Amsterdam, of course, is on another cycling planet altogether. It is fantastic for people-watching and photographing bikes, and cycling always takes priority over cars. The real eye-opener in Amsterdam is the suburbs: quiet, low-key, threaded with canals and birdlife, where modest living spaces make sensible density and easy cycling feel effortless. Amsterdam is 20 years ahead of these cities and Sydney, a 200+ pictorial story for another day.

Outside of Amsterdam, the standout feature across all these river cities was the magnetic appeal of their cycling waterways. In places like Vienna and Cologne, the riverbanks were absolutely alive with cyclists. The bridges across the big rivers almost always offered dedicated, quality paths on both sides with decent on- and off-ramps. Commuters and leisure riders would cruise along the river trunk paths and then dart straight into town centres where car traffic was mostly calmed or restricted. The inner cores themselves were a bit of a mixed bag of cobbles and shared zones, but the river boulevards were always the go to’s.

That contrast got me thinking about how Sydney stacks up.

In many ways, Sydney’s suburban rides and shared paths (aka Bourke St, Greenway) are actually far more lively and dynamic than the non-river paths in many of these historic European towns. We have great pocket parks, bustling creek paths, and leafy parklands that locals use every weekend.

What Sydney lacks is that one signature tourist cycle trail—a continuous, world-class cycling attraction that instantly anchors the city on the international cycling map. Europe has iconic, contiguous river routes along the Danube and Rhine that draw visitors from around the globe simply to ride for a day or a week. They also draw in the locals in huge numbers.

Sydney has the waterways, the climate, and the scenery to match anything in Europe. We have plenty of great individual rides, but what we need now is that contiguous, unforgettable river-to-harbour spine that makes visiting cycle tourists say: “I’m coming to Sydney, and the first thing I’m doing is hiring a bike.”

Budapest, the capital of Budapest, has a city population of roughly 1.7 million people, an area of 525.1 square kilometers, and a population density of about 3,209 people per square kilometer. Cycling featured a fab cycleway on the Pest side, lots of folks just riding anywhere on the Buda side and a big car free Margaret Island.

Bratislava (the capital of Slovakia), the city has an estimated population of about 480,000 residents, a total area of 370 square kilometers, and a population density of roughly 1,300 people per square kilometer. Major employers include Volkswagen and Slovnaft. Our highlight was a super fun ride in an ‘85 Skoda with our own driver and guide. We also rode along the Danube which was terrifc.

Vienna has a population of over 2 million people, a land area of 414.9 square kilometers, and a high density of roughly 4,890 people per square kilometer. Public administration, healthcare, and service-sector enterprises serve as the capital's largest collective employers. Totally classy place but as soon as you leave the waterways, the cycling options are just ok unless it is a one way road for cars.

The Danube is a wonderful river, it warmed my soul to look out and see birds and cyclists all the time. Though I only sampled bits and pieces of the Danube Riding, I was looking at the map as we went along. It may be a continous ride but out of the towns, it wasn’t alway obvious where the track was or even what side of the river you were mean to be on. Here are photos from a couple of days riding.

Nuremberg has a population of 550,000, a density of roughly 2,700 people per square kilometer, and covers a total area of 187 square kilometers. Its largest industrial employer is Siemens, which maintains a massive regional workforce alongside key public institutions like the Federal Employment Agency. This city wasn’t on a major river, the water on the Maine was running out in the drought so we were travelling to another boat by bus (Yawn).

Würzburg has a population of about 133,000 people, a population density of roughly 1,500 people per square kilometer, and covers a total area of 88 square kilometers. Its largest major employers are the University and the local city administration, alongside key industrial and manufacturing employers like Brose. Most of these pictures were from river riding by Garry

Bamberg, Germany has a population of about 77,200. It covers an area of 55 square kilometers. The population density is roughly 1,414 people per square kilometer. The largest employer in the city is Bosch, which runs a major manufacturing plant there.

Cologne has a population of over 1 million people spread across an area of 400 square kilometers, resulting in a high population density of roughly 2,700 people per square kilometer. Major employers include Ford Europe, REWE Group, and RTL Group. I surprised the night desk on the river boat when I asked to take out the folding ebike at 6:30am. A wonderful place to ride along the river.

Conclusion

Sydney needs a useful working cycle trail that will be a feature of cycling tourism in NSW. As much as this humble scribe wants the Greater Sydney Bike Trail to be that track, that would be a decent commitment. What we need now is a trail that takes us along the Harbour and Parramatta river where possible, goes near the stations of the city-west metro and passes the wonderful Greenway and goes over the new tram bridge that is being built in Olympic Park. A total ride of just under 30km from city to city as per the sketch below. More on this topic here

On a different scale: Sydney is Australia's largest city with an estimated population of over 5.6 million. Greater Sydney covers an area of roughly 12,500 square kilometers with an overall regional density of about 449 people per square kilometer, while the inner City of Sydney local government area covers 27 square kilometers with a much higher density of over 9,000 people per square kilometer.

