📍 Here are the maps and files for this ride:

• RideWithGPS: Cooks Ride 27 (Download the GPX here)

• RideWithGPS Collection: Cooks Ride Series

• Network View: On the CycleSydney Map (Look for the Green line)

Starting in Campsie: Beamish Street to Lees Park

This ride begins at Campsie Railway Station on Beamish Street (which will soon become a Metro line). From Beamish Street, head down Clissold Parade, turn onto Cowper Street—the last road before the river—and turn right into Lindsay Street.

Follow Lindsay Street across the bridge into Lees Park. Situated just east of Canterbury Racecourse, Lees Park features tennis courts and clean toilet blocks, making it an excellent starting point or quick pitstop.

The Backstreet Climb: Crieff Street to Milton Street

From Lees Park, roll straight onto Crieff Street to start heading north. The roads climbing up from the river thru the suburb of Ashbury are very wide and quite steep. Prepare for a brief leg-burner as you head uphill, though you will certainly thank these wide lanes on the return journey downhill!

Follow Crieff Street up the hill, turn into Goodlet Street, then New Street, and take a left into Dougan Street. At the end of Dougan Street, carefully cross Milton Street, which is a busy road.

The Gem of the Journey: Park Lane Past Pratten Park

Once past Milton Street, pass over Park Avenue—the official Council bike street marked with white bicycle logos—and drop directly into Park Lane running right behind it.

Park Lane is the highlight of the whole ride. Blocked to through traffic at both ends, it is a blissfully peaceful residential lane where you will barely see a car.

Lets check the 3D model of the ride

Local Secret: If you want to head towards Ashfield Station instead, you can bump across Pratten Park and navigate the quiet backlanes to the station.

Robert Street to Summer Hill Station and the Flour Mill

From Holden Street, cross into Robert Street, which connects smoothly into Drynan Street and Regent Street as you head east. These residential streets feature white bicycle logos (”sharrows”) painted directly on the road surface by the Inner West Council to designate a local quiet-way corridor that avoids heavy arterial traffic.

Turn onto Lawn Street, then follow cute little Smith Lane down to the historic Flour Mill precinct. Here, you meet the GreenWay near Summer Hill Station.

Why “Kermit’s Way”?

This link was dubbed “Kermit’s Way” because, as the famous saying goes, “it’s not easy being green!” Dubbed by the learned soul that invented CycleSydney.

Before the off-road GreenWay path along the tram tracks to Dullwich Hill was established, getting between Summer Hill and the Cooks River was a frustrating puzzle. Kermit’s Way was posted as a much faster, direct backstreet alternative—ideal if you want to connect swiftly to the Cooks River Trail and head west.

• On-Road Backstreets: Unlike separated off-road paths, this ride takes place mostly on quiet residential backstreets in mixed traffic. It is better suited to confident urban riders rather than young kids.

Extensions

From the Flour Mill at Summer Hill, you can connect directly onto The GreenWay heading north towards Hawthorne Canal and Iron Cove, or head south along the tram line to the Cooks River Trail. The first km heading north on The Greenway is sensational. If you want to head direct to the city thru Newtown, use Ride 7 and head all the way to Redfern down the train line.

One last though on Park Lane

Apart from heading to Cooks River, you can follow a short shared path north to Arthur St at the western end and head due west on more sharrows to Henley Park. That is a story for another day but it is » on the map here.

Final encouragement: It’s not easy being “as good as” green, but it’s a decent short cut up the Cooks River!

Set your bike up this weekend for a fantastic inner-west backstreet adventure on Cooks Ride 27! Whether you start at Campsie Station or roll down from Summer Hill, this link offers a quiet-way connections in Sydney. Get out there, enjoy the peaceful sanctuary of Park Lane, and treat yourself to a coffee at the Summer Hill shops! 🚲

I will start at Parramatta Park where the Spring Cycle 50km finishes on Sunday 11th October. After Pork Buns at Canley Vale I headed down the Georges River and onto to Revesby for 58km. That was my day 1. Very enjoyable.

From there it is 56km from Revesby to Circular Quay after going across the famous Woronora Bridge and around Centennial Park which will finish day 2. Day 3 will be The 50km Spring Cycle to finish the loop. This skips the mandatory Lane Cove National Park marker but as much of the moneys to ride car free from North Sydney to Parramatta goes to charity. All good.

On Sunday 11 October, you will ride the Spring Cycle 50km to complete the loop from North Sydney to Parramatta Park . This ride goes over Circular Quay on the Cahill Expressway completing the loop.

Get the anticlockwise GPx here

• Note: There is a tunnel off Parramatta Park that gets you on the way to Holroyd Gardens and then onto the Rail Trail at Merrylands.
  

  

2 Days Version of the Journey

Day 1: Start at Canley Vale and ride to Circular Quay. Distance 76 km
Day 2: Start at North Sydney on the Spring Cycle. Grab vittles at Parramatta Park and ride to Canley Vale via the Prospect Reservoir Cycleway. Distance 87km

Enjoy the ride

Here is their web page. https://www.bsls.com.au/

Here is how I get to it by photo video. Cannot wait for the Metro Cycleway.

Cycling and Street Art in Sydney

On a completely different tangent, there is a lot of street art around Sydney. Here are some examples.

