Putney to Parramatta

April 21, 2019

It’s not surprising that lots of other people had the same idea about taking a walk – or a run, or a cycle – on Easter Sunday, but there’s plenty of room to move on this trail and crowds were never a problem until the end of the day (but more of that later).

I’ve walked, run and cycled this route many times over the last couple of decades, and the improvements have been ongoing. It’s now possible to travel nearly all of the 12km distance without being forced into industrial areas and residential streets. And in most cases, the paths and boardwalks are wide, well-marked and well-maintained.

Kissing Point Park is one of those quiet spots known to locals, ferry commuters, fisherman launching their trailer boats and sailors launching their dinghies. It is on one of the narrower parts of the Parramatta River, looking across at historic Rivendell, and while it can get busy at times, there is plenty of parking. A good place to start this walk, but on other days, a great place to chill.

We head west, under the Ryde Bridge to Meadowbank, where the old light industrial area is steadily being eaten up by high-rise apartments. The same is happening on the opposite side of the river, at Rhodes, Wentworth Point and Homebush Bay. In some cases, it’s an improvement, but it’s also sad to see so much of Sydney’s history disappear.

Passing under the Meadowbank railway bridge, we join one of the most-established parts of the trail, with mangroves on the left and acres of sporting fields on the right. A brief foray through the back streets and we come to the busy launching ramp at Ermington.

We then join one of my favourite parts of this walk, a steel boardwalk which winds its way through and over the mangrove flats. There are a couple of spots where you can rest and surround yourself with nothing but nature, before heading on to George Kendall Park, another vast expanse of sporting fields which creates a green buffer between the river and suburbia.

The old naval depot has been replaced with Defence housing development in the past few years – it’s mostly low-rise and not too imposing, but a little vanilla. We head under the Silverwater Bridge to Rydalmere, passing the ferry wharf and the oil pipeline bridge which offers a steep climb and descent into the industrial areas of Camelia and Rosehill – not much fun to lug a bike up, I can tell you.

We then hit one of the stretches added in recent years, and I’m pleased to find that the “missing link” has been added since my last foray, with an elevated steel boardwalk negating the need to divert through the industrial backstreets, allowing us to stay within the greenery along the river until heading inland at Subiaco Creek to connect with the existing path that leads us past Western Sydney University.

There are some lovely restored historic buildings visible from the path, and I take a mental note to spend some time finding out what else is on the campus next time I come this way. Passing under James Ruse Drive, we enter the Baludarri Wetland, where a new boardwalk has been built to transit the delicate ecosystem. Once again, new apartment blocks rise on the right, but it’s great that the foreshores have been preserved.

From there, it’s up and across Macarthur St to cross the river via the historic Gasworks Bridge, then past the ferry terminal into the foreshore recreation area above the weir. There are too many options for lunch, but we manage to agree on a restaurant where we can watch the rich cultural diversity of Parramatta pass by.

After lunch, we head back to the ferry terminal, intending to check out the view from the river on the cruise back to Kissing Point Wharf. Alas, a couple of hundred other people had the same idea, and as the tide is going out, we aren’t able to get on the last ferry of the day. We explore upriver a little more, walking through the new tunnels under the (very) old Lennox Bridge, check out the new Parramatta Stadium, and then find an alternative way home.

Parramatta is home to so much indigenous and colonial history that a brief stopover doesn’t do it justice. Another visit awaits, walking the streets and the riversides, to uncover more of Sydney’s lesser-known treasures.