The most scenic running route in Australia is right here in Sydney

Sydney’s love for running is showing no signs of slowing down. Following the run club boom of early 2024, our city went on to confirm it will be hosting Australia’s first World Major Marathon in August, and just last month, Sydney was crowned the third-best city for runners in the world. Now, a new study has revealed the most scenic running routes in Australia, and the winning route is right here in the Harbour City.

To determine which Aussie running routes were the country’s most scenic, an Australian supplement brand analysed the most popular running routes in the country, and then looked at the AllTrails photo count to confirm the 'scenic value'. The data set of 94 trails – all moderate in difficulty, under ten-kilometres in distance and with less than 30 metres elevation gain – were each given a score out of 100 based on factors ranging from air quality to traffic levels. With a perfect score of 100, Sydney’s Wolli Creek Regional Park to Nanny Goat Hill trail was crowned the most scenic in the country, with only one other NSW trail cracking the top ten.

Tracing through Wolli Creek Regional Park in Sydney’s south for 3.4 kilometres, the trail takes runners south to Nanny Goat Hill – a lookout with 360-degree views of the surrounding area, including the Cooks River, Botany Bay and the city skyline in the distance.

The other NSW trail to crack the top ten was a coastal route in the Central Coast: the Skillion via Terrigal Beach. This 3.5 kilometre route – which takes joggers along the shore of Terrigal Beach to the top of the Skillion, a spectacular lookout with far-reaching views out to the ocean and down the stunning coastline – scored a 'scenic value' of 35.51 out of 100.

Keen to check it out? We’ve put together a guide to the perfect weekend in Terrigal.

According to the report, the most scenic running routes in Australia are:

1. Wolli Creek Regional Park to Nanny Goat Hill, NSW
2. Warrandyte Yarra River Water Frontage, VIC
3. Elizabeth Quay via Point Fraser, WA
4. Nudgee Beach Wetlands Loop via Tuckeroo Park, QLD
5. Rhyll Inlet Lookout, VIC
6. Annie Beasley's Lookout via Nudgee Waterhole, QLD
7. Woodloes Walk Trail: Canning River Park, WA
8. Kilcunda Rail Trail and Beaches, VIC
9. Heirisson Island Loop, WA
10. The Skillion via Terrigal Beach, NSW

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