Before chucking it all in to go cruising, Team ITIKI (Keith and Lynda) spent close to 35+ years living, working and sailing on Sydney Harbour, racing out of just about every yacht club there.
Along with that, Keith had also clocked up a lot of time on Port Jackson running a skippered charter business for several years on our previous cat, Too Up. So when we came in through Sydney heads on ITIKI in November 2023, more than 6 years after launching in France, we definitely felt like we were coming home.
But…
While we may have been “home”, we were not going to step off the boat at the end of the day and drive to our apartment in Mosman. We were still “live-aboard” cruisers, with no marina berth, no car and no land base.
When we lived in Sydney we never had to worry about where to leave the dinghy when we went shopping, or where to sit out a Southerly Buster. Fortunately Keith’s work as a charter skipper meant we knew all of the official (and a few unofficial) pick up and drop off spots, the best place to get fuel and where the charter boats hang out! After 2 months cruising in our home town we now have a fresh perspective on our favourite city
So as this season’s cruisers head south, many with Sydney as a destination for the festive season, here are a few insider secrets to help you enjoy your cruising time in Australia’s most iconic city.
Where do I start?!
If you are coming to Australia and wondering whether or not to visit Sydney, stop wondering! You must visit Sydney! Even if you don’t want to sail down in your boat, make the effort to visit anyway. It’s an amazing city with so much to see and do, and a lot of the action is centered around the harbour.
To me, the best thing about Sydney is that in a city of 5+ million people and harbour front real estate with eye-watering price tags, public access to the foreshore is available from Bondi to Manly and beyond. Yes, you can walk the entire foreshore if you want… but it’s 80kms so maybe break it down into small bites!
The Spit to Manly is our personal favourite segment of this coastal walk, but the walk around Bradley’s Head to Chowder Bay has the best views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Wherever you choose to anchor in the harbour you will find access to this unique foreshore walking track, which has something for everyone.
Access to free docks and moorings
Yes, you read that right! Throughout Sydney Harbour you will find a number of mooring buoys provided by the NSW state government’s Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), which are available on a first come basis, for free! The catch? There’s a 24hr limit!
During the week you will find that these are used less frequently, so it’s usually easy to linger a little longer even if you end up just shuffling to an adjacent buoy (…but you didn’t hear that from me!).
Need water? Need to pick up guests? Pump out? No worries, RMS also provides a number of “Destination Berths” you can visit also for free! These are designated berths at private marinas, often near the fuel dock, where visiting yachts can come alongside for a short period to take on water, pump out blackwater, drop off garbage, do a quick supermarket run etc with no charge. How good is that! You will find all of the info linked into noforeignland of course, so just pick a spot and call ahead to the marina to see if the dock is available before you lob in.
Our top 6 Sydney anchorages
Coming into a new destination it’s always good to get feedback from other cruisers, learning the hidden gems and best spots to visit. Having explored the city extensively over the years and now returned aboard our sailing home, here are the best Sydney anchorages that we visited with ITIKI.
1. Middle Harbour – Relax Sydney style
As former residents of the lower north shore suburb of Mosman, we regularly raced out of Middle Harbour Yacht Club so this was our “go to” spot when we first arrived back in Sydney. It was somewhere we spent much of our time, visiting nearby friends and family.
There are 5 free mooring buoys right by the club and it provides convenient access to The Spit, where you can take buses into the city or to Manly. Leave your dinghy on the small beach between the yacht club and Marine Rescue, near the small craft launching area. Pop into MHYC and chat to the friendly marina manager – while they are not an official Destination Berth, they are very cruiser friendly and welcome visiting yachts to come alongside and take on water etc. There are twilight races on Thursday nights and if you put your name on the crew board you have a good chance of joining in the fun.
Nearby Skiffies does an excellent bistro meal and Plonk Café further towards the bridge is one of our all-time favourite cafes. It’s easy to take the dinghy across to Clontarf Beach for a splash, a coffee and let the kids loose on the water slides. Head down to Chinaman’s Beach to drop anchor, go for a swim or a SUP, a walk along the beach or a BBQ ashore. Chinaman’s is also a great spot to tuck into for a Southerly Buster – the holding is sand and protection is very good.
2. Manly – Best of the harbour and sea
According to legend, when Governor Arthur Phillip began exploring the bays and coves of Sydney Harbour in January 1788, he commented on the “manly” physique of the Indigenous men who met him in their canoes and on the land. Thereafter the cove was known as Manly.
Nowadays the physiques on Manly Beach are many and varied, as are the shops and cafes that line the Corso leading from the harbour beach out to the surf beach on the ocean side. It’s a very popular spot with tourists and locals alike.
There are five free mooring buoys on the harbour side, just west of the ferry wharf, and you can pull your dinghy up onto the beach or tie off behind the SUP rental place on the eastern side of the ferry dock. Just be aware of the tides if you are leaving for a while.
One of Sydney’s best kept secrets is the snorkelling spot on the ocean side, nicknamed Kodak Bay – AKA Shelly Beach. Definitely worth a visit for a look at the unique marine life in this part of the world, and also a popular spot with ocean swimmers all year ‘round. Oh and the Coles supermarket on the harbour side is very handy. Once you have done your provisioning, pop across to Quarantine Beach or Store Beach, tucked just inside Sydney Heads. It’s good for a swim and a quiet night, but also a great location if you sail into Sydney late in the day.
