SIMS - Harbour Hike

Images courtesy of Charlie Shuetrim. For more images from the 2012 SIMS Harbour Hike visit the Harbour Hike Facebook page www.facebook.com/simsharbourhike

Harbour Hike is a community walking event for Sydney in support of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) – the inaugural event was held in 2011, and involved over 2,000 participants and thousands more at the marine-themed festival at Clifton Gardens Reserve, Chowder Bay. Everyone loved it so it's on again!

Register now to take part in the 2012 Harbour Hike.

Download the poster and flyer to put up around your office, school, community group or business.

Transport Update:

Please be advised that there is track work on parts of the North Shore and Northern Lines -
for more information visit www.cityrail.info

This will require buses to replace all trains as follows:-

1. From Wynyard to Hornsby in both directions and Chatswood to Epping both directions.

2. Trains continue to operate between Hornsby, Strathfield and Central in both directions to an amended timetable.

The Course

The SIMS Harbour Hike is an 11km easy to moderate walk from under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, along the Harbour foreshore paths on the lower north shore to Clifton Gardens Reserve, Chowder Bay: the home of SIMS.

Take dad, your family and friends on one of the best walks in the world past majestic federation homes, beautiful bays, classic boats, bountiful bushland and spectacular views of the city all the while having fun understanding more about Sydney Harbour's unique marine environment and history and entering to win great prizes.

Event Timing
Teams cross the start line under the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Bradfield Park, Kirribilli every ten seconds starting from 8am.

When registering for SIMS Harbour Hike, you will need to indicate which hour you would like to start the walk:

8am - 9am
9am - 10am
10am - 11am
11am - 12pm

It takes the average walker between 2-3 hours to complete the 11km walk.

The SIMS Harbour Hike is a walking event and is not timed. If your team would like to power walk please select the earliest time bracket to start (8am - 9am) to help ensure that everyone participates safely.

Please ensure you arrive at the event start line 30 minutes before your allocated start hour. This ensures a sufficient amount of time for you and/or your team complete registration, and to collect your event bib and kit.

Checkpoints
Harbour Hike gives you an opportunity to learn more about Sydney Harbour have fun and compete for great prizes.

At ten checkpoints along the course Harbour Hike teams will answer questions about Sydney's harbour and history. With your registration you will receive a Harbour Hike event "passport" to record your answers at each checkpoint.

Information and hints about the checkpoint questions are found in the Sydney Morning Herald leading up to the event. SIMS scientists will also be on hand at the checkpoints to provide you with clues.

The Marine Festival, Clifton Gardens Reserve
A marine festival at the finish line at Clifton Gardens Reserve will await hikers completing the walk. The Festival is free and open to all members of the public from 10am-4pm.

Enjoy a range of delicious food and beverage stalls on offer
Live entertainment
Meet SIMS' scientists and local sea creatures; listen to fun talks about our local marine environment.
Learn about Sydney Harbour National Park's indigenous history and wildlife from the National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers
Purchase SIMS merchandise or make a donation to SIMS

A free ferry service will be available to transport SIMS Harbour Hike participants back to Jeffrey Street Wharf, Kirribilli from the finish line at Clifton Gardens Reserve, Chowder Bay. Boats will depart Chowder Bay every half hour from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Free parking for the Harbour Hike/Marine Festival is provided by Sydney Harbour Federation Trust at Georges Heights Oval off Middle Head Road. See map here. The parking area will be signposted from the intersection of Military and Bradleys Head Roads in Mosman.

Georges Heights Oval is 300m by walkway from the finish line at Clifton Gardens Reserve. There will be a shuttle to transport participants to the oval, departing from Chowder Bay Road regularly.

Sustainability
SIMS Harbour Hike is a carbon neutral event offset by Climate Friendly. SIMS Harbour Hike is a sustainable and waste-wise event. While there are recycling and waste bins along the course, event organisers endorse a "pack it in, pack it out" policy.

Disclaimer: SIMS and the SIMS Foundation and the event organisers reserve the right to change the details of the event, including the event course, without prior notice. The content of the pages of this website are for your general information and use only and are subject to change without notice.

Feedback from 2011 event
Feedback from 2011 SIMS Harbour Hike participants:

"What a fabulous event yesterday! Beautiful day, beautifully organised and such a lot of good karma along the way! Many thanks for a really wonderful experience.” Jenny, Leichhardt

“We had a fabulous day. I realised that I have spent more time on the water getting to know our beloved harbour than discovering from the shore. The experience exceeded any expectation! This walk is accessible, beautiful and delivers many opportunities to stop, detour or just take in the day. We also loved the discovery stations that provoked communal cheating and a good laugh! And we will do it again and through this experience encourage more friends to follow and learn more about SIMS. Congratulations on a great idea, brilliantly conceived." Michelle, Vaucluse

“A joyous day participating in the inaugural SIM harbour walk. Excited vibe, informative and endless breathtaking vistas of the most beautiful harbour.“ Jan McKenzie, Sydney

"What a fabulous event on Sunday…the pandas loved it. So well organised and perfect weather to match!" Marni Ryan, WWF

"Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful walks in the world and most informative too. Made me realise how lucky Sydney is to have such a magnificent jewel in the form of Sydney Harbour. Thanks SIMS for organising." Marguerite, Sydney

Click here for the SIMS Harbour Hike 2012 Terms & Conditions of entry