Fairfax Walk, Meeting the Sea at North Head While Walking Slowly

When I look for walking trails in Sydney, famous places are nice, but sometimes a short trail where I can experience the scenery while walking myself stays in my memory longer.

The place I chose this time was the Fairfax Walk at North Head.

I had passed by this place many times by car, but this time I decided to get out of the car and walk slowly.

Fairfax Walk starts from the starting point, follows the walking path to Burragula Lookout, takes in the views of Sydney Harbour, and continues to Yiningma Lookout.

Then it was a route where I slowly returned to the starting point.

Fairfax Walk Starting Point

I arrived at the starting point of Fairfax Walk, parked the car, and started walking.

The trail was not difficult or tiring from the beginning.

As I slowly walked along the well-maintained path, the trees and forest around me first caught my attention.

Walking Along the Forest Trail

The charm of Fairfax Walk was that a beautiful view did not appear from the very beginning.

As you walk between the trees and through the forest, at some point the view opens up, and the sea begins to appear.

Burragula Lookout

As I followed the path, I arrived at Burragula Lookout. The name Burragula is said to mean ‘sunset’, or ‘the time around sunset’. I could understand a little why the evening scenery seen from here is special.

The blue sea stretched out in front of me, and I could see Sydney Harbour in the distance.

Although I was familiar with the view of the harbour from living in Sydney, it felt different seeing it after walking here myself.

It is the same when travelling, but I think the memory of the same place can be different depending on how you experience it.

Looking at Sydney Harbour

The reason I stayed the longest at Burragula Lookout was, of course, the scenery.

When looking at Sydney Harbour and the sea, your eyes naturally look far into the distance.

Being away from the city buildings and the sound of cars for a moment and simply looking at the sea made me feel a little more relaxed.

To Yiningma Lookout

After taking enough time to look at the scenery at Burragula Lookout, I continued walking along the path.

The next destination was Yiningma Lookout. The name Yiningma is said to mean ‘cliff edge’ in an Aboriginal language.

As I got closer to Yiningma Lookout, the sea and cliffs became even more impressive.

What I particularly liked was the stone seat at the lookout.

It was shaped to blend with the surrounding nature, so it was nice to sit down for a while and look at the sea. This place is also said to be a good place for whale watching. Especially during the annual whale migration season, if you look carefully towards the sea, you may be lucky enough to see a whale.

Fairfax Walk Is Not Long

Fairfax Walk is not long.

It is about 1 km, and the path is well maintained, so it is easy to walk without any special preparation. Another attraction of this walk is that the two lookouts offer different views (Burragula Lookout offers views of Sydney Harbour and the city, while Yiningma Lookout offers cliffs, the sea, and the horizon).

After taking a short break at Yiningma Lookout, I started walking back.

It was the same path I had walked on the way there.

But the scenery on the way back looked a little different from the way there.

On the way there, I was thinking about where the next lookout would be, but on the way back, I was able to look around a little more leisurely.

And I returned to the starting point of Fairfax Walk.

After walking the Fairfax Walk, I stopped for a while to look around The Barracks Precinct on my way down.

Old buildings stood around the wide Parade Ground.

This place was once where soldiers lived and trained, and it is closely connected to the military history of North Head. In particular, the Parade Ground was built in 1936 for ceremonies and training, and together with the surrounding Art Deco buildings, it forms the centre of The Barracks Precinct.

Overall, it was not a very long trek. Fairfax Walk starts at the end of North Head Scenic Drive. As you follow the path, a paved path that is easy to walk on continues from the beginning. Officially, it is a short circular walk of about 1 km, with very little incline, making it an easy walking trail.

But when you actually walk it, the scenery is so beautiful that it feels like a shame to think of it simply as a ‘1 km walking trail’.

But I liked the fact that within a short distance, I could experience the forest trail, Sydney Harbour, the sea and cliffs, and the two lookouts one after another.