Further exploring

The track suggested above is pretty much what you get on the once a year car free October Spring Cycle

What about Sydney’s top ten rides? Maybe one of these becomes the NSW Government promoted Tourist Riding Mecca.

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First up, we start at Mahon Pool, a famous rock pool nestled in the cliffs of Maroubra. It’s a fantastic place to swim and relax, with lots of places to park your bike in the rocks. Bring some togs (check the pools page), or maybe just take in the view at the moment as it can be cold in winter.

Exploring the Esplanade

Cruising out from the pool, we ride along Marine Parade. At the roundabout, you’ll see a way to get onto the footpath so you can ride along the beach towards the pavilion.

Make sure to go slowly here—there are lots of people and cycling is sometimes frowned upon. But once you’ve soaked up the salt and spotted the giant concrete rubix sitting on the sands, it’s the perfect spot to stop and take a photo or 2!

Fitzgerald Avenue & The Road to Heffron Park

From the Pavilion, we head west past the kids skate park until we reach Fitzgerald Avenue. You will eventually end up having to go on-road. Don’t worry, there is a path there, but it is one of those green-painted lanes on both sides of a very big road.

It’s actually not too bad! Follow that green lane all the way up Fitzgerald Avenue, crossing Anzac Parade, and you will arrive at Heffron Park. This is where you can happily get off the big road and ride through the park.

Heffron Park & The Criterium Track

Once inside Heffron Park, you can stay off the main road and find yourself amongst the gardens and sports parks. We’ll be riding on the north end of the park, right next to Fitzgerald Avenue.

After passing a couple of rugby parks, you’ll spot a dedicated racetrack for cyclists. It’s rather old, but it remains popular on the weekends, hosting grade-one racing every now and again. Just past the racetrack, you’ll see an enormous number of netball courts, followed by soccer field after soccer field after soccer field! If you have the time, you can ride all the way around Heffron Park (see photos).

Weaving through Pagewood to Wentworth Avenue

At the north western end of Heffron Park, we go on-road for about 250 metres on Bunnerong Road, then make a turn into Smith Street.

We follow Smith Street all the way around to the roundabout on Denison Street. The final road on this stretch is Corish Circuit where you will spot the giant Westfield Eastgardens Shopping Centre on your right. But we’re going to head up Wentworth Avenue to the left, where Botany Council has built a dedicated cycleway. We follow this cycleway for about 800 metres, crossing Baker Street. At the moment, they are currently building a bit more cycleway on Wentworth but for now head down Baker Street and go across behind the shops to Daly Avenue and head right up to Bay Street. Here we join Ride 18 - Botany to Zetland

Lets check the full Ride 21 3D video starting at the beach.

For our paying supporters, let’s look closer at the family-friendly highlights of this Ride plus a not so obvious wildlife park nearby! For free subscribers, head to the Eastern Suburbs page

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In the garage was a bike, covered with cobwebs. Give that a shot. That was a good way to waste a hour but that wasn’t really that much fun, the roads all seemed too busy. Then Jen and Christine asked if we wanted to go ride a bike on something called a rail trail in New Zealand. Why not ?

On return from this trip, time was still being too friendly to me so I started organising the photos. Then I bought a great cruiser bike for my son. Riding that was so much fun so I called the bike Joe. The idea started to form, post my bike rides to Facebook for the riders that just want to have fun. CycleSydney was going to happen, I just did not know it yet. My son didn’t ride the bike much but I did. Then came Ernie the Big Easy eBike. Now I was exploring everywhere. 45000 kms later CycleSydney

By the time you see this post, my European holiday will be coming to an end and I will be heading back to Australia. Get ready for more Rides and Maps to close out 2026 Garry

If you ask the average person why they’re driving, they’ll tell you the usual: Sydney is too big. The distances are too long.

But is that actually true?

We decided to dig deep into the data, using AI to crunch the latest transport statistics and census numbers for Greater Sydney. What we discovered completely rewrites the narrative around Sydney’s traffic crisis—and reveals a hidden, massive pool of drivers who could easily be on two wheels tomorrow.

The “Fat Middle” of the Sydney Commute

Let’s start with the distance. The average daily return commute for a Sydney driver is roughly 28 to 35 kilometres. Because 15 km one-way is the statistical middle of the city’s traffic, this specific distance represents a massive chunk of our daily congestion.

Right in that sweet spot sit 500,000 drivers who are travelling 12 kilometres or less one-way.

Think about that: half a million people are driving distances that, on paper, are perfectly suited to an e-bike or bike. If you assume a comfortable, real-world urban bike speed of 16 km/h—accounting for our notoriously slow, SCATS-controlled traffic light cycles and stop-and-go intersections—a 12 km trip takes exactly 45 minutes door-to-door. In peak hour, that’s often faster than a car.

Yet, out of those 500,000 potential riders, how many are actually out there?

Just 25,000.

That is a stark 5% conversion rate. Only one in twenty people who logically could swap their car keys for handlebars are doing it.

