10 Best Sunrise Photography Locations in Sydney

One of the hardest blog articles to write is one on Sydney’s Best Sunrise Photography Locations. There are just too many amazing locations to mention. So in this article I am going to focus on the 10 best sunrise photography locations in Sydney, then I will create a post in the future of Sydney’s other magnificent sunrise spots which will include its beaches, and other hidden gems in this amazing city.

I’m really excited to share these spots with you because I love Sydney, it’s where I have been brought up and it’s such a photogenic city surrounded by the magic of the harbour. I think I am extremely blessed to live here.

I hope one day you get to visit Sydney and visit these amazing locations I am going to share with you. Perhaps you already live in Sydney or have recently moved here, but you have never explored Sydney to it’s full potential. Well this article will help you discover some locations you may never have thought about visiting.

This is the one thing that I am so grateful for about getting into photography. I have learnt about so many new places that I never knew existed, and it has really allowed me to explore and discover so many new places around Sydney that most people who have lived here their whole lives have never even visited let alone heard about.

Sun Rise Direction

The great thing about living in Sydney or the East Coast of Australia is that the sun rises directly over the ocean, which is fantastic because you get a lot of beautiful golden light flooding the coastline, hitting rock faces, buildings and beaches which is truly magical. The other great thing is that there is usually a lot of dramatic weather along the coastline and over the ocean, so this makes perfect photographic opportunities, with lots of beautiful colour in the sky. As Sydney is located around a harbour and is fairly close to the coastline, you often get  beautiful conditions spreading right across the city. 

I love sunrise, in my opinion it’s the best time of the day to take photos opposed to sunset here in Sydney. Because it gives you the most beautiful light. Sunset can also be amazing too, but from living here my whole life, I can tell you without a doubt we get many more beautiful sunrises than sunsets. Plus at sunrise it’s more peaceful, there are less people around, and it’s a great time to reflect and relax.

At different times of the year the sun moves to a different location or angle along the horizon. In the summer months the sun is more south, and in the winter months it moves north. Being aware of this is important especially if you have a certain picture in mind and you want the sun to be a feature of it. You may turn up and discover because of the time of year you are shooting the sun may very well be blocked by a building or beach headland. In any case there is always a beautiful photo take.

Recommended Apps

I highly recommend the phone App ‘Photopills’ which will allow you to calculate the angle of the sun at different times of the year as well as work out sunrise and sunset times. It does a whole lot more than that and it is great value for money, that’s why  I recommend it. There is another phone app that has been around a lot longer called ‘The Photographer’s Ephemeris’ that is also really good. There is also a Free web app version of the ‘The Photographer’s Ephemeris’  that you can view directly in your web browser.

Think of this article like a virtual photo guide of Sydney. I will also be providing direct Google maps link to each location so you can easily see where to go to take the photo. All the spots I will be sharing with you are easy to get to and require minimum to no fitness levels.

So let’s begin the photo tour of the magical city of Sydney!

Stop 1 – Circular Quay

About
If you ever visit  Sydney, you will definitely want to visit Circular Quay. It’s buzzing with people all the time.

Circular Quay has the city’s main ferry terminus.  It serves as a main area where it connects visitors to Sydney’s major attractions, such as Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and The Rocks.

Circular Quay is where the main Ferry interchange is located and they leave every few minutes to different parts of the harbour.  It’s also at the foot of the central business district. 

Shooting Advice
I love shooting panoramas and this location is perfect for that. But if you have a wide angle lens such as a 16-35mm or wider, this location will suit them very well. As the sun rises to the east, which will be to the right hand side of the image, you may need a 3 stop graduated filter to control the light, otherwise if you are more advanced with your editing, you can bracket your exposures and then blend them later in Lightroom or Photoshop.

There is also a lot of movement at sunrise such as the ferries and people walking about, so if you use a slow shutter speed, any motion will be blurred. So if you want to freeze motion you will need to use a faster shutter speed. If you have a camera that doesn’t have good dynamic range, it’s important to get your exposure correct, so you could increase your iso in order to get a faster shutter speed. As you will most likely be shooting at f8 or higher, raising your iso will allow you to increase your shutter speed. 