3. Athol Bay – Incredible city views
Athol Bay is by far the best anchorage to watch the sun set over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge! Not only do you get to take in this magnificent view, you also get to fall asleep to the sound of lions snoring and wake to barking seals being fed… Don’t worry, you haven’t dragged anchor and ended up in the wilds of Africa, instead you’re right next door to the famous Taronga Zoo! And what a view to awake to!
There are five public mooring buoys here and plenty of room to anchor. On weekends and public holidays you will be surrounded by charter boats and The Island (floating party boat) is a regular here as well. Fear not, they don’t stay the night, and generally clear out around 4pm so that’s a good time to nab a free buoy.
Get the inside scoop…
Now, I am going to let you in on a little secret – the location of our favourite hidden spot over this side of the harbour, especially for when its busy at Athol Bay. On the western side of the Taronga Zoo ferry dock is the tiny Whiting Beach anchorage, only accessible by walking track. Lovely for swimming with great holding, it’s a nice spot to spend the day. Then when the charter boats clear out you can head back across to Athol Bay and nab a buoy if you prefer – thank me later!
4. The Eastern Suburbs – A different side of Sydney
Sydney’s exclusive eastern suburbs offer some lovely anchorages too. Rose Bay is my pick for convenience with four free mooring buoys available, as well as another two at Milk Beach. There is a convenient public dock to leave your dinghy and walk the foreshore around past Milk Beach and Strickland House to Nielsen Park and beyond. If you need supplies, you will find a small Woolies (Aussie slang for Woolworths supermarket) on the main road and you can also do a quick pick up and drop off of guests on the big boat at Rose Bay Wharf, but you need to time your run with the ferries and charter boats coming and going. On a sunny day its worth taking a look at nearby Shark Island, just keep an eye out for sea planes coming and going as you cross the bay.
When the time comes, check out the destination berth at Rose Bay Marina where you can get drinking water for free and pump-out your tanks at one of the most exclusive suburbs on the harbour! The fuel prices here are quite “impressive”, so if you can wait, head over to Viva at White Bay to fill your fuel tanks.
5. Bantry Bay – An inland city escape
Need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city? If you want to “go bush” it’s fun to head through the Spit Bridge and up to Bantry Bay, where you will be surrounded by nature. Take a walk along the Bay Track to the The Bluff Lookout for fantastic views of the bay and surrounds. It’s a lovely bay to kayak or paddle on a calm day.
If you feel like a day trip, take a ride in the dinghy up Middle Harbour Creek. The natural surrounds are so peaceful that it’s hard to believe you are so close to the CBD of the largest city in Australia.
Just keep in mind the bay is not great in a Southerly, and swimming is not advised this side of the Spit Bridge.
6. Farm Cove – Sydney’s most iconic location!
Without a doubt the most Instagram-able spot in Sydney is Farm Cove. Drop your anchor in the middle of the bay and you have the perfect backdrop with both the Opera House and The Harbour Bridge framing your shot. Its great place to watch the sunset over the city skyline and with the Botanic Gardens nearby you may be treated to a fly-over from Sydney’s infamous fruit bat colony.
Of course this is the place to be for the city’s New Year’s Eve and Australia Day (26th January) celebrations, but you will have to wait until another next exciting installment of the NFL magazine to read all about our experiences with that, including some insiders tips on how to make the most of spending NYE on Sydney Harbour!
As well as being my former home, Sydney is without a doubt my favourite city! It is cruiser friendly with so many things to see, do and experience, so whether by land or sea it’s well worth a visit.
If you’ve had your own experiences in Sydney be sure to share them in the comments or any tips you have to help out your fellow cruisers make the most of their trip!
By Lynda Shelley
Lynda and her husband Keith picked up ITIKI, their Fountaine Pajot catamaran in La Rochelle, France in 2018. They spent a couple of seasons in the Medeterranean, before crossing the Atlantic in 2021. Once there, they cruised the Eastern Caribbean from Grenada to the BVIs, before heading south to Columbia. They transitted the Panama Canal in early 2023, and are now sailing in their home waters of Australia where they are still trying to figure out what they might do when they grow up.
Great info.
Glad you enjoyed it, hopefully it will come in handy someday!
You missed Blackwattle Bay. It has got three anchorages with our favourite being at Glebe Point. Great location to view the fireworks without the press of boats in the main harbour. Easy walk or bus to Central Station and the south Darling Harbour shopping areas. And of course the iconic Anzac Bridge above.
Also, Cabarita Point has a full service marina and three moorings and isn’t busy at all. It is pretty much as far west as you can go in the harbour. Ferry terminal right there – the ride up to Parramatta is like a river cruise.
Thanks for adding this Tom! I know I missed alot, especially west of the bridge. There are so many different ways to experience Sydney Harbour!
You have highlighted many of the best in the off season. Manly is impossible at weekends and summer. A very good analysis for the limited word count West of bridge there are many Blackwattle Bay my preferred due to fish market, light rail and Glebe shops but many more.
Yes, I could have gone on, and on! Inner west is very convenient, and alot less crazy in summer.