Once again, Sydney’s ferry system too us to another coastal walk. The quiet residential suburb is nestled between Mossman Bay and a small harbor. It provides lovely views of the CBD skyline, the Opera and the bridge.

The proposed plan to develop a large coal seam that was discovered under the city at one time threatened the town’s integrity. But the defeat of this plan allowed Cremorne to develop as the charming, bucolic suburb that it remains to day.

The Cremorne Point Circuit Walk begins with a short but pleasant detour through the middle of a narrow (only 30 meters from shore to shore) nature reserve that takes you through a playground and bushland to a rocky, sandstone point and the 1910 Robertson Lighthouse that marks the end of the small peninsula. It began life in the 19^th century as one of the city’s most popular amusement parks, complete with not only rides and attractions, but also a shooting gallery, gymnastics area and dances to the music of major bands. After a failed attempt to resurrect this success with another amusement park, the town took it over in 1891 and turned it into a public park.

 

The Walk then returns to the wharf and up about 1.5 km to the lovely eastern side of the point. This walk is notable for both its inland and coastal views. The coastal side consists of bushland and trees that slope down to a rocky shoreline, a please craft harbor and across the harbor, the town of Mossman. The slopeside is laced with short trails and steps that take you down through the bush to secluded rocky outcropings and the rocky shoreline. The cliffside walk is also pocked pretty gardens and cleared parklets that expose the underlying sandstone snd open views to the harbor and the town of Mossman.

The inland, meanwhile, is dominated by pretty gardens and charming, early 20^th century homes, mansions and boarding houses to accommodate tourists. The architecture of these charming buildings ranges from Federation, through interwar styles to Arts and Crafts.

After passing the Old Cremorne Wharf, which was largely destroyed in a 2007 storm and partially rehabilitated to its current operating site, but largely displaced by a larger, modern wharf further down the point, the walk turns inland, passing more homes and gardens to the western edge of the peninsula. This portion of the walk has a totally different character. Although the first half of the shoreline is shrouded in bushes and trees, the second half opens up into open parks with vistas that stretch to the above mentioned CBD skyline, the Opera and the Harbour Bridge.

The inland side of the walk is also different than that of the eastern side. Although a few of the early 20th century homes remain, they have mostly been replaced by newer, late-mid 20^th century homes and apartments. Still nice, and the views are stunning, but a very different character from the eastern shore.