Find this street of art near Sydenham station. Map link »

This street art is near the new pump track at Camdenville Map link »

Bondi Beach art is an experience best had early. You will likely more amazed by the masses of folks out swimming, running and walking. Not many cycle tracks in the area, ferry to Rose Bay gets you near the beach Map Link »

Under the sea is an art exhibit on the Marrickville Metro mentioned in Ride 24

Heading to Glenfield Station is the Liverpool Powerhouse Art centre and these giant canvases next to Casula Station. Cross the railway using the station lifts. Map Link »

How about 400m of art on the Parramatta to Liverpool Rail Trail at Yenorra. Yes there is a 22km rail trail in Sydney, it is very urban. Map Link »

And right in the middle of town is this fantastic artistic monument. Near Bathurst St and west of the Pool of Reflection. Map Link »

Lots more street art here in a YouTube Playlist »

🗺️ See the RideWithGPS trace in the North Side Collection or View ride from Chatswood to North Sydney in our Sydney Google MyMaps collection. The ride is 6.6 km, has an elevation range of 50m and takes a little over 27minutes at 15kmph

Rail Trails, Cricket Pitches & Roundabouts: Chatswood Station to Devonshire Street

We kick this ride off on the Pacific Highway near Albert Avenue, right near Chatswood Station. A quick 200-metre roll gets us onto the side of the Metro rail trail heading towards Artarmon Station. We barely stay on that trail for 50 metres before popping through a tunnel and emerging alongside Chatswood Park, where you might be lucky enough to catch a game of local cricket.

Keep heading south onto Chapman Avenue, carefully cross into Johnson Street, and roll towards the roundabout after about 150 metres. While council signage directs cyclists straight up Johnson Street, our route cuts down Tyson Street and Saywell Street before joining back onto Devonshire Street.

The Mowbray Refuge & Heritage Streets: Devonshire Street to Cordia Way

Devonshire Street brings us up to the very busy Mowbray Road. There is a well-designed crossing here with a central island: rest in the middle, press the signal button, and wait for the lights to cross straight ahead.

Once across Mowbray Road, you’ll start heading down the hill quite fast. Pay close attention here because this is the easiest spot to lose your way: ignore the cycling sign directing you down Stafford Road, and do not turn left into Stewart Street. Instead, look out for the bicycle marking painted directly on the road surface at Shepherd Road directing you left. Take two straights past some lovely heritage houses, turn into Weeden Road, and 150 metres down you’ll reach one of Sydney’s genuine cycling treats: Cordia Way.

Tunnels & Freeway Junctions: Cordia Way to the Gore Hill Freeway Underpass

Cordia Way winds between suburban backyards all the way down to the Artarmon Reserve playground. Roll around the reserve, and you will come right up to the roaring lanes of the M1 Gore Hill Freeway.

Cruising along the tree-lined Cordia Way shared path past local backyards

Underneath the freeway, you’ll hit a fork in the path where you are completely covered by the motorway underpass. Going west takes you onto the Epping Road cycleway (Ride 33). For Ride 26, we head east under the freeway. The path alternates through here between single walking lanes and two-lane cycle paths, so keep your wits about you as the layout changes.

Creek Lines & Bush Turkeys: Flat Rock Creek to Flat Rock Drive

Coming up to a cluster of bollards, bypass the foot track heading east and roll straight ahead onto the Flat Rock Creek cycleway, passing under Willoughby Road.

This stretch keeps you completely separated from car traffic. Keep an eye on the elevated ground up to your left—you might even spot the occasional bush turkey foraging in the scrub. Continue along the path through the tunnel under Flat Rock Drive, which features local Flat Rock artwork and a route map.

The Bridge Viewpoint & Palmer Street: Flat Rock Gully to West Street

Emerging from the tunnel, head south towards Market Street, Dawson Street, and West Street. Just before you hit the end of the road, look out to the east for one of the absolute best photo opportunities on the North Shore: a magnificent view looking towards Long Gully Bridge.

From there, head up through the bollards and up a short lane to Palmer Street. Follow the council bike route signs for two blocks until you meet West Street. This is steep, sorry in advance.

Long Gully Bridge has an incredible history. It was built in 1892, almost rusted to bits and then became a suspension bridge without suspenders. Read on here

The West Street Commuter Stretch: West Street into North Sydney

West Street is a 2 km stretch that takes us all the way into North Sydney. While it can get a little busy, it is a staple for North Sydney riders because it is wide, straight, and gives drivers plenty of visibility to see cyclists clearly. The slight bend near North Sydney helps you bypass the main commercial shopfronts.

Follow West Street across major intersections at Ernest Street and Falcon Street. Pass Ridge Street, where a shared path branches off to the left across the park. We finish Ride 26 with a final 100-metre shared path on the left in North Sydney, giving you a moment to gather your wits before connecting through to the Harbour Bridge ramp.

Local History & Community Champions

📜 The Story of Cordia Way: Grassroots Power in Action

What is today a leafy, peaceful 789-metre multi-use path was originally nothing more than a concrete urban stormwater drain and neglected creek bed. The transformation of this concrete canal into a tree-lined sanctuary stands as one of the finest examples of grassroots transport activism on Sydney’s North Shore.