You could also underexpose your shot at iso 100 if you have a camera which has great dynamic range such as the Nikon D810, D850, Z6, Z7 or Sony A7R series, which would allow you to get a faster shutter speed. Then in post production you could raise your shadows and exposure with very little noise introduced in the image. It all depends on the capability of your camera.

How to get here
You can catch a train to Circular Quay. The station is part is part of Sydney’s City Circle train line. The underground network serves as a loop around the central business district, connecting Central Station with subway stations at Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay, St James and Museum, with trains continuing on to the suburban network. You can also catch a train from the north of sydney at Milsons point to circular quay.

The Sydney Opera House is just a 5-7 minute walk from Circular Quay.

If you want to experience a beautiful ride on Sydney Harbour you can catch a ferry to and from Darling Harbour which passes directly under the Harbour Bridge. Other popular places to catch a ferry are from McMahons Point Wharf at Blues point and Jeffrey Street Wharf at Kirribilli.

And if you are really adventurous you catch a train to Milsons Point and then walk across the Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay which is a good 25 minute walk. I have walked across the bridge before sunrise and it’s very safe to do as there are security guards on the bridge through the night.

To access the vantage point where I shot the panorama above you need to get onto the Cahill Expressway above Circular Quay. This is where you get the spectacular view of the Opera House, Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

You can get to the Cahill Expressway via a set of glass lifts to the east of the Quay. If you are facing the ferry wharf head right and walk towards the Opera House, the lifts are about 150metres just before the restaurants / shops at Circular Quay east. Take the lifts up and when you get out turn right and walk along the expressway. You can set up anywhere along here to take your magnificent photo.

There are also a few raised bench seats further along in the middle of the expressway and a “look out”so you can sit and take in the magnificent view.

Stop 2 – Blues Point

Stop 3 – Lavender Bay

About
Every vantage point around the harbour is spectacular, but Lavender Bay is unique. 

It’s a residential suburb tucked away 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district with great views of Sydney Harbour. It lies between Milsons Point and McMahons Point and the suburb of North Sydney. It’s actually just around the corner from Blues Point.

It’s such a peaceful and tranquil location. I have taken photos here both at sunrise and sunset and no matter what time of day it’s a place you come to relax. 

One amazing thing to come and see here is Wendy’s Secret Garden. Wendy was married to her artist husband, the late Brett Whiteley. They lived together  in Lavender Bay from 1970 for over two decades. In the weeks that followed Brett’s death in 1992, Wendy was grief stricken and she had to keep herself busy. So she started cleaning up the piles of overgrown rubbish on the large land filled valley of unused railway land at the foot of her house. 

Wendy never asked any authorities for permission, and no one told her to stop, so she kept going. As Wendy cleared the site, she began creating a garden. What emerged was a beautiful garden filled with nooks and crannies. There are shrubs, both natives and exotics, herbs and towering trees running along winding gully paths. It’s beautiful and well worth a vsiit.

Shooting Advice
This location is another perfect spot for a panorama. but also a wide angle lens will do the trick such as a 16 – 35mm. The Wharf at Lavender Bay can also make some interesting compositions, so you can get creative and use much narrower focal lengths such as 24mm or 50mm.  If you shoot here at sunrise, the sun will be located to the left of your frame if you are shooting in the centre near the wharf, so you way want to use a a 3 Stop Graduated Neutral Density filter tilted slightly to the left to control the highlights. Just be aware there are high rise buildings in the shot to the left of your frame, so using such a filter might cause the tops of the buildings to be darker than the lower half. In situations like this I always prefer to bracket my exposures and then blend them in Lightroom or Photoshop.

The other thing to take into consideration about this location is that there are lots of boats in the water. If you are shooting at sunrise or sunset, you may have to use a slower shutter speed to get the correct exposure which means the boats will come out blurry. So if you want to freeze motion you will need to use a faster shutter speed. If you have a camera that doesn’t have good dynamic range, it’s important to get your exposure correct, so you could increase your iso in order to get a faster shutter speed. As you will most likely be shooting at f8 or higher, raising your iso will allow you to increase your shutter speed. 

