Hello and welcome to my LIKETHEHIKE blog. I’m PJ and I write about the hikes I take, giving you insights, photos, commentary, tips and tools so you can enjoy hiking and embrace the experience.

Let’s talk URBAN HIKING. Yep. URBAN HIKING

What is Urban Hiking?

Urban hiking is walking in a city – usually on a route you haven’t explored before – taking new paths, up hills, down stairs, through parks and reserves, following signs, seeing new things. Sounds pretty good huh?!

Urban hiking is easy to plan and execute. You can use maps, or simply start walking and see where the hike takes you. If you’re staying at a hotel, ask the front desk. Locals are very happy to point you in the right direction.

What Do You Need?

Urban hiking is a bit different to trail hiking.

1. No Backpack. I do wear exercise tights with pockets so I can carry a mobile, glasses and ever present lip salve. If I’m feeling like a long urban hike I’ll dust off the bum bag (fanny pack). Food and water I buy as I need it.
2. No Hiking Boots. I wear a hybrid or trail sneaker. I find that asphalt walking can be a bit harder on my knees and hips, so I like the additional padding a trail shoe provides. My latest find was at North Face, Vectiv Infinite Trail Shoes. Super padded and comfy. Another tried and true option is New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v6. Both are great for urban hiking.
3. Keep the Hat! I still wear a hat and sunscreen. I’m a child of the 70’s and we weren’t very sun smart back then. Skin protection is EVERYTHING. I use a full brim hat rather than a baseball cap.
4. Time of Day. Is important for an urban hike. A city has so many personalities that change according to the time of day. I prefer early morning, but have also hiked later in the day for a change of pace. Don’t worry too much about distance, but look for interesting destinations, happenings, landmarks or people. This will create a great urban hiking experience.

Urban Hike #1 – Sydney CBD

I was in Sydney for work and needed to stretch my legs. I mapped out a cheeky wee 8km urban hike which took in Darling Harbour, Barangaroo, Walsh Bay, the Harbour Bridge, The Rocks and the CBD.

Darling Harbour

Always a favourite destination for either revitalisation or rest, Darling Harbour sits just west of the Sydney CBD. It’s home to restaurants, ships, parks, art trails, ferries, you name it. It was home to the maritime industry through the 1800’s, Sydney’s first gasworks and during the 1980’s underwent a decade long gentrification project.

For about 3km I walked along the reclaimed wharf, past ferries and a very still harbour. At this time of morning it’s you, some keen exercisers and a whole heap of tradies coming down to work on the construction sites scattered around. It’s still a working harbour but very pedestrian friendly.

Barangaroo Reserve

Barangaroo is part of Gadigal country and is named after a powerful female Cammeraygal leader of the Eora nation. Barangaroo Reserve is a landmark waterfront destination, made up of hotels, entertainment precincts, reserves and water. It’s marked by over 75,000 native trees and bushes as well as very distinct square sandstone blocks lining the foreshore. It provides incredible views onto the harbour and passing aquatic traffic. It’s a very visually powerful space to walk though at dawn.

Millers Point, Walsh Bay, Dawes Point

At about the 3.5km mark (just around the point you can see in the pic above), you will exit Barangaroo Reserve and enter Millers Point, then Walsh Bay. You could simply follow the road, but I try to stay away from roads wherever possible. With a little bit of trial and error, I found I could walk through the refurbished wharves in Walsh Bay, now home to cafes, residences and a cultural precinct. AND – you get to walk underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge…!

The Rocks

Coming out of Dawes and Walsh Bay, the vibe is very historic and utilitarian. This used to be a working area, and the streetscape reflects that. One of the fun parts of this walk is actually walking right under the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

This would have to be one of my recommended destinations in Sydney. Nestled into the side of the sandstone headland supporting the Harbour Bridge, this tiny neighbourhood is a maze of historic laneways, colonial terrace houses, old pubs and a working harbourfront, dating back to 1788.

The Rocks is also home to a passenger ship terminal, The Museum of Contemporary Art and over 50 heritage listed buildings. Your urban hike might slow down a bit as you walk through this fantastic slice of Sydney history, or might even go on pause for a quick coffee break.

George St & Sydney CBD

Once through The Rocks it’s a brisk troy up the middle of Sydney CBD via George St. Running for 3km from Circular Quay to Chinatown, it was Sydney’s original high street, and is still home to a number of the city’s most prestigious buildings and precincts. I walked George St around 7.30am and it was still relatively quiet, with only the first office workers trotting to work. By 11am, George St is awash with humanity. It’s mainly a pedestrian and light rail thoroughfare, so very easy to walk.

Compulsory Stop – QVB Time

It was about 7km into my urban hike when I felt the need for sustenance. Another great destination in Sydney CBD presented itself – the Queen Victoria Building (or QVB in Aussie vernacular).

QVB is a five-level heritage listed building which is now home to premium retailers such as Bally, Camilla, Coach, Furla, Jimmy Choo, Longines, Georg Jensen, Dior – it’s a shopping destination! It’s also home to a range of eateries, and my breakfast destination.

My visit to Sydney coincided with 2023 Pride Week, so the city was packed with pride related activities, events and decorations. Hence the temporary re-naming of QVB.

Stopping somewhere on your urban hike provides two benefits:

1. Sustenance, in both solid and liquid form; and
2. An opportunity to people what, to get a sense of the flow in the area.

I had a quick but delicious breakfast and coffee at Manon Brassier, and watched a film crew outside the café as they hustled and bustled very busily filming an ‘as yet unnamed’ movie adjacent to the Queen Victoria statue. By now Sydney was well and truly awake with workers, shoppers, tradies and all the madness of a large CBD.

Last Leg

It was a final 2km up George St to Chinatown, past the Town Hall to my hotel and the start of my working day.

Sydney has a wide range of walking trails/tracks/areas for visitors to explore. I also love walking around the Opera House, the botanic gardens, the harbour, Woolloomooloo (yep, that’s a real place), the Domain, and there’s a great 10km circuit that takes in most of these places.

Take the time to explore your city – or take advantage of travel and explore a new city. You’ll be surprised at what you find.

See you next time out on the urban trails 🙂

PJ.