This 5.5km ride provides a surprisingly clever, quiet, and rapid backstreet link connecting the Cooks River near Campsie all the way to Ashfield South, Summer Hill Station and the GreenWay. Bypassing crowded main roads, it dissects tree-lined avenues, council quiet-ways, and a hidden lane mostly blocked to through traffic. Lets cycle 🚲
📍 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.
When you arrive at Summer Hill, you can ride through the local village shops, visit the park and skateboard park, or pass directly under the station using the station lifts. Using the station lift is a shortcut to Greenway north using an on-road option on Sloan St.
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! 🚲
