Captain Cook Cruises Hop On Hop Off Sydney Harbour Explorer

'Get out on the harbour!' - This is the one piece of advice I always give visitors. You can't truly appreciate Sydney without seeing it from the water. I also used to say it didn't matter whether you went on a tour or a ferry, but David and I recently spent a day with Captain Cook Cruises Hop on Hop Off Sydney Harbour Explorer and the experience was so much better than riding the ordinary ferries I can't believe how much we have missed over the years.


The Hop On Hop Off Sydney Harbour Explorer works just like a hop on hop off bus. There are nine stops: Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, Taronga Zoo, Watsons Bay, Luna Park, Manly, Fort Denison, Shark Island and Garden Island. You board and disembark as many times as you want; tickets are valid for 24 hours; a round trip takes between 60 and 90 minutes, and there are 45 minutes between boats at the major stops. Every explorer has a live commentary on board and best of all, the catamaran style explorers have an open-air upper deck with 360 degree views.

Fort Denison

Our day began at Circular Quay with a five-minute hop across to Fort Denison. Known colloquially as 'Pinchgut', Fort Denison is a small island in the middle of the harbour, east of the Harbour Bridge. It is, without doubt, the best place in Sydney to get that perfect photograph of the bridge and the Opera House. It is also a place with a fascinating history.

It is more difficult than you might think to catch the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in a single photo.

In 1788, when the First Fleet arrived in Sydney, the island was a rocky outcrop known to the local Aboriginal people as Muttewai. The British soon called it 'Pinchgut'. Pinchgut is a nautical term meaning a narrowing of a sea channel but it also refers to the physical effects of a starvation diet. At least one early convict was sentenced to a week's isolation on Pinchgut on a diet of bread and water and that is probably where the island's unofficial came from.  Another convict - convicted of murder after arriving in Sydney - was hanged from a gibbet constructed on the island and his body left for years as a warning to others, but contrary to what many Sydneysiders believe Pinchgut was never in common use as a place of punishment.

The Opera House photobombing my shot of Fort Denison (Pinchgut).

In the mid-19th Century, Fort Denison was fortified, with the last Martello Tower ever constructed in the British Empire and the only one to be built in Australia. Although David and I were able to wander freely around the outside of the tower and through a small museum, the only way you can see inside the tower is to join a National Parks and Wildlife Service Tour. At $15.50 per adult the half hour tour is over-priced but it would be a shame to miss seeing inside. 

If you have the time, there is a very nice looking restaurant on the island with some of the world's best views.

Inside the tower.

I am no expert in military tactics, but aren't these canons pointed the wrong way!

Watsons Bay

Our next hop took us past the ritzy eastern suburbs where Sydney's rich and famous like to build their mansions. If you missed having a white tablecloth lunch at Fort Denison don't despair - dining on take-away fish and chips from Doyles at Watsons Bay is a Sydney institution and the views from Robertson Park next to the wharf can't be beaten.

The beach at Watsons Bay. Walk along here to join the South Head Heritage Trail.

The South Head Heritage Trail leads along the harbour foreshore to Hornby Lighthouse where the views across to manly and North Head are stunning. There is a large engraved map near the Doyles takeaway counter on the wharf or just head north along the beach and follow the signs. Look for the canons toward the beginning of the walk and from April to December watch for migrating whales.

If you have children with you, you might want to speed up the pace a bit and find something interesting to look at in the bush on your right as you pass Lady Bay Beach on the left - one of Sydney's few nude bathing spots.

Hornby Lighthouse - it was painted red and white to distinguish it from Macquarie Lighthouse two kilometres to the south. Does it look like it is leaning a bit to you? I don't know if it is actually leaning, my photo is crooked, or its an optical illusion, but it does seem to lean to one side in all the photos I took.

The Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage at South Head.

Looking down on Camp Cove from the South Head Heritage Trail

David and I stayed at Watsons Bay for two hours which gave us plenty of time to do a return walk to South Head and have a leisurely picnic of  fish and chips before hopping back on the explorer and across to Manly.

Manly

The route to Manly goes past the entrance to Sydney Harbour between North and South Head. When you feel the boat begin to rock you know you are crossing the opening to the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

Manly Beach with its iconic Norfolk Island Pine Trees. Shelley Beach is in the distance.

Cafe culture is alive and well in Manly, which makes it a great stop for afternoon tea. Manly is on a headland with the harbour on one side and the ocean on the other. The two are connected by The Corso which is directly opposite the wharf. Stroll along The Corso for five minutes and you arrive at Manly Beach, then turn right for a picturesque twenty-minute walk along the ocean front to Shelly Beach.

The Corso, Manly - no shortage of places to eat and drink

If you turn left after disembarking and stay on the harbour side of the headland you can walk all the way to the Spit Bridge. It is at least three hours and therefore best left for a separate excursion. David and I had the idea of walking part of the way for an hour or so but after about fifteen minutes we found a lovely bench in the shade looking out across Manly Cove and never made it any further. In our defence, it was a very hot day.

Manly is home to a small colony of Little Penguins. The existence of the colony was kept secret for many decades in an effort to protect the birds but word got out some years ago. Don't expect to see them, the colony is very small and critically endangered, but it is still nice to know they are there.

Little Penguins in Manly.

Darling Harbour

When it came time to disembark from our last hop back to Circular Quay we couldn't resist staying on the explorer and sailing around to Darling Harbour instead. On the short hop between Circular Quay and Darling Harbour the explorer sails under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We have walked, driven and cycled across the bridge, we have even hovered above it in a helicopter, but there is something magical about sailing beneath it while sitting on the open-air top deck of a boat.

Packed with restaurants, bars, tourist attractions and small hotels Darling Harbour is the perfect place to end the day with dinner by the water. If you are there on a Saturday there is even a fireworks display. Click here for the schedule.

Darling Harbour and Barangaroo.

Sailing under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Taronga Zoo, Luna Park, Shark Island and Garden Island

Taronga Zoo, Luna Park, Shark Island and Garden Island are all great places to visit and there is no reason why you couldn't see all nine explorer stops in a single day but we chose to pick a few destinations and spend time exploring them rather than get a taste of everything.

Tips and tricks and things to know

Where can you find information about destinations, timetables and prices?

• You can purchase a 24 Hour Pass or a 24 Hour Pass with up to five other Sydney attractions included. Click here for a full list of ticket prices and combinations.

• Download a copy of the Hop On Hop Off timetable before you start and work out an itinerary. The ferries run less frequently to the small destinations like Shark Island so it helps if you have a plan before setting out. For a copy of the timetable click here.

• For a copy of the Hop On Hop Off Sydney Harbour Explorer route map click here and then click 'Map' below the changing image toward the top of the page.

Don't risk getting sunburnt.

• Take sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses - you will need them if you sit on the open top deck.

Our itinerary.

• This is the itinerary which David worked out for us (I don't do timetables) but bear in mind that we live in Sydney and therefore we weren't too concerned about seeing everything.  

• 10.45 am - depart Circular Quay
• 10.55 am - arrive Ft Denison
• 12.10 pm - depart Ft Denison
• 12.30 am - arrive Watsons Bay
• 2.30 pm - depart Watsons Bay
• 2.45 pm - arrive Manly
• 4.45 pm  - depart Manly
• 6.00 pm - arrive Circular Quay via Darling Harbour. 

Would we recommend Captain Cook Cruises Hop On Hop Off Sydney Harbour Explorer - Absolutely! David doesn't know it yet but this is going on my list of things to do again.

David and I received  complimentary 24 Hour Passes on the Captain Cook Cruises Hop On Hop Off Sydney Harbour Explorer.