and women). We’ve both used these for over three years and they just keep going. Check them out on Amazon
Trekking poles: We’ve used Black Diamond for years as they are light, solid and durable. Check them out on Amazon.
Reusable water bottle: To avoid single-use plastic. Check them out on Amazon
Essential information about the Bondi to Watsons Bay Walk
Transport to and from the trail heads
The easiest way to do this trail is to take a bus to/from Bondi and a ferry to/from Watsons Bay. The 333 bus runs pretty regularly from the city and drops you off at Bondi Beach, and a ferry runs between Circular Quay and Watsons Bay fairly regularly too.
If you have a car, an alternative option is to park at Watsons Bay and get the 380 bus from the bus stop next to the Gap to Bondi Beach, and walk back. There is plenty of unlimited free parking in Watsons Bay, but it becomes pretty scarce at a weekend.
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Are you planning on doing the Bondi to Watsons Bay Walk? What is your favourite coastal walk in Sydney? Let us know in the comments below.
