Little Shark Island, off Rose Bay, makes a great picnic getaway. There's not a lot here except for toilets and drinking water – and at 250m by 100m, you'll soon have explored every inch of it. Captain Cook Cruises runs four ferries per day to the island from Circular Quay (jetty 6) and Darling Harbour (pier 26). If you get there yourself, by kayak, for example, you need to pay the $7-per-person park fee over the phone first.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sydney attractions

1. Milk Beach

0.56 MILES

The only things to distract you from serious beach time at divine Milk Beach are seaplanes and the glistening Sydney skyline. With wow-worthy harbour…

2. Strickland House

0.62 MILES

There are wonderful harbour views from the grounds of Strickland House (1856), which are now a public park. It sits above sweet little Milk Beach. Built…

3. Nielsen Park

0.76 MILES

Something of a hidden gem, this gorgeous harbourside park with a sandy beach was once part of the then 206-hectare Vaucluse House estate. Secluded beneath…

4. Vaucluse House

0.92 MILES

Construction of this imposing, turreted specimen of Gothic Australiana, set amid 10 hectares of lush gardens, commenced in 1805, but the house was…

5. Lindesay

1.22 MILES

Lindesay is rarely open, but, aside from Nicole Kidman inviting you in for tea, this is probably your best chance to look inside an actual Darling Point…

6. Parsley Bay

1.23 MILES

A hidden gem, this little bay has a calm swimming beach, a lawn dotted with sandstone sculptures for picnics and play, a little cafe and a cute suspension…

7. Chowder Bay Beach

1.34 MILES

A beautiful place to enjoy scenic harbour beach swims with views of Fort Denison, Chowder Bay is also a convenient rest point on the coastal walk between…

8. Taronga Zoo Sydney

1.37 MILES

A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous…

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