Shifting the Un-shiftable: The Human Equation

It’s easy for transport spreadsheets to say 475,000 people are simply “doing it wrong.” But cities are made of humans, not data points. When you strip away the cycling conditions and look at how Sydneysiders actually live, a huge portion of that group has incredibly decent, non-negotiable reasons to stay in their cars:

• The Trip-Chainers (~166,000): Parents and caregivers whose morning isn’t just home-to-work, but home-to-childcare-to-school-to-work, followed by a grocery run on the way back. The car is their mobile base camp.

• The Haulers (~95,000): Tradies with heavy tools, sales reps with stock, and mobile healthcare professionals.

• The Shift Workers (~71,000): The nurses, hospitality staff, and airport workers travelling at 4:30 AM or midnight, when the safety and visibility equation changes entirely.

When you subtract those rigid, structural barriers, you are left with a core group of 143,000 people.

These are everyday office workers with standard daytime hours, no heavy cargo, and short commutes, who are currently sitting in single-occupant cars.

The Six-Fold Potential (And the Million Left Behind)

If Sydney magically woke up tomorrow with a flawless, completely separated, light-prioritized cycling network, all 143,000 of these drivers could drop their car keys.

Adding them to the 25,000 riders already out there would spark a six-fold increase in daily cyclists, shifting the bicycle’s commuting share from a tiny 1% closer to an impactful 6.5%.

Now, the sober reality: even with that dream scenario, we are still leaving over 1.3 million cars on the road every day. The sheer tyranny of distance for commuters out in the far West, North-West, and South-West means they are structurally locked into heavy road travel. Bicycles cannot solve the whole city. ( 💡read Lizanne’s Bike and Train article)

But here is the real silver lining for everyone—including the drivers who will never ride: Traffic congestion is non-linear.

When a road network hits 95% capacity, adding just a few more cars causes total gridlock. Conversely, pulling just 5% to 10% of vehicles out of the peak-hour rush can reduce total travel delays across the entire network by up to 30%.

By building continuous, stress-free corridors that let riders maintain their momentum without hitting a hostile intersection every 200 metres, we unlock that 143,000-strong hidden army. And when we clear them off the tarmac, we don’t just help the people on the bikes—we clear the bottlenecks for the million-plus workers who genuinely have no choice but to drive.

Here are some screen grabs in photos and links in the comments to the government docos

The full government map (click here for update)

Our Articles Follow

The bulk of the City to Rozelle Parklands coastal ride https://www.cyclesydney.com/p/ride10

Cecily St and Callan Park and Iron Cove
https://www.cyclesydney.com/p/ride17

Sydney’s longest active transport route takes shape (Bicycle NSW)

The Cooks Area Articles

Ride 38 - Malabar Loop

This is where the Surveyor and friends used to go to get a 22 km nice ride fix. It passes thru La Perouse. If you haven’t been there, don’t wait for the article. Jump on the ride here

Ride 25 - The Greenway

You have probably seen the hype. It is too good for its own good. Running between Iron Cove and The Cooks River you gotta give it a try. Just not at 9am on a warm Sunday morning because it will be too busy.

Ride Number Undetermined - Chipping Norton

Grab a friend and step out of your comfort zone and head for Chipping Norton lake. Its the biggest lake in Sydney and if you can get there on a misty morning, the hounds will be a baying - See it on the Sydney Map here passing thru Warwick Farm, Chipping Norton, along the Georges River and through Lansvale.

Ride 51 - The M7 - Get some exercise

40 kms one way, 100km if you include the M12 on an up and back. If you are as much into coffee and cake as cycling hard, catch a train to Edmonson Park and ride to Bella Vista …. See the ride here

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/jrDn5KkAnnwUsBa26

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When a brisk southerly buster wind storm rolled into Sydney, I decided to test a theory: Could an eBike, with a massive tailwind pushing it along, beat the winding, “round-the-horn” T4 train trip from the Shire up to Bondi Junction?

The strong wind was behind me the entire way, acting like a booster rocket for the eBike and clearing the bike paths of meandering walkers who preferred to stay indoors. Tracking my journey using my Google Maps timeline, I compared three different ways to make the trip.

The Beat the Bus Series

The Contenders & Results

Option 1: The Pure Train Trip (The Control)

• The Route: Walk from North Cronulla beach to the station Train all the way to Bondi Junction.

• Time Breakdown: 67 minutes on the train + 10 minutes of waiting/transferring.

• Total Time: 1 hour 17 minutes

• The Verdict: The Winner on Speed. Purely on raw time, the train takes the crown. Sydney is just too sprawling for a bike to beat a long train unbroken line.

  

  
  

Option 2: The Pure eBike Ride (The Hard Way)

• The Route: Cycling the entire distance from Cronulla to Bondi Junction.

• Total Time: 1 hour 33 minutes

• The Verdict: 16 minutes slower than the train. Even with a powerful southerly tailwind clearing out the paths and pushing me along, a full bike commute over this massive distance falls short of the train.

  

Option 3: The “Cheater’s” Hybrid (eBike + Train)

• The Route: Ride the eBike from Caringbah to Wolli Creek. Catch the train from Wolli Creek to Bondi Junction.

• Time Breakdown: 57 minutes of cycling + 28 minutes on the train.

• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

• The Verdict: 8 minutes slower than the train, but the best overall experience.

Final Verdict: Why the Hybrid Wins

While the train is technically 8 minutes faster than the hybrid option, the Bike + Train combo is the smartest way to travel.

Why it works: The bike leg from the Shire to Wolli Creek is flat, fast, and highly enjoyable—especially with a brisk southerly blowing you north. However, the final cycling leg from Wolli Creek to Bondi Junction takes 40 minutes on a bike and gets much hillier and the cycling paths are less than perfect.

By pulling the pin at Wolli Creek and letting the train do the heavy lifting for the last 28 minutes, you bypass the worst hills and still get a great, wind-assisted cruise for the first half of the trip. It completely beats sitting on a train for over an hour!

Nostalga - GSBT with my wife

My very first lap of Sydney which has become the famous Greater Sydney Bike Trail included a very casual ride with my wife from Wolli Creek to Cronulla on day 2. That looked something like this. The Cronulla Ride truly is a great part of Sydney

Check out the video of the Eastern section that you will not get on a std Shimanami Kaido

The tour includes the Shimanami Kaido, the Shimanto River, quiet mountain roads, fantastic local food, and the spectacular Pacific coastline of Kochi, along with plenty of opportunities to experience rural Japan away from the crowds.

I hunted the maps of the Sydney northern beaches for two years and gave up on ever finding a half decent trail between the great Manly trail and the super Dee Why/Narrabeen Lake. Then I ran into Richard, the eBikerDiary guy in Gladesville and recognised his bike instantly. A few days later, we decided on a tour of the Northern Beaches, a place where Richard has ridden for 30 years.

See the connecting trail in Google Maps here in my Northern Sydney Maps >>

I arrive in Seaforth, Richard arrives a minute later like the phantom but sitting astride a Shimano electric double shock MTB and all the bells and whistles. It looks very similar to my Cube Reaction MTB and runs the same size battery. We took off on the lovely Seaforth to Manly trail and when we got to Manly golf course we took off up Manly Creek for a couple of kilometres and then joined Pittwater Rd and used the cycle path there for a bit. We then headed to Greendale Creek and at Griffen Rd, we ran out of official track. You then need to ride up the road to Dee Why for a couple of kms or bail out to the footpath if you have teens in tow. Once you get to Dee Why, you have many great kms of riding across to Narrabeen Lake and beyond. We choose the eastern side of the lake which is more interesting in my view. We completed our outward journey thru Warriewood and ended up in Mona Vale.

Our return journey was via the two golf clubs that have been kind enough to allow bike tourists to ride around the perimeter, Mono Vale and Long Reef. The trip down Colloroy Beach on the roads is fine as its mostly shared path with a lot of car driveways. From Long Reef GC we struggled down Pittwater Rd. I suggest using the council bike track which is one street back from Pittwater Rd.

We then returned whence we came back towards Manly and cruised through town and back up the harbour side trail to end up in Balgowlah. A journey of 55km. Both eBikes had 3 bars left out of 5 though I suspect we probably had 40kms left rather than 60 before a recharge was necessary. So a win to both Shimano and Bosch engines and a win to both our wide wheeled MTB ebikes as this setup is suited to an urban backstreet and shared pavement environment. Richard wins with the extra luxury of 2 shocks and a shock soft seat. Thanks to Richard for his detailed knowledge of the great phantom paths of the North Shore.

Trail Notes. Very flat except for around Manly headlands and Mono Vale. This is one area of Sydney where you have to ride back as there are no trams or trains to bring you home.

See more photos here >>

This was written 6 years ago. Nothing much has changed. It is still a great area for exploring.

This is a Top 10 Sydney Ride

Here is a link to Richards Archives. He was a writing pioneer for the Sydney Cycling community. He plays pickle ball these days and probably gets around on a smart ebike still.

The Cooks River Cycleway is one of the oldest and most established off-road paths in Sydney, offering a remarkably flat, family-friendly ride. The trail follows the river as it transforms from a concrete urban canal into a wide tidal waterway, passing through a landscape deeply scarred by its industrial past. While the factories and tanneries are gone, the river hasn't totally recovered; its murky depths still hide a multitude of historic sins, and plastic flotsam can still spoil a view after rain. Yet, beneath the terrific tree canopy that lines the path, a vibrant green spine has emerged—offering a great, mostly unbroken ride where the local pelicans and cormorants are always fun to spot. Lets break the 24km ride up into its 4 distinct segments 🚲 (See 3D 📹 )

1. Powells Creek to Strathfield Golf Course

To get the most out of this ride, we don’t actually start directly on the Cooks River. Instead, we kick descriptions off at the Concord West playground in Olympic Park, right next to Powells Creek. Here, you’ll ride the brilliant Powells Creek cycleway, which transformed an old concrete eyesore into a vibrant shared path that actually took 3rd place in the inaugural 2018 CycleSydney Infrastructure Awards. See this ride section 📹

