About 50m offshore at La Perouse is the strange Bare Island, a decaying, grass-tussocked concrete fort built in 1885 to discourage a feared Russian invasion. A 45-minute guided tour is the only way to access the island, which is connected to the mainland by a wooden bridge.
©Monique Perrin/Lonely Planet
Bare Island
Sydney
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
7.41 MILES
Definitively Sydney, Bondi is one of the world’s great beaches. It’s the closest ocean beach to the city centre (8km away), has consistently good (though…
9.64 MILES
Sydneysiders love their giant 'coathanger', which opened in 1932. The best way to experience this majestic structure is on foot. Stairs and lifts ascend…
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
24.46 MILES
A spectacular mix of sandstone, Australian bushland and tranquil water vistas, this 14,928-hectare park forms Sydney’s northern boundary. It’s located 20…
10.67 MILES
Lovely Watsons Bay, east of the city centre and north of Bondi, was once a small fishing village, as evidenced by the heritage cottages that pepper the…
10.25 MILES
A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous…
9.34 MILES
Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, this magnificent building is Australia's most famous landmark. Visually referencing a yacht's sails, it's a…
12.65 MILES
About 3km south of central Manly, spectacular North Head offers dramatic cliffs, lookouts, secluded beaches, pretty paths through the native scrub, and…
28.81 MILES
This central section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a spectacular wilderness, with awe-inspiring vistas over Pittwater and Broken Bay, hidden beach…
Nearby Sydney attractions
0.24 MILES
Housed inside the old cable station (1882), this museum has numerous relics from French explorer La Pérouse’s many expeditions, an interesting Aboriginal…
0.29 MILES
Arguably the most beautiful beach in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, serene Congwong faces the bay rather than the open ocean, making it great for…
0.38 MILES
A short walk (or swim) from Congwong Beach will land you at Little Congwong, a secluded, unofficially clothing-optional beach.
4. Kamay Botany Bay National Park
1.01 MILES
This national park straddles both heads of Botany Bay, 15km south of Sydney Harbour, enclosing 458 hectares of coastal bushland. Visitors come here to…
3.32 MILES
The last major beach before you hit Botany Bay, ‘the Bra’ is Bondi’s match in the waves department, but its suburban location provides immunity from Bondi…
5.16 MILES
Bondi without the glitz and the poseurs, Coogee (locals pronounce the 'oo' as in the word ‘took’) has a deep sweep of sand, historic ocean baths and…
5.25 MILES
This grassy tract at Coogee Beach’s northern end has superb ocean views and the Giles Baths ocean pool. A sobering shrine commemorates the 2002 Bali…
5.76 MILES
It might seem odd, but this concrete-edged ocean channel is a great place to swim, sunbathe and snorkel. It’s safe for the kids, and despite the swell…