We owe a debt of gratitude to local champions Maylean Jessie Cordia and Captain Pieter Cornelius Cordia. They formed the City of Willoughby Pedestrians Association and campaigned fiercely to reclaim the drain into a safe, continuous green link connecting directly into Artarmon Reserve. For their tireless work, both Maylean and Pieter were awarded Order of Australia Medals (OAM) in 2005, and Willoughby City Council officially named Cordia Way in their honour in 2007. History in pdf here

What makes Cordia Way special was the unity between different user groups. The Willoughby Pedestrians Association joined hands with local cyclists from the North Shore Bicycle Group (which later evolved into Bike North). Rather than competing for space, walkers and riders united under a single advocacy banner to prove that active transport pathways benefit the entire community. The Greenway and Johnston Creek are examples that have followed.

📜 The Gore Hill Motorway Cycleway: A Masterclass in Advocacy & Engineering

Riding seamlessly beneath the roaring lanes of the M1 Gore Hill Freeway feels effortless today, but getting grade-separated cycle paths built alongside major freeways didn’t happen by accident.

We have our state peak advocacy body, Bicycle NSW, to thank for creating the strategic macro-blueprints that turn highway margins, rail corridors, and creek easements into connected cycling networks across New South Wales.

On the ground, local champions Bike North (established in 1996) scaled up regional advocacy during major motorway developments. When the 2007 Lane Cove Tunnel and M1 expansion projects were on the drafting table, Bike North worked tirelessly with transport authorities to ensure dedicated, grade-separated cycle underpasses were designed directly into the infrastructure. Thanks to their foresight, cyclists on Ride 26 can glide safely under heavy freeway traffic, connecting the 📹Epping Road Cycleway (Ride 33) straight into the tranquil green canopy of Flat Rock Gully.

💡 Garry’s Ride 26 Tips

• Tricky Navigation: Keep your eyes peeled after Mowbray Road! The official council sign at Stafford Road is misleading—make sure you wait for the Shepherd Road road-marking to turn left onto Weeden Road.

• Commuter Advice: If you’re new to West Street, take your time and observe experienced commuters—they often know the best lines and signal timing through the North Sydney grid.

🚲 This ride is on the Greater Sydney Bike Trail

This ride is the holy grail for Inner West cyclists. What used to be a nerve-wracking maze of heavy traffic, awkward lifts, and disjointed park paths has transformed into a world-class, seamless north-south corridor. If you want to experience Sydney’s finest piece of active transit infrastructure—or just want a picturesque Saturday morning glide past eco-tunnels and buzzing local cafes—this is the ride for you.

📍Here are the RideWithGPS and the CycleSydney map links

RideWithGPS Cooks Ride Collection (ride 25)
On CycleSydney Map (in Green)

This article breaks down the complete journey along Ride 25, offering a step-by-step guide to navigating the entire corridor from Ewen Park, along the new pathways, to the waters of Iron Cove. You won’t miss a single highlight—though we’d much rather you ride it than read about it 🚲.

The Pro Tips

• The Transit Hack: You don’t have to commit to the full 6km return trip! Because this route shadows the Inner West Light Rail, you have built-in entry and exit points at almost every station. You can easily ride one way and catch the tram back. More than likely, that is a tactic for walkers 😁

• The City Connection: Right in the middle of this route at Lewisham West, the path intersects with CycleSydney’s Ride 7. If you are commuting or just want to head downtown, branching off onto Ride 7 from here is the most direct way into the CBD.

• Timing is Everything: Early mornings offer crisp air and first dibs on fresh pastries in the Flour Mills area. If you are riding on a Saturday, try to hit the trail before 8 AM to beat the crowds, especially the Parkrunners that take over Hawthorne Canal at 8:00 AM. Weekdays in the arvo when kiddies are not around works well too.

Ewen Park & Lang Road Bridge

Our story begins at Ewen Park on the banks of the Cooks River. The ride starts right at the Lang Road Bridge—a modern structure with terrific rusted weathered Corten steel ballustrades. Ewen Park itself includes a brand-new skate park, open green space, and plenty of play areas for kids. After rolling north from the river (see 3D video of path above), you weave through a couple of quiet, well-signposted suburban streets, dipping under the Metro line before linking directly onto the dedicated trail.

Dulwich Hill & The “Wildlife” Tunnel

As you press north toward Dulwich Hill, the path running alongside the light rail line opens up into a spacious, smooth surface made from recycled plastic grid systems. It is surprisingly quiet underwheel and provides plenty of room for commuters, runners, and leisure riders alike.

Your first major underpass takes you beneath New Canterbury Road—one of Sydney’s busiest and most intimidating thoroughfares. Instead of negotiating heavy traffic, you glide beneath it inside a stunning underpass featuring a mural titled “Wildlife” by artist Steve Nuttall. The rich brownish-blue artwork showcases native Australian birds and transforms a once-difficult crossing into a visual highlight.

“The Ghost Fungus” & Johnson Park

Continuing along, you enter the next eco-tunnel, featuring an artwork called “Dance of the Ghost Fungus” by Fiora Tosca. As you ride through, the walls glow with luminescent green mushrooms—a magical touch that makes you feel like you are gliding through an enchanted forest.

Emerging directly out of the tunnel, you arrive at Johnson Park, the proud host site of the official Greenway opening ceremony. This vibrant community hub features basketball courts, an expansive off-leash dog park, and clean public facilities, making it a perfect spot to pause and soak in the local atmosphere.

On-Road Charm & Old Canterbury Road

Leaving Johnson Park, the path transitions into a brief, picturesque on-road section. You weave through a series of quiet, leafy residential streets past character-filled Inner West heritage houses and neat front gardens. This short stretch of road riding that leads directly to the dedicated, signalised crossing at Old Canterbury Road, allowing you to cross over into the Flour Mills precinct.