Heading south from Powells Creek, you’ll travel up Pomeroy Street, cross a couple of roads including the busy Parramatta Road, and bump down Bridge Road. From there, take the newly fixed shared path along the railway side of The Crescent, pass through Airey Park, and cross Arthur Street towards Hudson Park. You can ride around the little lake here or head straight up Mitchell Road. After ducking behind some fences 📹 for a brief stretch along Centenary Drive, you’ll find yourself on Barker Street. Follow the painted bikes down Newton Road and Melville Avenue until you hit Ada Avenue, which drops you right at the edge of the Strathfield Golf Course—the official start of the Cooks River path. Find the full trail here on the map »

2. Western section ending at Lang Bridge

Now that you are on the Cooks River path proper, you will ride along the concrete drain past Ford Park and the tennis courts. You’ll pass under Punchbowl Road and roll by the playground in Deans Park (a great spot for a toilet break or to use the water fountain). Be prepared for a couple of awkward road crossings at Lees Avenue and Burwood Road as you make your way into Croydon Park. See video 📹

The path continues through Lees Park and goes down the side of the Canterbury Park Racecourse, passing under the railway line that is soon to become the new Metro. One of the absolute highlights of this section is the new 100-metre-long Canterbury Road Tunnel 📹 (a 2024 Infrastructure Award runner up), which lets you safely bypass the heavy traffic above. Keep your eyes peeled as you pass Boat Harbour, a favourite hangout for local pelicans. Finally, after rolling through Ewen Park and past a groovy new children’s climbing area, you will arrive at the Lang Road Bridge. (Note: If you look to your left here, you’ll see the turn-off for the highly popular Greenway 📹).

3. Eastern Section Ending at the Alexandria Canal

Instead of taking the Greenway, we cross the Lang Road Bridge and follow the river around Beaman Park. Keep an eye out when you reach the hook in the river opposite the Marrickville Golf Course—if you catch the sun right with a few cyclists going past, it is one of the best photo and video spots 📹 on the entire ride .

Continuing on, cross the bridge at Illawarra Road over to Steel Park. We stick to the cycleway on the north side of the river, riding up to Mackey Park. From here, head under the railway line at Tempe Station (Bayview Avenue) and tackle the large, annoying crossing at the Princes Highway. Once you are safely across, the path sweeps around the Tempe Recreational Reserve and deposits you right at the edge of the Alexandra Canal.

4. Airport across to Wentworth Avenue Cycleway

This final stretch is a true modern treat. You’ll join the spectacular Sydney Gateway Airport Cycleway (a joint winner for the 2024 Infrastructure Awards) which follows the pipeline along the Alexandra Canal. While most riders head out onto Coward Street to deal with heavy trucks, this new traffic-free path lets you ride all the way along Airport Drive and Qantas Drive.

Take your time to enjoy the massive pedestrian bridge over the canal, the tiled tunnel, and the fantastic plane-spotting vantage points—you might even get a jet flying just 150 metres above your head. The dedicated path eventually leads you past the Domestic Terminal, under the freeway, and down Baxter Road, finishing up at Wentworth Avenue where you can connect to the East of Sydney (this is part of the GSBT).

The Fab Airport Shared Path 📹 Tempe Recreational Reserve to O’Riordan St

Note: If you watch the video to the end, you will see a way to cross the extremely complex crossing near Sydney Domestic Airport

Cooks River Awards
2022 Cyclecover Built Environment & Urban Design Award Cooks River Bikeway 2024 - Airport Cycleway - Joint Winner CycleSydney Infra Awards
2024 Canterbury Road Tunnel - 2nd place CycleSydney Infra Awards
2025 The Crescent - Homebush Honorable mention CycleSydney Infra Awards

The Cooks River Cycleway is clearly important to Sydney. When you look at all the trails that intersect it, you find out how important it is. Two of them have been fully documented under the new mapping model.

Ride 13 Airport and Bourke Rd

Ride 18 - Botany to Zetland (Wentworth Drive)

More details on the Cooks River ride follow for paid subscribers

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As we grow into 2026, let’s wrap up how things have gone this year at Cycle Sydney. First of all, we have to think about the map, because the map always comes first.

Before the start of the year, the map consisted of segments broken up into “Great,” “Pretty Good,” and “Okay”. The “Great” shared paths purple were the ones you’d be happy riding on with your kids and partners. The “Good” paths, marked in olive green, were lovely roads where you’d feel happy riding as a cyclist, but maybe wouldn’t take your friends on too often—like Belmont Street in Alexandria.

This year, we are taking a much longer approach to these rides. Instead of just segments, we are finding all the Great ones, joining them with Good ones and creating a map of long-form rides, starting right in the center of the city and spreading out. The newer rides intersect or end at the city rides if they can, creating a sort of “onion peeling effect” as you navigate outward. As we head further West, we are starting to use the exact same technique moving from Parramatta outward.

Think about this: the total number of rides we have reconstructed for the map this year has reached 66. With an average length of about six kilometers, we are up to 400 km of pretty good cycling—and trust me, we are going to be well over a hundred rides once everything is complete and remapped.