You could also underexpose your shot at iso 100 if you have a camera that has great dynamic range such as the Nikon D810, D850, Z6, Z7 or Sony A7R series, which would allow you to get a faster shutter speed. Then in post production you could raise your shadows and exposure with very little noise introduced in the image. It all depends on the capability of your camera.

How to get here
It’s an easy location to get to. Just a 5 to 10-minute walk from North Sydney or Milsons Point railway stations or a 10 to 15-minute harbourside walk from Milsons Point or McMahons Point ferry wharves.

Stop 4 – Kirribilli

About
Firstly if I could count how many times I have shot here I would be a rich man. I’ve visited this spot too many times to mention as it is one of the most magnificent locations to see Sydney in all it’s splendour. You basically get a 180 degree view of Sydney from the Sydney Opera House right across to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It’s a magnificent spot to see sunrise and sunset. Most people will say that it is better at sunset, because when you face the Harbour Bridge you are facing west where the sun sets. But that doesn’t mean shooting sunrise is any less beautiful because as the sun rises in the east, the city is drenched in beautiful warm light as the sun hits it from the left and the Harbour Bridges metal structure glows as the rising hits it as well. Also if there is the right cloud, you can get a beautiful reverse sunrise like I did in the shot above.

Kirribilli is one of Sydney’s most established and affluent neighbourhoods. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area administered by North Sydney Council. Kirribilli is a harbourside suburb, sitting on the Lower North Shore of Sydney Harbour. Located at Kirribilli is Kirribilli House, which is one of the two official residences of the Prime Minister of Australia.

Shooting Advice
At sunrise as you will be facing south looking towards the city and also west as you look towards the Harbour Bridge. You are not facing directly into the sun, so you won’t have any dynamic range issues with capturing the highlights and shadows in your shot, which makes it a much easier shoot. So you will be able to capture an image here in a single frame which is great.

The image I shot above was at sunrise. I was lucky enough to shoot this sunrise with high cloud, so as the sun rose in the east all the cloud  in the west turned pink. It’s amazing the shots you can get with the right conditions on a reverse sunrise or sunset for that matter.

Of course this spot is great to shoot a panorama, but your wide angle lens such as a 16 – 35mm lens will do the job nicely as well. It will allow you to get the Opera House, City and Harbour Bridge all in one shot. If you don’t have a wide angle lens you can opt to shoot just the city on its own which makes for a great image, or even just the Harbour Bridge. 

It is such a fantastic angle to take a photo of the Harbour Bridge you may as well make it a feature in your image. As I mentioned earlier as the sun rises in the east, you can get a beautiful shot of the city glowing in the warm morning light as the buildings and bridge catch the suns rays. As we all know, we want clouds as they add drama to your image, but this spot doesn’t necessarily need any as the Opera House, City and Bridge make this image. Sydney is definitely one of the most photogenic cities in the world and Kirribilli will definitely prove this point. (Of course I am not biased). 

You can also walk from Kirribilli around to Luna Park at Milsons Point. This will give you another interesting vantage point to shoot the bridge and city.

How to get here
The easiest way to get to Kirribilli is by a train to Milsons Point train station. From there it is an easy 5 – 10 minute walk. You can also drive if you have a car, as there is usually parking available at the end of Broughton Street. Just be aware you have to pay for parking using one of the parking metres. You can also of course catch a Ferry there from Circular Quay to Jeffrey Street Wharf. There is also a Ferry Wharf at Milsons Point that drops you outside Luna Park. From there you can walk around to Kirribilli which will take about 5 to 10 mins.

Stop 5 – Dawes Point

About
Dawes Point is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, at the southern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge, adjacent to The Rocks. At times Dawes Point has been considered to be part of The Rocks considering the rocks are located right behind it.

Dawes point is one of those areas that I never get tired of. There are so many angles to shoot the Opera House which is what makes this spot so attractive to many photographers. When you shoot the Opera House at this location you have many places to pitch your tripod and take the shot. I just love this area for a number of reasons, you feel safe, you have plenty of angles to shoot, you can be as creative as you like, it’s very peaceful at sunrise and it is magical watching the sun rise towards the east which brings in a new day. 