Lewisham West & The Longport Street Tunnel

Crossing Old Canterbury Road brings you straight into the bustling Flour Mills and Lewisham West light rail precinct.

Coffee Stop Alert: On the eastern side of Lewisham West, you will find fantastic local bakery serving up warm morning pastries. On the western side, near Headlands Coffee, there are vibrant spots for an espresso or a scoop of artisanal ice cream.

Just past the cafes lies the absolute world-class architectural marvels of this ride: The Longport Street Tunnel.

Safely bypassing the heavily congested vehicle traffic on Longport Street, this tunnel provides a direct, grade-separated connection between two key Inner West hubs—Gadigal Reserve in Summer Hill to the north and the Flour Mills / Lewisham West light rail precinct to the south.

The “Bat-Friendly” Design: A notable feature of the Longport Street Tunnel is its innovative environmental focus. The area around the Lewisham rail corridor is home to a protected colony of migratory microbats that frequent the area over the summer months. To protect these nocturnal creatures, the tunnel features a specially engineered “bat screen” at the portal. This structural barrier shields the bats’ habitat from light pollution caused by path lighting and trail users, allowing the local ecosystem to thrive alongside modern urban infrastructure.

Technical Features: Built as a wide, 20-metre-long mined concrete tunnel running into a 3.5-metre-wide shared path in a cavern beneath the main suburban railway lines to Strathfield, it is a historical piece of civil engineering. As you pause inside, you can look up to see towering gum trees, vintage rusty rail structures, and utility pipes covered in colorful street art—all while hearing a city-bound passenger train thundering overhead.

Parramatta Road & Taverners Hill

For years, crossing Parramatta Road was the bane of every Inner West cyclist’s existence—requiring awkward elevator trips or navigating tight pedestrian bridges. The newly opened central section solves this completely with a smooth, wide underpass.

Passing Taverners Hill light rail station, the path meanders through stands of silvery gum trees along a concrete drain that looks better at high tide. While tree roots give the older sections a bit of character, the newly constructed bridges and grid paths make the journey effortless. At Marion Street cyclists enjoy fast buttoned crossings.

Hawthorne Canal & Richard Murden Reserve

Beyond Marion Street, the old storm drain widens into the picturesque Hawthorne Canal. The trail winds along Richard Murden Reserve in a gentle, winding three-metre-wide concrete paths. This stretch is brimming with community activity:

• Sports & Recreation: Over ten netball courts, newly resurfaced basketball courts, and a popular tennis complex.

• Dog Lovers Paradise: An expansive off-leash dog area where you are guaranteed to spot a hundred happy poodles.

• Family Playgrounds: A 100-metre-long adventure playground with timber climbing frames, Sandstone block seating, a rotunda, and modern amenities blocks.

The Grand Finish at Iron Cove

As you approach within 300 metres of Iron Cove, a sleek concrete bridge carries you across the water toward the final leg. The ride concludes with two spectacular final underpasses beneath the western arterial roads, bringing you out onto a brand-new, extra-wide walkway bridge equipped with public bike pumps and repair stands.

Looking out across the water, you can watch the UTS Rowing Club boats slicing through the bay. From here, you can seamlessly connect toward Lilyfield Road or loop onto the Bay Run for eight more kms.

Why This Ride Matters

Having spent over eight years mapping every corner of Sydney—from the 220km Greater Sydney Bike Trail to quiet suburban lanes—I can confidently say that Ride 25 represents the absolute best of our city’s transit future. It connects neighbourhoods, fosters local community, and proves that thoughtful design can turn busy urban barriers into peaceful green corridors. See Garry interview on YT

The Greenway won the 2025 Infrastructure Awards!

Having run the Sydney Cycling Infrastructure Awards since 2018, I was thrilled to crown the GreenWay as our 2025 winner! 🏆🚲 Check the Infrastructure Awards page here

It faced tough competition from the Oxford Street West cycleway and 📹 the red bridges of Muddy Creek, but the sheer transformation of this route was unmatched. Bypassing major arterial roads to link two iconic waterways made it a once-in-a-generation win for the city. And did I mention how popular it is, very !

Further Resources & Maps

• Inner West Council 🔗 Official Greenway Portal: The best spot for downloadable precinct maps, accessibility information, and public art locations.

• Rail Trails Australia 🔗 Cooks to Cove Guide: A great read for history buffs tracing the corridor’s evolution from the 1914 Metropolitan Goods Line.

• Inner West Guide 🔗 The Greenway Guide: A handy local directory focusing on walking itineraries, parking locations, and family amenities.

The Ride at a Glance

This roughly 8 km ride connects the Greenway at Dulwich Hill through to Harley St in Alexandria, where it links up with City Ride 9 and City Ride 5 in adjacent Belmont St. It’s a mix of quiet backstreets, short off-road shared paths, and protected cycleways.

Let’s be honest: Ride 24 is not a scintillating, holiday-pampered shared path. It’s an urban explore — a functional, slightly rough-around-the-edges placeholder ride that pieces together backstreets, rail corridors, and short suburban path segments while the Bankstown Line conversion to Metro continues. As the crow flys, this ride is a shorter way to get to Sydenham and Alexandria than the standard Cooks River and airport offerings. You will need to be a lover of street art and bumps and grinds to see you thru.