The other notable change to the mapping is also putting the Rides into RideWithGPS collections. RideWithGPS is popular with cycling groups across Sydney (especially BikeNorth).

CycleSydney Map

Check out Riding Together here

Part 2: Breaking Down the Areas

So, we are organizing all of this into 6 areas across Sydney. These boundaries sort of match up with the local council areas, but really, they are defined by the topography.

So far, we have written up the City and the East. I covered the City page a while back, but now we have progressed to writing up quite a few rides across Eastern Sydney.

If you look at the map for the East, you’ll see some great examples. We have the ride from Bondi Junction to Bourke Street. There’s the fabulous Queens Park ride that goes down and around the complete Centennial Park before heading to Bourke Street again. We also mapped the Rose Bay ride and posted it recently. It starts at the Double Bay wharf, runs down along the water at Rose Bay, loops around the back of Royal Sydney, and features a “not for kiddies” ride up to Bondi Junction and over to Waverley Park. Another new post one is the ride from Port Botany, taking the pedestrian bridge over the railways, and heading up through Eastlakes, Rosebery, and into Zetland.

Those are examples of the rides in the East—check the area page for more.

I hope you are enjoying all the posts that have been coming out this year. Remember, the goal for you and I isn’t just sitting at home consuming cycling motivation. The goal is getting out for a cycle, exploring, getting lost, finding your way again, and then relaxing into more motivational stories from Cycle Sydney.

All the best! Garry.

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Go Crazy - If you see View in Google Earth link at the bottom left of the map page, you can see the map in 3D - even Satellite mode

We had just completed a ride up the railway from his bus at Central Station.

I was glad to show him some of our specials like the Goods Line, Wilson St, the new cafe in Camperdown Park and the Stanmore cycleway. Oh yeah and The Greenway 💚♻️

Enjoy my 🗣️🎙️

If you ride this route, you know the shared path is infamous for its rattling metal joints and booming acoustics. But with the right line choice, a little speed control, and a few clever techniques, you can glide across the river without making a racket.

Old Houses: Stanmore Station to Whites Creek Lane The ride begins by getting from Stanmore Station to Whites Creek Lane. This is an on-road ride heading across Stanmore in a mostly northerly direction. Traffic in this area tends to run east-west, so it is not too bad for riding. Cross Parramatta Road carefully, and you are soon at Whites Creek Lane. Ride starts on Bruce St in Stanmore.

A Great Explore: Whites Creek Lane Riding from Albion St in Annandale to Rozelle Parklands via Whites Creek Lane is relaxing and a bit bumpy. Stretching for 2km, this dead-flat back road only crosses three roads and provides a colorful, surprisingly car-free extension into Annandale.

Functioning as a narrow 10 km/h Shared Zone, the route has you bouncing around behind residential garages, rolling through lovely community parks, taking in local street art, and passing right under Australia’s first reinforced concrete aqueduct.

The path connects conveniently to Rozelle Bay and the Anzac Bridge Cycleway. If you are looking to travel at higher speeds, switch to the adjacent residential streets with white-painted bike symbols.

🗺️ See the RideWithGPS here See the Cooks Collection here Google MyMaps >>

A Big Hill and Old Houses: Rozelle Park to Callan Park

Whilst design work, council approvals and a new shared path are still ahead for the obvious Lillyfield road to Iron Cove connection, we prefer more interesting riding that takes us in a northerly direction to Iron Cove. First up we start on Cecily St which is a steep road heading north. The houses on Cecily street are old and great to look at. Cecily is on the Parramatta to Sydney Foreshore Link.

Then you can earn your coffee and cake by sightseeing around historic Callan Park (Orange Grove Plaza has a couple of nice places) or just follow this ride to the waters edge on Iron Cove Bay.

If you have an eBike and don’t like Lillyfield Rd much, this hilly alternative is a bit of fun. More on Callan Park for paid subscribers

The Iron Cove Loop: More Than Just the “Bay Run” If you’re looking for a picturesque, flat, and family-friendly ride in Sydney’s Inner West, Iron Cove is a must. While local runners and walkers focus on the famous 7km “Bay Run” loop, cyclists can easily stitch together 15km of connected, wide trails throughout the area. The super popular Greenway is a standout but other options include exploring Balmain and Ride 54 - Abbotsford Waters.

Iron Cove Tips:

Timing is Everything: It is stunningly picturesque, but if the sun is out after 8:00 AM on a weekend, expect heavy walking and running traffic.

Family Tip: If you’re riding with younger children who might struggle to “hold a line,” stick to the south side of the cove—there are no adjacent roads to worry about.

Road Bike : The unofficial local technique for those on road bikes is to loop anti-clockwise, utilizing the paths on the Rozelle side and transitioning to the road on the Russell Lea (north) side. Take it easy on the paths, in dogs we don’t trust.

Whether you’re after a high-speed lap or a slow meander with the family, you won’t be disappointed.

Here is the trail on our Eastern Suburbs Maps >> . Look for the suburbs of Stanmore and Annandale and the loop around Iron Cove

Check out some street art and cool frog infra in Whites Creek Lane

That’s most of what you need to know, once again the ride links follow. Paid users can dig a a little deeper with the following videos.

