Surrounded by enormous Moreton Bay fig trees, luxury yachts and pampered pooches, this unpretentious waterfront park is a beaut spot for a quiet stroll, jog or tennis grudge match. In December the world’s greatest yachties prepare for the gruelling Sydney to Hobart race here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sydney attractions

1. Neild Avenue Maze

0.33 MILES

This tiny maze of thigh-high hedges hides behind a gargantuan plane tree on a Paddington backstreet, squished into a cranny between a textile showroom and…

2. Fitzroy Gardens

0.39 MILES

It’s testimony to the ‘cleaning up’ of the Cross that this once-dodgy park is now a reasonably safe place to hang out (probably helped by the austere…

3. Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation

0.42 MILES

After 21 years as a cutting-edge commercial gallery, Sherman celebrated its coming-of-age by reopening as a not-for-profit gallery. The focus is on…

4. The Cross Arts Projects

0.45 MILES

This little commercial gallery stages interesting curated shows, including lots of Aboriginal art.

5. Five Ways

0.45 MILES

While Oxford St is the main drag, this five-way intersection is in many ways the centre of Paddington life. Smartly dressed locals do coffee and shopping…

6. Elizabeth Bay House

0.48 MILES

Now dwarfed by 20th-century apartments, Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay's elegant Greek Revival mansion was one of the finest houses in the colony…

7. Coca-Cola Sign

0.5 MILES

A Sydney landmark, this huge sign marks the entrance to Kings Cross. You're actually looking at the 2016 model: the previous one was replaced, then…

8. St John’s Church

0.57 MILES

This lovely neo-Gothic sandstone church (1858) makes for a hushed escape from the urban jangle of Darlinghurst Rd. There's some fine stained glass; the…