Sydney family trike ride – McCracken Family 29.12.24

The Sydney family trike ride was a great way to see our beautiful city in a short time. The boys have cerebral palsy so a trike is the perfect way to seat them. Our two trike riders picked them up from their accommodation in Woollahra.

Woollahra

Woollahra is located 5 km east of the Sydney CBD. When European settlers arrived in 1788, First Fleet officer Daniel Southwell translated the local Aboriginal word (Dharug language) Woo-la-ra (also later spelt by others as Willarra and Wallara) as meaning “lookout”, but it has also been translated as “camp” or “meeting ground”.

Eastern suburbs

Firstly, they headed east through the posh suburbs of the eastern suburbs of Sydney, including the Bays: Rose Bay, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay.

Vaucluse

Down the hill, they headed north through the posh eastern suburb of Vaucluse. The first European activity in the area took place not long after settlement, when a makeshift signalling station was set up on the ridge overlooking the ocean. Its role was to signal the colony if a ship was approaching. Pilots based at Camp Cove, Watsons Bay, could then meet the ship and guide it through the harbour. A formal signal station was established in 1790, serviced by a bridle trail that later became Old South Head Road in 1811.

Macquarie Lightstation

Next, they rode past Macquarie Lightstation. Completed in 1818, Macquarie Lighthouse was designed by convict architect Francis Greenway for Lachlan Macquarie, the Governor of NSW. Owing to crumbling foundations, it was reconstructed in the 1880s. Standing at 26 metres tall, the replacement tower was designed by the state’s Colonial Architect, James Barnet, to closely resemble Greenway’s original.

Watsons Bay

Heading further north through some upper class suburbs to Watsons Bay. It is a harbourside suburb located 11 km north-east of the Sydney CBD. It is where this photo was taken, not that it shows much 😊.

Watsons Bay sits on the end of the South Head peninsula and takes its name from the sheltered bay and anchorage on its western side, in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour). It provides views across the harbour to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. So far, the Sydney family trike ride has been fun, informative and memorable.

The Gap

“Next door” is “The Gap” . The view is towards North Head and out to the South Pacific Ocean. The Gap is an ocean cliff which faces the Tasman Sea, and is located in the suburb of Watsons Bay. Although the cliff is a popular tourist destination, it is infamous for suicides.

Gap Park is located on a coastal escarpment on Sydney Harbour’s South Head. It has spectacular views of both the harbour and the ocean. A weather worn memorial to an officer killed in the Boer War, is at the entrance to Gap Park.

Bondi Beach

Heading south, they drove past the world famous Bondi Beach, both the north and south side. This is the beach where Bondi Lifeguards of the Bondi Rescue TV series is filmed. When in Sydney it is one of the places you should visit. The beach is seriously nice (but not our favourite) and often we stop near the lifeguard station, made famous by the TV series “Bondi Rescue”. Bondi Beach is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia. Bondi Beach is recorded by the Australian Museum that Bondi means place where a fight using boondi sticks (nullas nullas or fighting sticks) took place.

Tamarama + Bronte

Riding further south, along more beautiful, though possibly less well known, beaches. The suburb of Tamarama has a small ocean beach about 1 kilometre south of Bondi Beach and a couple of hundred metres north of Bronte Beach. It is an extremely narrow beach and deceptive for its size. Tamarama Beach is often referred to as Glamarama (or Glamourama), owing to the alleged abundance of glamorous people who sunbathe (often topless), on what must be one of the smallest strips of sand in the state (Wikipedia).

Bronte Beach sits on Nelson Bay, surrounded by Bronte Park. Bronte offers scenic cliff-top walking paths south to Coogee via the Waverley Cemetery and north to Tamarama and Bondi Beach.

Queens Park

Next, the trike rider turned west and past Queens Park. It is a 26-hectare urban park, set in a natural amphitheatre at the foot of dramatic sandstone cliffs, with panoramic views of the Sydney region. It’s right next to the famous Centennial Park so they rode through the gates and into Centennial Park. The 50th birthday trike tour – what a way to celebrate!

Centennial Park

It is interesting riding through the huge Centennial Park is a lovely experience. 120 fields and venues, and 35+ different sports played in the Centennial Parklands. It is the largest community sports precinct in Australia! The history is also interesting: “Originally a swamp and then set aside as land for the water source for Sydney. Centennial Park was reconstructed as a public park and opened in 1888. Sir Henry Parkes’ vision was to create a ‘People’s Park’ in which the citizens of Sydney could ‘take in the air’ away from the Sydney town centre.”

However, the 1.5 hours was up so quickly. Our trike riders dropped them off back at their hotel. What a wonderful way to start a memorable holiday!! In conclusion, the Sydney family trike ride was fun and memorable. A great way to start a holiday.

Check out our Tours and Prices page for ideas.