If you’re visiting Sydney and want to escape the tourist trail for a few hours, Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden is the place to go. While most visitors head straight to the Royal Botanic Gardens or Bondi Beach, this small and intimate garden tucked away in Lavender Bay quietly offers something that few places in Sydney can match, absolute peace, harbour views, and a place you never will forget.
We stumbled across the garden on one of our first explorations of North Sydney, and it instantly became one of our favourite spots in the entire city. No entry fee, no crowds, no ticket lines. Just a winding garden full of lush plants, sculptures, and one of the most beautiful views of Sydney Harbour you’ll find anywhere.
What is Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden?
The story behind the garden is as beautiful as the garden itself. Wendy Whiteley, artist, and wife of the legendary Australian painter Brett Whiteley, first discovered this neglected patch of land beside the Lavender Bay railway line in the early 1990s. The site was a complete mess: abandoned government land overrun with weeds, rubbish, and debris that had accumulated for decades.
After Brett Whiteley passed away in 1992, Wendy threw herself into transforming the site. What started as a personal project driven by grief and the need for order became a labour of love that has continued for over 30 years. Slowly, she cleared the rubbish, planted trees, laid cobbled paths, and filled the space with sculptures, mosaics, and flowers.
Today, the garden is maintained by Wendy’s own gardeners together with North Sydney Council and a group of dedicated volunteers. It remains open to the public completely free of charge, a gift to the city from one woman’s extraordinary dedication.
What does the garden look like?
Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden doesn’t look like a traditional garden. It’s wild, layered, and a little unexpected, which is exactly what makes it so special. Zig-zagging paths wind through dense plantings of native and exotic shrubs, Moreton Bay fig trees, ferns, and colourful flowers. Around every corner you’ll find something worth stopping for: a mosaic tucked into a wall, a timber sculpture half-hidden by foliage, a bench with a perfect view of the harbour.
The garden cascades down a hillside towards Lavender Bay, and the higher terraces offer stunning glimpses of the Sydney Harbour Bridge framed by trees. On a clear morning with golden light filtering through the canopy, it’s genuinely one of the most beautiful spots in Sydney.
Throughout the garden you’ll notice personal touches, tributes to Brett Whiteley and the family’s connection to this corner of the city. It adds a quiet emotion to the whole experience that you won’t find anywhere else.
Practical information
Address: Lavender Street, Lavender Bay NSW 2060 (near the junction of Walker Street and Lavender Street)
Opening hours: Open 7 days a week, all year round. There are no official opening hours — the garden is accessible at any time, but visiting during daylight is strongly recommended as there is no lighting and some paths are steep and uneven.
Entry: Completely free
Note: There are no directional signs to the garden from the street, this is intentional to keep the “secret” character of the place and protect it from vandalism. Use Google Maps to navigate directly to Lavender Street, Lavender Bay.
How to get there
The garden is best reached by public transport, and honestly, the journey is part of the experience.
By train: Take the T1 North Shore Line to Milsons Point Station. From there, turn right onto Alfred Street, then left onto Lavender Street. Walk through to the western edge of Clark Park and follow the path down to the garden — about a 10-minute walk from the station. Alternatively, from North Sydney Station, follow Blue Street to Blues Point Road, turn left, continue to Lavender Street, and take the stairs down at Lavender Crescent.
By ferry: The closest wharf is Milsons Point, with regular services from Circular Quay and Darling Harbour. From the wharf, follow the foreshore path towards Lavender Bay and the garden.
On foot from the CBD: One of our favourite approaches is walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge from The Rocks. The pedestrian walkway brings you out near Milsons Point Station, from where it’s a short stroll to Lavender Bay. The walk across the bridge is spectacular and adds a real sense of arrival.
By car: Street parking is available in the surrounding area, but it can be limited, especially on weekends. Public transport is genuinely the better option here.
Tips for visiting Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden
Go early in the morning. The garden is at its most magical just after sunrise — the light is perfect for photos and you’ll likely have the whole place almost to yourself. By midday on weekends it gets considerably busier.
Bring a picnic. There are benches and tables scattered throughout the garden, and a picnic under the trees with a harbour view is hard to beat. There are no food facilities in the garden itself, so pack something before you arrive.
Wear comfortable shoes. The paths are cobbled and uneven, and some sections involve stairs and steeper embankments. Not the place for thongs or heels.
Don’t expect signs. The garden intentionally has no street signage pointing towards it. That’s part of the charm, you have to know it’s there, or follow your maps.
Combine it with Luna Park and Balls Head Reserve. The garden is a 5-10 minute walk from Luna Park, and Balls Head Reserve to the north offers great views from above and adds a solid half-day of North Sydney exploring. Together with a ferry back from Milsons Point, it makes for a perfect morning out.
Check accessibility before you go. Due to the natural terrain, stairs, and uneven paths, the garden can be challenging for wheelchairs and prams. Some parts of the upper terrace are more accessible than others.
Ready to explore?
Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden is the kind of place that reminds you why Sydney is one of the most liveable cities in the world. It’s not a polished tourist attraction, it’s something far better: a real, breathing, personal place that happens to be open to everyone. If you have a morning free in Sydney, this is how we’d spend it.
Looking to explore more of Sydney? Check out our Sydney Guide for the best things to do in the city, or discover the beautiful Spit Bridge to Manly Walk for another unforgettable North Sydney experience.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, entry is completely free. The garden is open to the public at all times and there are no tickets required.
The easiest way is by train to Milsons Point Station (T1 North Shore Line), followed by a 10-minute walk to Lavender Bay. You can also take a ferry to Milsons Point Wharf or walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the CBD.
Early morning on a weekday is ideal — the light is beautiful, it’s quieter, and you’ll have more of the garden to yourself. Weekends can get busy by mid-morning.
Absolutely, it’s one of the best picnic spots in Sydney. There are tables and benches throughout the garden. Bring your own food and drinks as there are no facilities on site.
Partially. Some areas of the garden are accessible but the natural terrain, stairs, and cobbled paths make it challenging in places. It’s worth checking with North Sydney Council for the most current accessibility information before your visit.
Limited street parking is available on surrounding roads, but it can be difficult to find on weekends. Public transport is strongly recommended.
