Cronulla is the only Sydney beach serviced by a railway line, so it's a great place to go to experience Sydney's beach culture if your budget restricts you to public transport. While there, take the picturesque walk around the headland, starting at Cronulla beach. On they way you'll pass Bass and Flinders Point, which explorers Matthew Flinders and George Bass sailed past in the whaleboat Tom Thumb in March 1796 when they explored and named Port Hacking. Further around the point is the pretty Gunnamatta Bay. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in and around Cronulla.
Make a day of your trip to Cronulla by including a 20 minute (each-way) ferry ride to the village of Bundeena on the opposite shore of Port Hacking. Bundeena has a lovely village feel to it, and there some nice cafes to enjoy lunch or afternoon tea. Take a walk along Jibbon Beach to Jibbon Head where there are good views across to Cronulla, and some well signed-posted Aboriginal rock carvings. Bundeena is also the kick off point for the Royal National Park coastal walk. The Bundeena ferry leaves from the wharf on Gunnamatta Bay close to Cronulla railway station.
How to get there: by train, take the Cronulla train on the Illawarra line. UBD Map 355 Ref A 4.
Dangar Island walk
Dangar Island is a unique island paradise on the Hawkesbury River near Brooklyn, to the north of Sydney. Surrounded by sparkling water and views in all directions, it has no private cars to disturb the 'sounds of silence', making it the perfect destination for a day trip away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A pathway that circles the eastern end of the island affords views across the Hawkesbury River and passes some Aboriginal rock art on the elevated land in the middle of the island. The western end has another walking circuit that passes Bradleys Beach, the perfect spot for a dip in the river. The store near the wharf has a cafe which serves excellent food.
Duration: allow a full day for the round trip from Sydney and back.
How to get there: you can drive to Brooklyn and catch the ferry from there, but we prefer to leave the car at home and go by train. Take the Central Coast train from Central station, alighting at Hawkesbury River. From there, catch the ferry to Dangar Island. The ferry does a loop to a couple of nearby settlements on the banks of the Hawkesbury, so you effectively get a short river cruise thrown in for good measure.
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Glenbrook Railway Heritage Walk
You don't have to be a railway buff to enjoy this heritage walk near Lapstone, which is the first town at the eastern end of the Blue Mountains. Lapstone contains a few notable marks of history mostly on the boundary between Glenbrook and Lapstone, and most are covered by this walk through pleasant bushland in the Blue Mountains foothills.
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