Garden Island — Local services in Sydney

The majority of the important Garden Island naval base is off-limits to the strolling public, but you can visit the tip of it by ferry. Here, there's a pleasant garden and lookout as well as a cafe and a naval museum. It's a well-arranged modern display with wartime paraphernalia, weapons, control consoles from a submarine and a periscope that you can use to observe the harbor. There are also some rather unusual sailors' trophies and a gloriously out of place porcelain iris...

Slice of Sydney history with a great view. Getting there-Catch the Watsons Bay ferry. You can wander round the northern tip of the island (the rest is naval base-off limits) See Australia's oldest graffiti, visit the Naval museum or go up to the old signal house lookout for a fab view of the harbour. All for free...

Delightful spot.

It's helpful to have an invitation from a navy officer, otherwise you're more limited as to where you can go, but even without that it's well worth a visit.

Just make sure you leave by the last ferry, or you'll have a long wait until morning, assuming security...