In RideWithGPS: The Cooks Collection and Ride 24 by itself
On the CycleSydney Map - Find the Metro blue Ride on the railway line

Dulwich Hill to Marrickville Station

Starting out at the Greenway junction near Hess Avenue in Dulwich Hill, roll down Ewart st to Bayley Street. Here you pick up the compact shared path running right along the fence of the Metro rail corridor. Keep an eye out for local street art along the fence line, including the “Under the Sea” mural just before Albemarle Street.

At Albemarle Street, near the local cafe, swing onto Moncur Street and cut through the quiet laneway at McNeilly Park. This brings you out near Marrickville Station. If you need a pitstop, Hellenic Patisserie is right here for gelato or pastries after making the slightly awkward road crossing.

Marrickville Station to Marrickville Road

From Marrickville Station, head down toward Marrickville Metro along the newly upgraded shared path running alongside the rail corridor. Cross carefully over Victoria Road, go underneath the railway underpass, and follow the track along the edge of Victoria Road.

Turn onto Meeks Road, pick up the modest off-road cycleway, and follow Sydenham Lane out onto Marrickville Road.

Sydenham Station

From Marrickville Road, pink cycle signs guide you toward Sydenham Station. If you want to bypass the station congestion entirely, stay on the right-hand side on the footpath to pass the station without squeezing through the main entrance area. Sorry you will need to work this out yourself, hard to explain.

For multi-modal commuters, Sydenham Station features a secure, enclosed Opal-card bike park on its western side with space for roughly two hundred bicycles. Bringing a bike onto peak-hour trains or the Metro can still be a squeeze around eight in the morning but can work other times of day. Ask questions on this Facebook Page

Sydenham Green to Princes Highway

Cross the road bridge over the tracks onto Burrows Avenue and turn down George Street, which leads into Sydenham Green. The park is best known to locals for housing a massive 5 metre red concrete sofa, easily one of the stranger photo spots in the Inner West. The planes overhead are a novelty that quickly wears off.

From George Street, head northeast across Henry Street to Grove Street, and Bakers Lane. (You are 700m from the cool pump track in Camdenville Park). Extra care is needed through these intersections, as none of the cross streets give priority to cyclists, meaning you should be prepared to yield at every corner. Pick up the short contraflow bike path on Mary Street to reach the Princes Highway.

Highway Crossing to St Peters Interchange

Push-button access at the highway can be awkward. Cross the highway into the St Peters M8 Interchange, where you’ll pass the distinctive large silver artwork and the brightly painted, colourful exhaust stacks for the underground motorways.

To your right sits St Peters Peak, an artificial hill formed from WestConnex tunnel spoil. Originally promised as a public parkland lookout, it was found to be contaminated with asbestos and has remained fenced off for many years.

Sydney Park to Alexandria

Once across, take the Campbell Street cycleway east for a couple of hundred metres and follow the path up the eastern edge of Sydney Park alongside Houston Road. On busy Saturday mornings this section gets heavily congested with dog walkers, so adopting the generally empty wide footpath along Houston Road is often the calmer choice.

At the corner of Houston Road and Sydney Park Road, cross at the pedestrian signals onto Huntley Street and swing onto Lawrence Street. Follow Lawrence down to Harley Street, where this Cooks Ride 24 joins City Ride 9.

The Verdict

Ride 24 isn’t about romantic rail-trail scenery — it’s a practical Inner West connector. While we wait for the state government to deliver a continuous, high-quality linear park along the Bankstown Metro corridor, this mixture of backstreets, contraflows, and piecemeal cycleways remains the authors favourite way to navigate from Dulwich Hill through to Sydney Park. See the ride with pictures in 3D in the video below.

But it’s always a special thrill when interstate visitors show up to put our infrastructure to the test—especially when they do it on folding bikes.

Recently, three intrepid cyclists, Kym, Lizzie and Andrew from Adelaide flew into Mascot, unpacked their Bromptons, loaded up their luggage, and hit the ground rolling. Over five days, they took on the GSBT, proving that you don’t need a full-sized touring rig to conquer our city’s geography.

Their 253-kilometre adventure is a brilliant showcase of what’s possible on Sydney’s cycle network. Day 1 ~ They started with a scenic run from Mascot down to the Cronulla waterfront, mixing Japanese ramen with great aircraft views. Day 2 threw some moisture and mechanicals their way en route to Casula. A tough day with some really cool waterway views. Day 3 ~ From Casula, they rolled car free for 50kms on the M7 cycleway to Parramatta. Day 4 ~ A detour to a Cherry Blossum festival follow by Olympic Park and Lane Cove National Park and eventually looping back into the CBD. Day 5 exploring the fab Eastern coastline before battling the map app to pickup their bike bags at Mascot and catch their flight home.

I usually tell people that Sydney bike trails might look flat on a map, but there are a few big dips along our waterways. These guys tackled nearly 2,000 metres of climbing on small wheels, passing all the essential GSBT markers—including Centennial Park, the Woronora Bridge, Lizard Log, and Lachlan’s Line Bridge—without skipping a beat.

It’s a fantastic read and a great reminder of how useful continuous, connected active transport corridors are. Their journey highlights both the spectacular highlights of our paths and the quirky detours that make cycle touring so rewarding.

Read all about their 5-day Bromptoneering adventure right here: 📖 Sydney 5 Day Tour | Bromptoneering or bust

And if their ride inspires you to tackle the loop yourself, you can find the complete interactive map and route details on my Greater Sydney Bike Trail page: https://www.cyclesydney.com/p/gsbt.