Shooting Advice
You can seriously get creative at this location. You can either shoot a panorama, or use a wide angle lens. You can pull out the zoom lens to focus on the magnificent Opera House, even just it’s sails making them a feature. You can also get down low and use the benches and hand rails as a way to frame the Opera House and use the fence line to act as a leading line towards the Opera House.

As the sun travels up and down the horizon during different times of the year, you can also use that to your advantage and get star bursts either behind the Opera House Sails or against the Observatory Hotel with the Opera House in the background.

If you are shooting on the wooden boardwalk just be aware that people do walk and run around this area early in the morning, so make sure you aren’t shooting when someone is walking or running past you as the boardwalk vibrates ever so slightly and you may end up with blurry shots.

As you will be shooting directly into the sun, you are going to have to deal with a lot of dynamic range. To control your exposure you may want to use a 3 Stop Graduated Neutral Density filter. Otherwise if you are more advanced with your editing, you can bracket your exposures and then blend them later in Lightroom or Photoshop.

If you have a camera with great dynamic range, you could underexpose your shot, then in post production you could raise your shadows and exposure with very little noise introduced in the image.

How to get here
You can easily walk to Dawes Point if you catch a ferry, train or bus to Circular Quay. If you are facing the ferry wharves, turn left and walk all the way round the harbours edge past the Overseas Passenger Terminal and you will arrive at Dawes Point which is where the Observatory Hotel is located.

Stop 6 – Pier One

About
Pier One is one of those locations that not many people shoot at sunrise. I guess that is because you can’t see the Opera House or the city. But I like to explore all locations around the harbour, and with the right sky this location can be magnificent and unique in it’s own right as you can see from my shot above.

To take this photo you aren’t actually standing on Pier One, you need to stand on Pier Two, which allows you to shoot this view of Pier One.

Pier One Sydney Harbour served as a P&O passenger terminal until 1963, then as a cargo wharf until 1977 when work began on redevelopment for commercial use. It continued to be a popular attraction offering restaurants, amusements and retail until it was restored and redeveloped as the innovative hotel, opening in Spring 1999.

Shooting Advice
You can either choose to shoot a panorama to get the whole view of Blues Point to Pier One in your shot like I have above, or you can opt to use a wide angle lens and just shoot the Harbour Bridge and Pier One, which really makes Pier One the feature of the image. As it is quite an old historic looking building on this Pier, it makes a very interesting shot.

The great thing about this location is that you won’t have to deal with early morning ferries getting in your shot as they don’t come to Pier One.

As you will be shooting directly into the sun, you are going to have to deal with a great range of dynamic range. To control your exposure you may want to use a 3 Stop Graduated Neutral Density filter. Otherwise if you are more advanced with your editing, you can bracket your exposures and then blend them later in Lightroom or Photoshop.

If you have a camera with great dynamic range, you could underexpose your shot, then in post production you could raise your shadows and exposure with very little noise introduced in the image.

How to get here
You can easily walk to Pier Two if you catch a Ferry, train or bus to Circular Quay. If you are facing the ferry, wharves turn left and walk all the way round the harbours edge past the Overseas Passenger Terminal and Dawes Point. Follow the harbours edge and you will arrive at Pier One. If you keep walking a bit further you will reach Pier Two where you can set up and take this shot.

Stop 7 – Waverton

About
If it seems that Sydney has an endless number of vantage points, then you would be correct, that’s what makes this city so unique and special. It’s built around the harbour and it also has a lot of hills, so therefore in all the suburbs around the harbour both north and towards the east of Sydney you can always find a beautiful vantage point.

Waverton is another of those magical spots that gives you another unique aspect of the city. It is the perfect location to shoot sunrise as it faces east and the water and boats in the foreground complement this view, leading your eye towards the city.

Waverton is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney and it is located 4 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district.

Shooting Advice
Panoramas are well suited to this location, but then so is using a a wide angle lens such as a 16 – 35mm.  This will allow you to get the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city all in one shot. As you will be facing east shooting directly into the sun at sunrise you may want to use a 3 stop graduated neutral density filter in order to control the dynamic range of shooting both shadows and highlights. Otherwise if you are more advanced with your editing, you can bracket your exposures and then blend them later in Lightroom or Photoshop.

