This harbourside former brickworks and factory is now a major shopping complex composed principally of outlet stores. It gets packed at weekends, so visit midweek if you get the chance. There are some decent food options if you want to make a day of it. For $20 return, the Shopper Hopper boat can whisk you here from Circular Quay or Darling Harbour (www.hello.sydney/Shopper-Hopper).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sydney attractions

1. Elkington Park

0.61 MILES

If Balmain’s historic cuteness doesn’t float your boat, head to Elkington Park, named in 1883 after a local politician. It slopes down towards the water,…

2. Cockatoo Island

0.82 MILES

Studded with photogenic industrial relics, convict architecture and art installations, fascinating Cockatoo Island (Wareamah) opened to the public in 2007…

3. Balmain

1.34 MILES

Once a tough, working-class neighbourhood, Balmain now rivals Paddington in Victorian-era desirability – with the added advantage of being surrounded by…

4. Watch House

1.38 MILES

One of Balmain's many notable historic buildings, the Watch House, is Sydney’s oldest surviving lockup (1854). It now operates on Saturdays (combine it…

5. St Mary’s Hall

1.43 MILES

This brick former church hall, built around 1851, is in a rather dilapidated state.

6. Clontarf Cottage

1.46 MILES

Balmain’s jacaranda-filled streets contain dozens of historically significant buildings, most of which are privately owned. The squat, shingle-roofed…

7. Yurulbin Point

1.5 MILES

On the northern tip of the Balmain peninsula by the Birchgrove ferry slip, this narrow point stretches to within 300m of the North Shore. Once called Long…

8. Jubilee & Bicentennial Parks

1.51 MILES

These two rolling, grassy parks merge together to offer some tasty views across Rozelle Bay, and of both the Anzac and Harbour Bridges. Massive fig and…