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Mosman Bay to Taronga Zoo and Clifton Gardens
Take a ferry to South
Mosman (Musgrave Street)
to start this walk of
about eight kilometres,
taking three hours. Climb
up the steps to Musgrave
Street, and then continue
up more steps along Herron
Walk to Raglan Street.
The large stone house
there is known as The
Castle. Turn left along
Raglan Street until you
reach Illawarra Street
on your right. Turn into
this street and descend
to Sirius Cove Beach.
The architecture along
the way is an interesting
mixture.
Now enter Sirius Cove
Reserve and proceed along
a bush track through
an area which provided
the inspiration for the
artists of the Heidelberg
School a century ago.
You will reach Whiting
Beach in due course and,
soon after, Athol Wharf,
where the ferry docks
for Taronga Zoo.
If you wish to continue
further, keep close to
the shore and walk round
Athol Bay to Bradley’s
Head. This is now a National
Park, but it was formerly
a gun emplacement for
the protection of Sydney.
In 1839, four American
ships entered the harbour
unexpectedly, causing
the realisation of how
badly prepared the city
was to deal with any
emergency. Cannons were
placed here in 1840,
but the fortification
was not completed until
the build-up to Crimea
in 1853. (Incidentally,
as our walk began in
Raglan Street, it is
worth remembering that
Lord Raglan was the commander
of the British troops
in the Crimean War, and
it was he whose orders
were misinterpreted to
cause the Charge of the
Light Brigade.)
There is a fine view
from Bradley’s
Head. There is also a
memorial to the four
naval vessels which have
borne the name H.M.A.S.Sydney
and the mast from the
first of these, a light
cruiser which, on 9th
November 1914, engaged
the German cruiser Emden
near Cocos Island in
the first naval engagement
of the Great War involving
an Australian ship. Nearby
is a stone column from
the old Sydney Post Office.
This is used to measure
a distance of precisely
one nautical mile from
the tower of Fort Denison.
Continue north now on
the eastern side of Bradley’s
Head through Ashton Park
to Taylors Bay, then
on to Chowder Head and
Clifton Gardens. Having
reached Clifton Gardens,
you can either go back
to Taronga Zoo, taking
a short cut across the
top of Bradley’s
Head peninsula, or walk
up Sarah’s Walk
to Morella Road, from
where bus 228 runs back
to Milson’s Point
at the north end of the
Harbour Bridge.
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