The Brooklyn to Kangaroo Point Boardwalk

The opening of the Brooklyn to Kangaroo Point boardwalk has been all over the news. As the boardwalk is in my backyard, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Walking from Brooklyn to Kangaroo point

On a recent sunny winter Sunday, I walked to Kangaroo point from Brooklyn. Leaving at around 9:30am, the village was still waking up, but cars were starting to pull in.

Passing the Angler’s Rest Hotel, I smiled at the mural depicting “our” Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge, and what looks like a new sandstone sculpture at the entrance. As I climbed the steep set of stairs to the bridge over the railway line, I felt for those with bikes or strollers. They would have to bump up the stairs or join wheelchair users on the road. An unsafe option.

Walking along Brooklyn Road

The little houses with picket fences, and the converted church provided interest to what is otherwise a long straight road. At the oval, I crossed Brooklyn Road. Being a local, I knew I’d find public toilets beside the playground. But more importantly, crossing the oval to a BBQ area near the tennis courts, I joined a boardwalk through the mangroves.

A Mangrove Boardwalk

It was low tide. A strong smell, a bit like rotten eggs – caused by organic matter breaking down, wafted towards me on the breeze. Aerial roots like dirty craggy fingers reached up to drink in the air. The mangrove boardwalk soon became a narrow bush track leading back to Brooklyn Road.

An eastern rosella almost brushed my head as it flew past. A family group strolled ahead of me, chatting. A couple walked their dog; kids rode their bikes. Their destination: the Brooklyn to Kangaroo Point Boardwalk.

An Amphitheatre

After months being covered with building supplies and machinery required to complete improvements to the road, the area adjacent to the Brooklyn Rural Fire Brigade is now an open mostly grassed area. Following a friend’s suggestion, I went to explore.   

A smooth concrete path, ideal for strollers and wheelchairs, led across the flat grassed area to a section with new plantings, sandstone blocks to sit on and a little amphitheatre. Puffs of flowering wattle draped over a low sandstone wall.

The sound of water murmuring in the bush drew me to a narrow dirt path. Below the train tracks, a stream of water tumbled down a series of boulders into a rockpool. A train rumbled by.

Brooklyn Central and an Orphanage

Back on Brooklyn Road, I passed Brooklyn Central. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never stopped there for petrol or a snack. It will be an ideal place to bribe the grandkids with an ice cream when I bring them on this walk during their holidays.

It’s not often that you see a row of letterboxes in suburban Sydney. But that’s what I found outside number 55 Brooklyn Road, the old St Catherine’s Orphanage. It has been a hotel and then a school for girls.

With the roar of motorbikes riding the curves of the old Pacific Highway in my ears, I strolled past

Marinas and places offering houseboats for hire. People wanting to experience the new boardwalk, but not ready to tackle the 3km along Brooklyn Road from the station, came by car and turned into Tom Richmond Oval where they parked.

The Brooklyn to Kangaroo Point Boardwalk

I stepped onto the new 1km Brooklyn to Kangaroo Point boardwalk. The silver railing gleamed in the bright sunlight. Kids on scooters enjoyed scooted by as I took in the mangroves. The experience at high tide would be quite different.

Cars filled the carpark at Dolphin Marina, where two ragged looking dolphins leapt from either side of the entrance to the jetty. A man filled the bowl at a bubbler for his pooch. Cyclists would be pleased to find a cycle repair station next to a bubbler.

I had wondered if I’d bump into anyone that I knew. I did. Friends from Dangar Island were enjoying morning tea on one of the bench seats that look out across the mangroves.

Kangaroo Point

All too soon, I arrived at Kangaroo Point. People gathered along the foreshore enjoying the view. A queue lined up for coffee at the Estuary Kiosk (Check opening times).

I had one more thing to see, and I’ll let you in on the secret. There’s an Aboriginal carving on the shore between Estuary and the bridge. Walk along to the first black metal fence. Look over the fence towards the water.

My friends kept me company on the way back to Brooklyn. I’m looking forward to doing the walk again with my primary school grandchildren.

Accessing the Brooklyn to Kangaroo Point Boardwalk

• You can – and probably should – access Brooklyn by train as parking in Brooklyn can be horrendous.
• Be aware that start of the boardwalk is 3km from the Hawkesbury River Station along Brooklyn Road. That means an 8km round trip from the station to Kangaroo Point.
• Driving and parking at Tom Richmond Oval (over the road from the start of the boardwalk) means you can walk only the boardwalk, a 2km return walk to Kangaroo Point. There are toilet facilities and a shelter with a long picnic table at Tom Richmond Oval