See the Cooks Collection here Google MyMaps >>

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The Journey Map:
The Fish Market Connection: Starting near the edge of Blackwattle Bay.

The Lift Hack: Crossing Wattle St without breaking a sweat.

Quarry Green: Navigating the leafy (and slightly confusing) one-way maze of Jones St.

The Secret Link: Finding the hidden bridge at Upper Fig Lane that runs right alongside the freeway.

The Descent: Taking the final lift down into the 'paradise' of Darling Harbour, with a clear run all the way to King St or the water’s edge at Circular Quay.

It’s one of those 'local knowledge' rides that turns a hectic commute into a mathematical tour. Let’s roll!"

0:00 Starting near the Fishmarkets
0:35 Lift to get to Quarry St and Park
1:47 Heading north on a one-way road
2:20 The hidden bridge across to Darling Harbour

🗺️ CycleSydney Map Link

Map link >> RideWithGPS Link Full Ride Video on YouTube

Double Bay to Rose Bay

We kick this ride off at the Double Bay Wharf ⛴️, cruising along the tiny beach before heading over to William Street. While we start on the road, it’s not long before we hit New South Head Road and jump straight onto the shared path near the Red Leaf Pool. Be prepared to share this stretch with a lot of walkers and runners who are also out enjoying the scenery.

Make sure to keep an eye out for Red Leaf Beach. It’s a council area with a fantastic, shark-netted beach and a terrific little cafe hidden right under the cliffs—the perfect spot to snap some photos of Double Bay out towards Clark Island 📸. After popping back onto the slightly bumpy New South Head Road shared path, you have the option to take a on-road detour around Point Piper via Wolseley Road. It’s usually a quiet stretch where you can catch glimpses of the water, the Harbour Bridge, and what the really rich and famous like to call home.

Heading back to the main route, we hit the Rose Bay area. The path along Rose Bay is good but busy with walkers for good reason. The boat scenery is magnificent. This terrific cycleway shared path starts at the police station and goes down to the Rose Bay Wharf, which is a great destination if you want to jump on a ferry with your bike or end your lime bike journey.

We cross New South Head road at Kent Road near the massive Royal Sydney Golf club house, and a bouncy track follows New South Head road for a bit. Check the photos

The Rose Bay cycleway was a contender in 2022 for the Sydney Infrastructure Awards. That was a great year for the Eastern Suburbs with the Bondi Cycleway and Queens Park in the top 3 that year.

Rose Bay to Bondi Junction

We tackle the shared path on the south side, ducking through the apartment blocks on Norwich Road and Lane to find the shared path that wraps around the eastern side of the golf course. It’s a nice stretch offering glimpses of the famous greens ⛳.

When you pop out at O’Sullivan Road, you’ll need to head up the road for just a bit to find a safer crossing. Now, brace yourself for Birriga Road. If you’re heading up, you’re going to hate me because it’s a steep, on-road climb all the way. There is a cycling section that is ok. Take note of an unusual little off road notch on a tight corner where you can hop onto a small path to catch your breath. If you’re heading down Birriga, you will be tempted to go really fast going down it. Be less tempted.

At the very top, you’ll find Bellevue Park (a small detour) which offers some fantastic, long-distance views to the east and north towards the harbor. From here, we join the Old South Head Road shared path, which is a bit bumpy and heavily populated with walkers heading toward Bondi Junction.

Bondi Junction to Waverley Park

Instead of fighting the foot traffic and the bumpy shared path all the way up to the Bondi Junction cycleway, we take a turn down Paul Street and head towards the Waverley Council building. Traffic really thins out here as we roll into Waverley Park. The shared paths through Waverley Park do the trick.

Exiting the park drops us onto Henrietta Street, which features one of the more unique cycleways in Sydney. It’s an unusual two-way bicycle and one-way car street, boasting a green contra-flow path that lets riders go directly against the traffic. Keep your wits about you at Victoria Street, where there is a little crossing and the road magically changes direction for the cars in the middle.

The dedicated path stops at the end of Henrietta Street, as it is all on-road from then on. You’ll end up on Bronte Road, and if you want to cap off the ride with a swim, simply turn off at Gibb Street and cruise straight down to Bronte Beach 🌊.

For our paying subscribers, here are a few extra local tricks and alternative routes to conquer those Eastern Suburbs hills!

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First up, we tackle the pedestrian bridge over the busy Foreshore Drive, which drops you straight down into Sir Joseph Banks Park. We’ll talk more about this famously long, skinny park in a bit, but before we leave, make sure to check out the local wildlife. The geese are real enough, but you’ll have to settle for the life-sized statues of the gorillas and wild elephants—a quirky nod to the park’s history as a zoological garden. Photos of the trail

Cruising out of the park, we head down Wilson Street in Botany and pass the terrific Botanix Lifestyle Cafe. Keep an eye out directly opposite the cafe: this building was the set for the 2023 ABC documentary series Back In Time For The Corner Shop. Hosted by Annabel Crabb, the show followed the Ferrone family as they lived and worked in an authentic corner store, watching it transform through the eras from the 1850s all the way to the 1990s. It’s a great piece of local trivia.

