Finishing touches for one of Sydney's most-loved treasures
Some of the best locations for taking in the sights of Sydney are just weeks away from welcoming back visitors, with finishing touches underway at North Head in Sydney Harbour National Park.
Minister for Environment James Griffin said the full reopening of North Head comes after two years of part closures, and includes 2 new lookouts, improvements to walking tracks and thousands of new plants and green space.
"North Head is a much loved place for Manly locals and visitors to Sydney, because it has a unique combination of incredible nature, history, and peacefulness, all just a stone's throw away from the city centre," Mr Griffin said.
"We see about half a million people visiting North Head every year, and I can't wait for the community to be able to once again fully enjoy all it has to offer when the spectacular and new lookouts and Fairfax walking track reopen in March.
"The new lookouts truly are the crowning glory of North Head. They were co-designed by local Manly architects CHROFI and Aboriginal design company Bangawarra, and reflect the site's traditional use as a gathering place for ceremonies and teaching.
"The lookouts feature magnificent local Sydney sandstone that has been engraved with Aboriginal totems of whales, which can be seen from North Head as they migrate, and long-nosed bandicoots, which are often found scurrying around as the sun sets."
Replacing the former Fairfax lookouts, the two new ones are called Burragula, with magnificent views across the Harbour to South Head and the city, and Yiningma, with views north along the cliffs to Blue Fish Point.
National Parks and Wildlife Service is now putting the finishing touches in place, after replanting more than 10,000 native trees and shrubs, creating 2,500 square metres of turfed recreation space, and upgrading pathways and car parks, which reopened last year.
Parts of North Head have been closed for upgrades and rehabilitation since a fire in 2020, and the Fairfax track was closed in March 2022 to enable the safe demolition of the previous lookouts and new construction work to begin.
The NSW Government is delivering the North Head upgrades as part of the largest ever investment in national parks history, with $450 million dollars for more than 200 visitor infrastructure projects across the state over 4 years.