You also have to take into consideration the boats in the foreground. If you are shooting sunrise you will have to slow down your shutter speed to expose the shadows correctly and as a result the boats may move and be blurry in your shot. So to prevent this I suggest using a faster shutter speed at around 1 second or less. 

If you have a camera that doesn’t have good dynamic range, it’s important to get your exposure correct, so you could increase your iso in order to get a faster shutter speed. As you will most likely be shooting at f8 or higher, raising your iso will allow you to increase your shutter speed. 

You could also underexpose your shot at iso 100 if you have a camera that has great dynamic range such as the Nikon D810, D850, Z6, Z7 or Sony A7R series, which would allow you to get a faster shutter speed. Then in post production you could raise your shadows and exposure with very little noise introduced in the image. It all depends on the capability of your camera.

How to get here
Waverton does have a train station which is the best way to get here if you don’t have a car. To get to the actual spot to shoot is at the end of Larkin Street at Berry’s Bay Lookout. When you get off the train, head up Bay road and then turn left into Woolcott Street and then right into Larkin Street. Walk all the way to the end. It should take you about 10 minutes to walk from the train station.

Stop 8 – Mrs Macquarie’s Chair

About
Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is also known as Lady Macquarie’s Chair. It is located directly east of the Sydney Opera House on the eastern edge of the Royal Botanic Gardens. There is a chair which is carved out of a sandstone rock ledge by convicts in 1810. It was specially commissioned by Governor Macquarie for his wife Elizabeth who was known to love the area.

It’s a Sydney landmark, and hands down probably the best spot in Sydney to take a photo at sunset. So why have I included it on the list as one of the best sunrise photography locations in Sydney? Well I find it truly magical as the sun rises behind you in the east and lights the city up in beautiful golden light which you can see from my picture above.

This location provides excellent views west across the harbour and city to the Harbour Bridge and North Sydney. Looking north and east you can see Kirribilli House, Pinchgut Island and the navy dockyards at Wooloomooloo. 

Shooting Advice
At sunrise as you will be facing west, you will not be facing into the sun and therefore you won’t have any Dynamic range issues with capturing the highlights and shadows in your shot, which makes it a really easy shoot. So you will be able to capture an image here in a single frame which is great, just like Kirribilli.

Cloud is always beautiful in a shot, but as you can see with my image above, I actually wanted to shoot this with a clear sky, to highlight the beauty of the city as it gets bathed in golden light.

This location really screams out for a panorama, but you can use your wide angle lens too such as a 16 – 35mm. Other ways you can shoot is creatively by pulling out your zoom lens and focussing just on the Opera House sails and a section of the Harbour Bridge. You can even just shoot the city buildings, as the city on its own can make a beautiful shot.

How to get here
Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is stop number 5 on the Sydney Explorer route. Circular Quay is the nearest stop for trains and ferries. Buses stop at the Art Gallery which is an easy 15 minute walk away. From Circular Quay, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is an easy 20 minute walk past the Opera House and along the foreshore walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens. You can also drive past the Art Gallery to the end of Mrs Macquarie’s Road. There is some parking available along the road but be warned, put money in the parking metres as you will get a parking fine if you don’t, even in the middle of the night and early hours of the morning. It seems the parking officers are onto you before you have even parked your car.

Stop 9 – Bradley’s Head

About
Bradleys Head also known as Bradleys Head Amphitheatre is an exceptionally popular lookout in Sydney Harbour National Park. It has a breathtaking view of the city, Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Fort Denison. It’s no wonder we as photographers flock to the site to capture the amazing view.

As well as offering first-class views, Bradleys Head Amphitheatre is a much-loved picnic area. You can also wander out to the old stone jetty for some fishing, or set off on one of Bradleys Head’s beautiful bushwalks.

It’s also regarded as one of the city’s best outdoor wedding locations. The lawned amphitheatre has been created near the foreshore edge and it looks out onto a stone jetty jutting into the harbour. The Bradleys Head Amphitheatre is hired out by the National Parks & Wildlife Service for wedding functions.

