There are as many ways to see Sydney Harbour as there are bays and inlets indenting its foreshore. You can swim in it, dive beneath it, sail or kayak across it or roar around it in a high-speed jet boat.
Now, for the first time, the city has marked out a walking trail, which starts and ends at Harbour Bridge and takes in 26km of bays, headlands and historic streets.
The idea is for walkers to tackle it in three or four bite-sized chunks, using ferries to return to their starting point. But, enthusiastic at the prospect of exploring the city's hidden nooks and crannies, a friend and I decided to do it all in one day.
The route starts at Circular Quay, the bustling ferry terminal at the heart of the city. From there we strode through the higgledy-piggledy Rocks district - once the lair of pickpockets and prostitutes.
We strolled beneath the soaring iron girders of the Coathanger - as Sydneysiders affectionately call the Harbour Bridge - to the north side of the harbour, and turned west into Lavender Bay.
A steep climb - the first of many - and a more gentle descent brought us to Blues Point, named after a former convict from the West Indies.
