Sydney By Ferry - Meadowbank Bridges Round Walk

Meadowbank Bridges Round Walk

There is just one place on Parramatta River where there are two bridges that are so close to each other that they can be used for a round walk. This will only take you an hour or less, and can be combined with going further up-river (to Ermington) or down-river (to Kissing Point).

This walk, and its various connections, are shown on the Ryde Bridge to Parramatta map on the Walking Coastal Sydney website.

From Meadowbank wharf, it's probably easiest to walk up Bowden Street and take the first turn left. This will take you up to the rail line, where you turn left again onto the walkway/cycleway across the old Meadowbank rail bridge. Built in 1886, and one of our few bridges left from that time, Meadowbank Bridge eventually needed speed limits and hence was replaced by the adjacent John Whitton Bridge in 1980. It re-opened for cyclists and pedestrians in 2000 as bicycle access for the Sydney Olympics.

The cycleway finishes with an exit onto Blaxland Road. You turn left here, then right onto Leeds Street, which you follow to its end. This brings you to Concord Road, with the Sea Scouts building below you, and the footpath onto Ryde Bridge in front. Ryde Bridge has an interesting history - there was once a car ferry here, until Ryde Council built the current bridge as a toll bridge during the 1930's Great Depression. After the bridge was paid off in just 13 years, it was handed over to the state government.

Crossing Ryde Bridge on a footpath with no fence between you and the roadway is interesting.

At the northern end of the bridge, turn left and walk down to the parklands. There are toilets and picnic tables in Anderson Park. Follow the walking track back along the shoreline to Meadowbank Wharf.

If you prefer to stop for a drink or snack along the way, there are cafes at various places, including behind Anderson Park, further south along Blaxland Road at Concord Station, and further north from Meadowbank Wharf alongside the rail line.

Options for extending this walk are shown on the Ryde Bridge to Parramatta map. From Meadowbank Wharf, you can go further upstream to the Ermington Boardwalk. From the northern end of Ryde Bridge, you can walk downstream to Kissing Point Wharf. From the southern end of Ryde Bridge, after a short stretch in suburban streets, you can walk around the shoreline of Rivendell and then using the Gladesville Bridge to Ryde Bridge map, continue to Mortlake or Cabarita without leaving the shoreline.

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