Shooting Advice
At sunrise as you will be facing west, you will not be facing into the sun and therefore you won’t have any Dynamic range issues with capturing the highlights and shadows in your shot, which makes it a really easy shoot. So you will be able to capture an image here in a single frame which is great.

This location is also obviously well known for shooting at sunset for the very reason it faces directly west, but at sunrise it can be equally as beautiful. In the photo above I was lucky enough to have amazing high cloud which allowed for a beautiful reverse sunrise which means all the cloud turned pink on the opposite direction to the sun.

Just to the left of the amphitheatre if it’s low tide there will be a lot of exposed rocks on a tiny beach which becomes accessible. They can be used for some foreground interest with the city in the background.

So you either have the choice of shooting a panorama or using a wide angle lens to capture this magnificent location.

How to get here
The easiest way to get here is to drive, as there is no direct transport to this location. So if you want to shoot here at sunrise if you don’t have a car, you could catch a taxi or Uber. If you want to come here during the day  you can take the ferry to Taronga Zoo. At the zoo wharf, walk up the pedestrian walkway that follows the foreshore. About 100 metres or so you come to one of the zoo’s entrances. Directly opposite the entrance is the start of the Taronga Zoo to Bradleys Head walking path. The 1.5 km walk is an easy one, on mostly level terrain.

Stop 10 – Barangaroo

About
Barangaroo Reserve opened to the public on 22 August 2015 as this area had been closed off to the public for more than 100 years. Before this time no one could access this part of the city’s western waterfront.

It has been fully redeveloped and it is nestled between the natural wonder of Sydney Harbour and the bustling city streets. Barangaroo is a 22-hectare reinvention of an historically significant site.

At the northern end, Barangaroo Reserve is a six-hectare re-created Sydney Harbour headland. It offers an entirely Australian native garden, spectacular views, extensive walking and cycling trails, idyllic harbour coves, unique event spaces and peaceful picnic spots. 

At the southern end there is lots to eat and is only a few minutes’ walk from Wynyard Train Station. There are more than 30 restaurants and bars in this specially curated dining precinct. 

Currently the Crown Sydney Hotel Resort is being built there and is due for completion by 2021.

The development of Barangaroo is expected to be completed by 2024 which will accomodate more than 23,000 workers.

From a photography perspective, you don’t actually shoot this aspect of the city from Barangaroo itself, read below on how to get to the location to shoot this magnificent view point.

Shooting Advice
For all these city shots I highly recommend shooting a panorama, but you can also use a wide angle lens such as a 16 – 35mm.  Just be aware you will get distortion using wide angle lenses and if you correct this distortion in post production, you will lose some of the buildings in your image as the software will try and correct your image at the expense of cropping your image slightly.

As you will be facing east shooting directly into the sun at sunrise, you may want to use a 3 stop graduated neutral density filter in order to control the dynamic range of shooting both shadows and highlights. Just be aware as you are shooting buildings, the tops of the buildings may be darker than the bottom due to the graduated filter, so I really recommend bracketing your exposures and then blending them later in Lightroom or Photoshop.

The great thing about this location is there aren’t any boats in the foreground and you won’t have to battle with ferries going past, it’s just a mass of water in front of you. This is great because if you use a neutral density filter to slow down your shutter speed, you can totally smooth out the water which makes the photo look amazing.

As this location is still being developed and is due for completion by 2024, just take into account that you may get cranes and half developed buildings in your shot, especially the new Crown Sydney Hotel Resort which is currently in development. But this can be a great opportunity to document an area changing over time.

How to get here
In order to take a picture of Barangaroo like the one I shot above, you need to go to Ballarat park, which faces directly opposite Barangaroo. If you don’t have a car, i recommend just catching a taxi or Uber to the end of Darling Island Road in Pyrmont, and from there it is a quick 30 second walk to the spot where you can shoot.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed my tour of the 10 Best Sunrise Photography Locations in Sydney. 

Are there any locations I missed or any locations you would like to share? I Please tell me in the comments below. 

Get out there, explore the magical city of Sydney and have a great time photographing!