Sydney, more than most other cities in the world, has been blessed with much natural beauty. Unfortunately, this has not matched with cycling infrastructure. Cycling through Sydney can be hazardous and very unpleasant. To make matters worse, in New South Wales it is illegal for cyclists over the age of 12 to cycle along footpaths (except where signed otherwise).
The following guide has been written to help cycle tourists negotiate Sydney as safely as possible. The routes suggested have been chosen primarily for cyclist's safety, making use of cycling infrastructure where possible. While these routes will be longer than more direct alternatives, they avoid busier roads and are therefore much more pleasant.
Please note that these routes are not intended, of themselves, to constitute a complete touring route, or take in the best sites of Sydney (though there is some magnificent scenery along the way). They are designed for people, who for various reasons, actually want to cycle through Sydney's suburbs rather than catch a train to avoid the traffic mayhem.
Some suggestions for day rides in the Sydney region are also described below.
Unless otherwise noted, all information is based on knowledge that was current in 2008.
Description of routes
Google maps of routes
Day rides in the Sydney region
RTA bicycle maps of Sydney and beyond
Bicycles and public transport in Sydney
Other online resources for bicycle maps
This guide is broken into several regions, each with its own page. For a general overview of the regions and their routes, see this Google map.
Inner: Cycling between Sydney Airport, Central Railway Station, Circular Quay (ferry terminal), Sydney's CBD and the Harbour Bridge. The routes in other regions connect with those in this area.
West: Routes from Sydney Airport to Parramatta, Penrith and the Blue Mountains (as far as Katoomba).
North: Routes from Sydney's CBD north to the Central Coast of NSW.
South: Routes from Sydney Airport to Cronulla, Royal National Park and Wollongong.
Inner Sydney (Routes 1 to 3)
West: Sydney Airport to Penrith (Routes 4 to 7)
West: Penrith to Katoomba (Blue Mountains) (Routes 8 to 13)
North: Sydney CBD to Central Coast (Gosford) via Manly and Palm Beach (Routes 14 to 17)
South: Sydney Airport to Wollongong (Illawarra) via Cronulla and Royal National Park (Routes 18 to 20)
Many of the routes given in these pages can be conveniently adapted to day rides with the use of public transport. A brief description of some rewarding possibilities is given below.
Cook's River Cycleway. Cycle from Botany Bay to Homebush Bay (Bicentennial Park) along the Cook's River. Train stations close to the route include those at Tempe, Homebush, Strathfield and Concord. About 22km and mostly flat. See Route 4.
Botany Bay cycleway to Cronulla. Cycle from Tempe Station to Cronulla Station (or in reverse) around Botany Bay. About 24km and mostly flat. See Route 18. This ride could be combined with the Cook's River Cycleway ride.
Katoomba to Penrith. Cycle from Katoomba Station to Emu Plains Station or Penrith Station. About 48km and mostly downhill, loosing almost 1000m of altitude. See Route 11 and Route 10. This ride could be extended by another 15km or so by incorporating Routes 12 and 13.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Cycle to one or all of Akuna Bay, Cottage Point or West Head in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. See here for further details. All are hilly rides with outstanding scenery. If you have access to a car, you could drive to Church Point and start cycling from there. If relying on public transport, then you could start and finish at Manly and follow Routes 14 and 16 as far as north as Pittwater Road, and continuing along Pittwater Road to reach the national park. The cycle from Manly to Akuna Bay, West Head and back would be approximately 100km.
Royal National Park. There is a lot of scope for day rides in Royal National Park. Public transport access is available from Sutherland, Loftus, Waterfall, Otford and Helenburgh train station and from Bundeena (via ferry from Cronulla train station). Lady Wakehurst Drive, Lady Carrington Drive, Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, Bundeena Drive, McKell Avenue and Farnell Avenue all lie within the park and offer good cycling opportunities. Of these roads, only Lady Carrington Drive is unsealed. The Princes Highway (and Rawson Avenue near Loftus and Sutherland)can be used to connect some of McKell Ave and Farnell Ave. There is a good should on the highway between Waterfall and Heathcote and in intermittent shoulder between Heathcote and Sutherland. (The highway between Heathcote and Sutherland is quiet on weekend mornings until 9am; at other times it can still be cycled though it is not as safe nor pleasant.) See the section headed Cycling between Bundeena and Wollongong for additional information and possible side trips.
Hawkesbury River. See the Hawkesbury River cycle tour for a long day cycle along the Hawkesbury River, accessible from Windsor and Brooklyn (or Hornsby) stations. Shorter sections and side trips of this tour can be done if one drives to (say) Wisemans Ferry.
Trains: Sydney's CityRail train services are quite expansive for bicycle tourists, reaching as far as Scone and Dungog to the north, Richmond to the north-west, Lithgow to the west, Goulburn to the south-west and Bomaderry (Nowra) to the South. In fact, all of Routes 1 to 18 described in these pages lie within the CityRail railway network.
CityRail currently allows bicycles on trains for a child's fare on peak services and for free on off-peak services. Bicycles can be wheeled on and off with dissembling them. For up-to-date information on taking a bicycle on CityRail's trains, see here.
Buses: The main bus company in Sydney is the state owned Sydney Buses, which currently has no facilities for transporting bicycles. Private bus companies service the outer suburbs; I am not aware that any of these have bicycle facilities.
Ferries: Sydney Ferries services the suburbs along the Parramatta River and Sydney Harbour, including Parramatta, Homebush, the CBD and Manly. Bicycles are permitted on ferries free of charge.
Integrated trip planner: For an integrated trip planner, visit the 131500 Transport Infoline. They also maintain an up-to-date FAQ on taking bicycles on various modes of transport.
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) of NSW has a section of their website for bicycle riders. It publishes cycleway maps showing current cycling infrastructure in the following regions:
© 2009 Robert Taggart. Last updated 2 July 2009.