Sydney Harbour was at its best on this beautiful autumn day. Thirteen walkers met at Neutral Bay wharf to walk around Kurraba Point, Cremorne Point, along the beach at Sirius Cove and finally to Taronga Zoo wharf.

Along the way we passed Nutcote, the home of May Gibbs (1877-1969), creator of the much loved children’s books.

We also took a small side track down to MacCallum Pool, a 1920s harbourside swimming spot with heritage features.

Further along there was a small detour to the site of the former Curlew Camp, a bushland retreat for artists such as Julian Ashton, Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts. The camp was active from about 1890 to 1912. Sadly there are no relics left, although Mosman Council has created a nice track down to the site.

Along Cremorne Point there are many notable homes in the Federation Arts and Crafts style. Many are maintained in immaculate condition but others are in bad shape.

Throughout the walk there were many excellent vantage points over Sydney Harbour. Scores of yachts were on the water but as it was a windless day most boats seemed quite stationary.

At the completion of the walk, a couple of the group took a bus from Taronga Zoo wharf, and the remainder rode the ferry back to Circular Quay.

Fun fact: nine of the ferries that ply the Inner Harbour and Taronga Zoo routes are named after ships of the 1787 First Fleet: Alexander, Borrowdale, Charlotte, Fishburn, Friendship, Golden Grove, Scarborough, Sirius (the flagship) and Supply. These vessels date from the mid 1980s and they are identified as First Fleet Class.

Leaders of today’s walk were Colin and Fiona Burman. Distance covered was a little less than 9 km.