Artarmon: Bushland, Playgrounds and Trails

Artarmon brings together natural areas, playgrounds, and trails for walking or cycling. At Artarmon Reserve, picnic shelters and shaded areas sit alongside natural bushland. The Artarmon to Middle Harbour Track leads from Artarmon Railway Station through the reserve, Bicentennial Park, and Flat Rock Gully Reserve to Middle Harbour. When planning your visit, you can choose between a stay surrounded by greenery, visits to playgrounds, and a longer hike.

Bushland and green spaces

The 6.9-hectare Artarmon Reserve lies east of the railway line and south of Burra Road. It includes the headwaters of a tributary of Flat Rock Creek and a significant area of natural bushland. This gives the reserve a distinct connection to nature: it is not just a place to take a break outdoors, but also a landscape with bushland and a creek headwater area. Artarmon Reserve is designated as a bird sanctuary and nature reserve. If its formal protection status is important to your plans, check with the relevant authority for current information.

Artarmon Park highlights another aspect of nature: the area is managed as part of a system of ecological connections that forms a wildlife corridor between the Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour. Together with the bushland at Artarmon Reserve, this offers two different points of interest for nature lovers: an area with headwaters and bushland, and a park within a wildlife corridor.

Playgrounds with different facilities

The playground at Artarmon Reserve has a flying fox, large embankment slides, a spinning play structure, climbing structures, a sand area, trampolines, and swings, including a basket swing. The fenced playground at Thomson Park also has a basket swing, as well as a wide embankment slide, a flying fox, a spinning play structure, talking tubes, and a climbing structure. The facilities therefore differ in detail: the reserve has a sand area and trampolines, while Thomson Park has talking tubes and fencing.

Families can consider in advance which play equipment will be of interest for their visit, rather than assuming both playgrounds are the same. Facilities may change temporarily, so check local notices about possible changes before your visit.

Trails for easy access or a longer journey

The Artarmon Link Path, also known as Cordia Way, is a wide, gently undulating walking and cycling path from Shepherd Road to Artarmon Reserve. It is a practical route option if you want to get around on foot or by bike. Another route is the Artarmon to Middle Harbour Track. It begins at Artarmon Railway Station and runs through Artarmon Reserve, Bicentennial Park, and Flat Rock Gully Reserve to Middle Harbour. The two descriptions provide different points of reference: the Link Path ends at the reserve, while the track starts at Artarmon Railway Station and then passes through the named green spaces to Middle Harbour.

From the entrance to Artarmon Reserve, it is 250 metres to Artarmon Station and 120 metres to a taxi stand. These distances are measured from the entrance; if entrances or facilities change, the distances may also change.

Which location suits your plans?

Choosing your holiday rental depends on which of these destinations you plan to visit during your stay. If you mainly want to visit the playgrounds, you can compare the two by their facilities. If you would rather go hiking, the Artarmon to Middle Harbour Track offers a route with named stops all the way to its destination, Middle Harbour.

Explore more destinations: Engadine, Wentworthville, Kirribilli, Thornleigh, Brookvale, Potts Point, Lane Cove, Mosman Municipality

For the main travel overview: Sydney.