In more detail with comments from CycleSyd

📖 Day 1: Mascot to Cronulla Hitting the ground straight off the plane, the guys set off on an afternoon coastal 28-kilometre run down to the Shire. After catching some great aircraft views around the airport and fueling up on ramen, they made their way to the beautiful waterfront pathways to Cronulla. It is a very scenic and relatively flat introduction to Sydney riding before the real climbing begins. Ride 22 📹 Lady Robinsons Beach

📖Day 2: Cronulla to Casula Sydney’s geography really starts to show its teeth as you head west from the coast. Throw in some drizzly weather and a few trailside mechanicals, and this 53-kilometre leg required some grit. Fortunately, the magpies gave them a free pass, and some top-tier Lebanese manoush provided the perfect fuel to get them through to Casula. 📹 Cronulla to Sutherland Woronora Bridge Highlight Chipping Norton Lake

📖Day 3: Casula to Parramatta This 68-kilometre stretch is where Sydney’s continuous, off-road infrastructure really shines. Hopping onto the M7 cycleway, our Adelaide visitors got to enjoy the satisfaction of zipping freely past intense motorways. Starting with a quick explore of the Liverpool Powerhouse and then onto some essential coffee stops, and it was a terrific day of urban cycle touring. 📹 M7 Cycleway M7 to Parramatta

📖Day 4: Parramatta to Sydney Google Maps reckons Parramatta to the CBD is only 29 kilometres. GSBT riders know better. Because the route must pass Marker No. 4 at Lane Cove National Park, there are no shortcuts, only extra kilometres and additional suffering. Gordon (a multiple Brompton owner), Winston (on the longest outing yet for his rescue bike), Kym, Lizzie and Andrew completed a 57-kilometre loop that took in the Cherry Blossom Festival (with marginal Blossums), Sydney Olympic Park and Lane Cove National Park, along with the good and bad of North Sydney’s cycling offerings, before finally reaching Milsons Point and crossing the Harbour Bridge. 📹 Lane Cove National Park Cordia Way

📖Day 5: Sydney to Mascot Closing the Greater Sydney Bike Trail loop is a usually a mixture of pain and pleasure. Navigating the final 46 kilometres back to the airport takes you around Centennial Park and past some terrific beaches and cliffscapes to La Perouse. Ultimately, Kym, Lizzie and Andrew made it back to their bike bags at Mascot , capping off nearly 2,000 metres of climbing on small wheels over five days. 📹 Centennial Park

Navigating the Loop — Google My Maps vs. Beeline

Garry: When I’m out mapping these routes, I usually sketch the intended track in Google My Maps and just follow the blue dot on my phone. How did you actually follow this map? Did you load the GPX into your phone, a Garmin, or something else?

Kym: I exported the GPX file out of Ride with GPS and used Beeline. I actually use the dedicated Beeline device on my handlebars rather than just looking at the phone app. It’s incredibly simple for touring, and it saves your phone battery.

Garry: Interesting, I hadn’t heard much about Beeline. When you import the GPX, do you rely on Turn-by-Turn directions or something else?

Kym: I use Breadcrumb Mode. Instead of trying to snap the track to known roads, it keeps the exact GPS trace. Because it doesn’t force a road route, I can follow absolutely anything. It’s ideal for off-road trails or newly constructed paths.

(📹 Garry had to check Beeline out - here is a video )

Congratulations Kym, Lizzie and Andrew

We have had many riders of the big loop but I cannot remember anyone jetting in, hopping on the trail and making it their sole Sydney adventure. And then after doing monster climbs on a Brompton, actually writing up a blog as they go. Thanks from the GSBT community for writing this all up. Here are the links to SA Brommie blog..

📖Visit the Blog here 📖 Read about the Sydney 5 Day Tour

📖Slighly different, check out the Bromptoneering Japan blog Posts

Brompton Options In Sydney

Sydney Spokes are a local group which has tackled the Greater Sydney Bike more than once and has members who often use Bromptons. Another Brompton connection is the Sydney Brompton FaceBook group.

Garry from CycleSydney

See all the GSBT stories

Catch all the rides in the Cooks River Area here and Lane Cove Area. This ride straddles both.

Downhill Runs and Creek Reserves: North Ryde to the Field of Mars

This ride begins in Lane Cove on Epping Road. You set off on Pittwater Road, directly across from the corporate office blocks and the North Ryde Metro station.

The first 600 metres roll along a dedicated shared path situated about five metres off Pittwater Road, twisting and turning under a canopy of lovely trees. When you reach Magdala Road—right on the corner where the North Ryde RSL stands—cross over to the western side of Pittwater Road where the shared path cycleway beckons.

(Local Link: If you decide to peel off down Magdala Road toward the river, you can follow an alternative cycleway and bridge over the Lane Cove River that loops back up to meet Epping Road cycleway).

On the western side of Pittwater Road, you’ll follow the cycleway all the way down Strangers Creek toward the Field of Mars Reserve. Right across the road at the bottom of the hill sits Buffalo Creek Reserve, which features a miniature “learn-to-drive” track for young kids on wheels.

Going down Pittwater Road, the gradient gets quite steep. While confident commuters often opt to take the road on the descent down to the valley, anyone heading north up the hill will definitely want to stick to the shared path—there is simply no way to keep pace with traffic at an uphill crawl of 12 km/h!

