Earlier in the year I had to make a quick business trip to Sydney and was lucky enough to be able to squeeze in a paddle one morning. If anyone has spare time while they’re travelling I would highly recommend squeezing this trip in. It has a bit of everything – great local history, amazing scenery, some excellent watercraft dodging opportunities, wildlife and much more. It was a fantastic experience and Matt from Paddle Pirates is a fountain of information and good vibes. The harbour is bustling with activity both on water and o , with new buildings and public facilities being constructed around the foreshore in every direction so you can literally see the next chapter of Sydney being written.
We started o in Blackwater Bay just beside the Glebe Rowing Club. I was lucky enough to be the only one on the trip so Matt organised an Audax for me. We headed out through Blackwattle Bay under the Anzac Bridge and then past the old Glebe Island swing bridge. The swing bridge is quite an amazing piece of engineering – currently not functioning but recently there has been some discussion about it being refurbished and opened to the public as a pedestrian bridge. Potentially like the New York Highline on water. Incidentally the walking/cycling paths in this area are also great with spectacular views so if you can’t go for a paddle walking is almost as good.
We headed northeast past Piermont and the entrance to Darling Harbour, around Barangaroo Reserve and eventually under the Harbour Bridge. By this time peak hour was in full swing and the number of vehicles passing overhead was amazing. I couldn’t look up for too long and admire the arch of the bridge, or the Opera House to the east as on the water we had to keep an eye out for loads of ferries, water taxies, hydrofoils and the occasional paddler. It turned out that this was just the training section as the real fun began shortly after when we paddled across the entrance to Circular Quay where
ferries were charging in and out every couple of minutes. You certainly have to pick your moment and then go for it!
At the steps of the Sydney Opera House a large sea lion was entertaining the tourists who hadn’t yet discovered that sea kayaking was way more cool. But there was no time to explain this to them as at this point we saw several Fisheries and Parks and Wildlife boats headed our way. I had to throw all my contraband overboard, only to discover that they were escorting a young whale that had become lost in the harbour. More likely disoriented by the endless boating activity and construction noise.
Further east we paddled past the Botanic Gardens and the entrance to the naval base and then around a former penal site and cannon emplacement, Fort Denison that rises straight out of the harbour completely covering what must have originally been a bare rock. There were plenty more ferries to be dodged and wash to surf in the process of reaching the northern side of the harbour where we had a great view of Kirribilli. Then back under the bridge, past Goat Island and retraced our route down past Piermont again through Blackwattle Bay and our back to our starting point. We took just over 2 hours to cover the 12 km with plenty of stops along the way.
I highly recommend the trip to anyone who is got some time to spare on a morning in Sydney. I could have written a lot more about the various locations noted above but you’ll just have to try it out for yourself. Matt is a great source of historical and cultural knowledge of the area and you’ll come away not only with a great paddling experience but also a greater understanding of the natural and human history of the area. I booked direct with Matt (just look up Paddle Pirates in your favourite browser) but there are other platforms you can book via. Chat to Matt about what gear he has available.