Next up is the notoriously windy bridge crossing the freight railway line on Banksia Street. After a short, punchy climb, you pop out onto Wentworth Avenue. It’s all road riding for this stretch across Botany and Pagewood south, but the upside is that the heavy traffic mostly steers clear of this pocket. Ride 21 - Pagewood to Maroubra starts here.

Wentworth Avenue & Rosebery

Pagewood We join a shared cycleway on the edge of a busy Wentworth Avenue that ducks right under the Southern Cross freeway. While cruising this section, you will catch a glimpse of the water hazards at Eastlakes and The Lakes golf clubs. It’s also the perfect spot to dream about tackling the massive Greater Sydney Bike Trail, which you’re actually rolling on for this short stretch. An extended version of The Cooks River cycleway ends at Wentworth Avenue

As we hit the Mascot & Eastlakes area, its time to show you the ride on a map so you can get your bearings.

You can check out Ride 18 over here on RideWithGPS and find it in the Eastern Suburbs Collection here.

Through Rosebery to Zetland After crossing Wentworth Avenue, we zag back along the edge of The Lakes golf course, using Sparks Street* to find and slip through a graffit clad tunnel straight under Gardiners Road.

*Now, if you’re in a tearing hurry, you can just turn at Hicks Road and beeline for Primrose Avenue in Rosebery. But that’s not our style. We much prefer to stick to the quieter pockets of Rosebery, utilizing a neat little park along Southern Cross Drive and weaving our way through some clever paths between the buildings.

Nearing Zetland, we hop onto Dalmeny Avenue and navigate through the slick new medium-density apartment blocks. The finish line for this leg is the terrific Gunyama Park Swimming Pool and Sports Field—a great spot to pull up and cool down. It has a really good Hydrotherapy pool. From here, Ride 9 takes over the baton.

Lets check out the Ride in 3D in this video. Remember we start at the north end of Botany Bay, the large less popular bay that gives Sydney its water character.

Zetland Library and Station and a great pool

For paying subscribers, lets return to Sir Joseph Banks Park

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There is a specific kind of satisfaction in watching a once-stressful commute transform into a scenic tour of Kensington’s best-kept secrets. For years, Doncaster Avenue was known as a popular but high-stress thoroughfare where the risk of “car-dooring” was a constant shadow for local riders.

That narrative changed in 2023 when the corridor was reimagined as a premier, protected link. This isn’t just a path; it’s an award-winning example of how urban streets can be repurposed for people, taking you from the edge of Kingsford straight to the gates of Centennial Park.

The Ride Breakdown

1. The Banks Avenue Preamble

The Ride 16 journey kicks off at Banks Avenue. While the start here is still a bit “rough” around the edges, think of it as the necessary “backstreet shuffle” before you hit the high-quality infrastructure waiting ahead.

2. Houston Road: Finding the Flow

Halfway down Houston Road, the vibe shifts as the dedicated, separated cycleway begins. This is the transition point where you leave the road behind and enter a protected environment. See the first pic above. Many stay on road at this stage and enter the separated path further down. Crossing Day Avenue is probably the biggest annoyance of the path on Huston.

3. The Main Event: Doncaster Avenue

The hero of this ride is the 1.6km separated path on Doncaster Avenue. This stretch is a masterclass in urban repurposing:

• Safety First: The wide street layout was redesigned to eliminate the “car-dooring” risks that previously plagued the route.

• Tech-Forward: Keep an eye out for the innovative dual cyclist and walker lanterns at crossings, designed to keep both pedestrians and riders moving intuitively. This was one of the first time these lanterns were used in Sydney.

• Kingsford Link: The path provides a smooth run that reaches almost to the Centennial Park including crossing the Kingsford tram line on Anzac Pde.

4. The Grand Finale: Kensington Ponds Bridge

The newest highlight is the fantastic new bridge over the Kensington Ponds. It provides a seamless, “no-interruption” entry into Centennial Park, delivering you from the suburban streetscape directly into the greenery of the parklands. Your coffee awaits though you may have to do a couple of laps to earn it.

Here are your map links

RideWithGPS Eastern Sydney Ride Collection (ride 7) On CycleSydney Map

Award-Winning Infrastructure

This route didn’t just improve the local commute; it earned official recognition for its design excellence:

• 2023 Cycling Infrastructure Awards: 2nd Place

• The Competition: In that year it stood alongside other major projects like the Carlingford Rail Trail and the Rozelle Parklands

Ride Details & Media

• Distance: 3.3 km.

• Terrain: Flat and accessible for all ages.

See it in 3D

Check out this 3D flyover of Ride 16, tracing the path from Banks Avenue all the way to the park:

Where to next?

• 🌳 Centennial Park: Your are 99% likely to be heading to Centennial. Great scenery and you can pretty well ride till you drop and not stop.
  https://cyclesydney.com/p/ride8

Now some more in depth places to go for Paid Subscribers

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