See the RideWithGPS Ride | See the Northern Sydney Collection
And on Google MyMaps look for Hunters Hill >>

Cafes, Flying BMX and Flying Foxes: Boronia Park to Tarban Creek

After skirting the Field of Mars, the path heads uphill again on another steep shared-path climb. As you top out and reach Boronia Park, you’ll spot a wonderful local cafe right as you enter the small village shopping centre.

Turn onto Princes Street and roll down toward the park grounds, before turning right to follow Park Road and Augustine Street. If you have competant teenage riders in tow, Boronia Park features a small BMX dirt track with jumps to explore.

Crossing Ryde Road requires extra caution: use the pedestrian crossing, take it slowly, and keep your wits about you because the crossing sits directly on a corner. From there, roll down past the sprawling, historic grounds of St Joseph’s College.

You’ll be riding on-road here as you tackle a decent descent into Tarban Creek. Just before hitting the bottom of the hill at the Gladesville Road crossing, look out for a small access ramp on the right that leads down and under Gladesville Road.

This ramp delivers you to the Tarban Creek cycleway. After rolling for about 400 metres, cross Manning Road and head over an old wooden bridge. Look up into the canopy—the bridge and surrounding trees are home to an incredible roost of around 8,000 native flying foxes (they stink) !

Bridges, Tunnels, and Archways: Tarban Bay to Huntleys Point

The cycleway hugs the creek all the way down to Tarban Bay. From the water’s edge, you wind your way back up the hill on a winding shared path.

Take special care on the wooden bridge located on a very sharp bend along this climb: if the timber is at all damp or wet, dismount and walk, as the surface becomes treacherous and slippery. If you are riding an e-bike, do not engage high pedal-assist or heavy gears here, or your rear tyre will spin out instantly.

Follow the path up the rise to Baruda Place as the ride heads east toward the Parramatta River. At the crest of the hill, a narrow shared path guides you directly through and underneath the Burns Bay Road Bridge, providing a dramatic view looking out over an exquisite heritage waterfront home on the eastern side.

Pop out onto Huntleys Point Road—a quiet no-through enclave—and follow the curve of the road around until the massive structure of the Gladesville Bridge looms into view.

Tackling the Arch: Gladesville Bridge to Drummoyne

Entering the Gladesville Bridge path is famously convoluted. Exit Huntleys Point Road and head into the tunnel path fitted with steps and a walking ramp. From there, bear to the right—it is critical that you take the cycle path on the eastern side of the bridge. Once through, remount and tackle the climb up and over the soaring concrete arch.

Crossing the Gladesville Bridge is an exhilarating experience high above the harbour, accompanied by the thundering roar of traffic on Victoria Road. Once you descend the southern side into Drummoyne, you need to make a sharp U-turn back down toward Drummoyne’s local street network.

Follow the city-bound wayfinding signs through the backstreets along Wrights Road and Renwick Street. When you see the signs toward the Birkenhead Point shopping precinct, go west towards Victoria Road and cross Iron Cove using the magnificent old steel bridge.

At Terry Road, where the Victoria Road cycleway deteriorates from average to outright appalling, Ride 23 officially wraps up!

Things to Note Along the Way

• Cycling Infrastructure: The Pittwater Road shared path was recognised in the Sydney Cycling Infrastructure Awards in 2021. Subsequent upgrades have made Pittwater Rd significantly better to ride, especially on the southern end and near Epping Road

• Victoria Road Realities: While the connection through Gladesville and Drummoyne toward the bridges is direct, riding directly along the Victoria Road in Balmain is unpleasant. A story for another day.

Ride 23 Tips

• ⚠️ Note on the Pittwater Road Shared Path: When descending the shared path, take it real easy. The path runs right along busy Pittwater Road. Keep a sharp eye out for fallen sticks, wandering dogs, and errant pedestrians—do not barrel down!

• Bridge Entry Navigation: The approach into Gladesville Bridge involves tight ramps and steps. You need to be on Huntleys Point Rd to find the entrance. NEVER EVER RIDE ON THE WEST SIDE.

• E-Bike & Wet Weather Caution: The tight wooden bridge climbing out of Tarban Bay is slick when wet.

• Family Explorers: The Field of Mars, Buffalo Creek Reserve learn-to-ride track, and Boronia Park BMX dirt jumps make interesting venues for children.

Extensions

If you have plenty of fuel left in the tank, your finish point at Birkenhead Point provides an effortless connection to the famous Iron Cove cycleway. You can simply duck underneath the bridge and roll straight onto the scenic, flat 8 km loop around the bay, which also links up directly with the GreenWay heading south.

Photos and Videos

See the Ride 23 Photo Collection
See the video playlist of rides around Lane Cove

FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT: CONQUER THE BIG ARCH!

From peaceful creek beds and flying fox colonies to sweeping harbour panoramas atop the Gladesville Bridge, this ride showcases the contrasts that make cycling around Sydney rewarding. 🚲

Crossing the Big Bridge and Finding the Bay: Captain Cook Bridge to Doll’s Point

This ride begins at Captain Cook Bridge and heads north towards the city, keeping with the usual CycleSydney rule of heading toward major centres. For most weekend riders, however, this is part of a popular out-and-back route from the city, turning around at Monteray or near the bridge.

To start, you’ll need to cross Captain Cook bridge. There are two ways to tackle this: you can ride on the left (the western side) or the eastern side. We recommend the western side because riding on the eastern side means you’ll come very close to the southbound cyclists on the narrow bridge pathway.

Once across, you’ll roll onto the cycleways that hug the edge of Botany Bay. At first, the path can be quite sandy and there’s usually a lot of foot traffic on Riverside Drive. Because of the walkers, some riders prefer to jump on the road for this stretch. About 800 metres up, you turn off Riverside Drive and onto a reasonably wide, dedicated path.

This path takes you past Vance Stone Baths. It’s easily one of our favorite netted swimming holes on Botany Bay. If you peer into the water, you might spot some large grey fish with very pointy fins patrolling the perimeter—they’re a great reminder of why those nets are there and why it’s a good idea to stay inside them!

From the baths, follow the bay past the Georges River Sailing Club, where you’ll veer right around Cooks Park and end up at Doll’s Point.

🗺️ See the RideWithGPS here See the Southern Sydney Collection here
And on Google MyMaps >>

Red Bricks and Bacon Rolls: Dolls Point to Brighton-le-Sands

At Dolls Point, the cycle path transforms into a distinct red-brick path. We follow this brick pathway under the gorgeous canopy of Pine Park towards Ramsgate. Ramsgate offers another lovely netted swimming area and a handful of excellent cafes right on Ramsgate Road.

Keep following the red bricks along the shoreline through Monterey Beach. As you approach Brighton-le-Sands, the foot traffic here can become absolutely overwhelming—especially around 10:30 AM on a sunny Saturday. If you’re here at peak hour, expect to slow right down.

Brighton-le-Sands is a classic and highly popular pitstop. There’s a fantastic beachfront cafe right on the sand next to another netted baths area, making it the perfect spot to park the bike and refuel with a coffee and a bacon and egg roll.

Local Secret: If you’ve already ridden the beachside bricks many times and want a change of scenery, look out for Robinson Street at Brighton-le-Sands. Heading down Robinson Street connects you to a brand new, dedicated path that runs along Muddy Creek—it’s a brilliant alternative ride that will become South Ride 29 !

The Hippo, the Crab and Hidden Gardens: Kyeemagh to Muddy Creek

If you stick to the coastal bricks, follow them along the edge of the Grand Parade all the way to Kyeemagh. On the way, you’ll find a wide grassy park featuring a giant steel sculpture of a crab and a giant Hippo climbing out of a drain. They are local icons and a must-stop for a quick photo.

At the end of Kyeemagh Park, turn left to follow the path along the Cooks River. You’ll pass a boat ramp, some clean toilet blocks, and wind your way around the local hockey fields.

Then comes one of the highlights of the entire ride: the Chinese Market Gardens. Finding these historic, flourishing market gardens thriving in the middle of a bustling, modern city is a spectacular treat. Take your time rolling past the neat, green rows of crops.

Elevated paths and subterranian M5: Muddy Creek to Tempe

At the end of the market gardens, you’ll arrive at Bestic Street. Ride down Bestic Street for about 100 metres before picking up the path on the other side of Muddy Creek. It feels a bit like you are retracing your wheels on the opposite bank.

From here, the route takes you through the newly upgraded Barton Park via some fantastic, brand-new elevated cycleways. You’ll follow the path as it snakes around the back of the local golf course. Admittedly, the back of the golf course isn’t the most scenic or pleasant stretch of the ride, but it’s completely off-road, so we can’t complain! 3rd Place Sydney Cycling Infra Awards 2025

Next up is a short, twisty section that takes you directly underneath the roaring lanes of the M5 Motorway. Its going to be updated one day, just not tomorrow.

When you pop out onto Marsh Street, things get pretty ugly for about four blocks. This is a busy, high-traffic zone where you have to stop and start constantly while watching out for cars coming from all directions. Our advice? Don’t try to rush the traffic lights here; take your time and stay safe.

Once past the Marsh Street gauntlet, the path leads you into the peaceful gardens along the Cooks River. Follow this path to the left, rolling past Cahill Park.

Finally, cross the Cooks River via the shared path on the Princes Highway bridge, and you’ll arrive at your destination in Tempe—marking the end of an incredible 14 km coastal and creek cruise.

Lets check the 3D Ride video starting at Captain Cooks Bridge

Ride 22 Tips:

• Timing is Everything: Just like the Iron Cove Loop, Lady Robinsons Beach is incredibly popular. If the weather is nice on a weekend morning after 8:30 AM, expect heavy walking, jogging, and pram traffic on the red bricks. For a faster, uninterrupted run, aim for a weekday or a very early weekend morning.

• Family Tip: The stretch from Captain Cook’s Bridge to Kyeemagh is completely off-road and mostly dead-flat, making it fantastic for kids. Just be sure they can hold a line, ring their bells, and always give way to pedestrians.

• Road Bike: If you’re on a high-speed road bike, the red bricks aren’t the place for a time trial. Many road cyclists opt to ride on the adjacent General Holmes Drive instead—but be warned, it is an extremely busy main road. If you stick to the path, keep your speed down and respect the walkers.

Extensions

If you want to keep the legs spinning, you can easily connect directly to the Cooks River Trail at Tempe and follow it upstream towards Wolli Creek and beyond. Alternatively, you can cross back over Captain Cook’s Bridge at the start and head south towards the spectacular beaches of Cronulla.

This trail is part of the popular 220km GSBT

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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.