Hickson Road Reserve is one of the premier Sydney photography locations for those wanting amazing photos of either the Sydney Opera House or Sydney Harbour Bridge. This reserve is located in the Rocks and central to these two iconic Australian structures.

Like the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal, which is close by, from this spot, you can get up close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge while also allowing you to photograph across the water and capture a side-on photo of the Sydney Opera House.

Either way, you can capture magnificent landscape photos of Sydney and its various moods that are on display throughout the day.

While appearing to be a fantastic place for wedding photos, it is also one of Sydney’s most instagramable selfie photography locations. Many people stop here to capture an image of themselves in front of the Sydney Habour Bridge and then turn the other way to capture the Sydney Opera House.

Not that I am talking from experience or anything… 😉

How to photograph Hickson Road Reserve

This reserve is multifaceted, with many areas where you can position yourself to capture a different and fun photo of Sydney.

The Reserve

One of the defining details of Hickson Road Reserve is the large and beautiful palm trees that grow there. These palm trees line the path that runs around the reserve and is often used to fill the foreground or as a way of framing the Sydney Opera House.

The iron fence is the other element in this park that finds its way into many photos. This fence has many great features that look good in photos. This includes the ornate spikes up top or the circular link in the centre of each section of the fence. Photographers position the Sydney Opera House inside this circular section of the iron fence, creating quite a visually interesting photo.

Complete a quick Instagram search for ‘Hickson Road Reserve’ and you will see what I mean.

Photographing the Sydney Harbour Bridge

You are quite close to the Sydney Habour Bridge when standing in Hickson Road Reserve. This fact is great as it allows you to fill your composition with Australia’s giant coat hanger and include all its small details.

I would also encourage you to get there well before sunrise or following blue hour. During these times, the city lights, especially those that run along the Sydney Habour Bridge, look spectacular and shine brightly within your composition.

The Sydney Opera House as photographed from Hickson Road Reserve

This photo was taken during sunrise from Hickson Park Reserve, up against the iron fence. As you can see, the sun will come up from behind the Sydney Opera House, which can create a really pleasant image. (HDR Image, Nikon D300S, 38mm | Sunrise | November 2013)

Photographing the Sydney Opera House

From this spot, you are pretty much level with the Sydney Opera House. This position makes getting a side-on photo of this iconic structure relatively easy.

Unlike the Sydney Habour Bridge, you will be photographing across the water to the other side of Circular Quay. The water adds a new and different variable to your photos and can help isolate and declutter the Sydney Opera House from other elements that might be distracting.

Another key advantage of taking landscape photos of the Sydney Opera House from Hickson Road Reserve is that the sun will rise directly behind it. This makes it a great place to visit for sunrise as the contrast of the rising sun against the Opera House’s large sails looks magnificent in any landscape photo.

Park Hyatt Sydney

At one end of Hickson Road Reserve, you will find the stunning Park Hyatt. While one day I would love to be in a position where I can step foot inside this hotel as a guest, there are three other reasons I mention this building, and they each have to do with being outside.

Reflections off the windows

The Park Hyatt contains many large windows. The benefit to this is that if you stand alongside them looking back towards the reserve, there is a high likelihood that you are going to see not one but two versions of the Sydney Opera House.

Through the use of Social Media, I have seen many incredible photos taken by talented photographers who have captured this composition to great effect.

Park Benches

There are a number of park benches that line the exterior wall of the Park Hyatt. Again, I have seen some great photos utilising the lines of the slates that make up these seats. This creates lots of leading lines that all point towards the Sydney Opera House, which will be positioned in the distance.

End of the wharf

Another great composition that can be taken near the Park Hyatt is at the very end of the wharf, closest to the Sydney Opera House.

Here you can use the beautiful textures of the wooden wharf, single street light, and sandstone pillar to fill the foreground of your photos. This, with the Sydney Opera House in focus, is yet another fantastic landscape photo that can be captured when visiting Sydney.

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Best time to photograph Hickson Road Reserve

I am actually going to break the norm for the answer to this question and say that the best time to photograph Dawes Point Park is actually anytime.

Therefore, it will depend largely on the type of photograph you would like to capture. What I mean by this is:

Night, predawn, after sunset

This time is great if you want to capture all of the city lights that make the Sydney Habour Bridge look like a Christmas ornament. It creates a beautiful ambience, especially during predawn, when there are not that many people around.

Sunrise

If you would like to photograph the sun rising up from behind the Sydney Opera House, then head here for sunrise. This will mean that you want to make the Sydney Opera House the main focus of your photos.

Sunset

If you would like to capture the sun going down behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge, then head here for sunset.

This is what I would recommend

I enjoyed visiting Hickson Road Reserve pre-dawn. All of the lights are on, the colour washing across the sky (fingers crossed) as the sun rises, and fewer people around make for a great photography experience.

So my advice would be to set the alarm clock for at least 30 minutes earlier than what you need to in order to photograph the sunrise. Yes, this will make it a very unsightly hour of the morning or night that you will need to drag yourself out of bed.

But you will hopefully thank me for it as you walk away, somewhat wearily, with great photos of both the Sydney Habour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House to process.

But I am speaking as a morning person. 😁

Travelling to Hickson Road Reserve

This reserve is located in the heart of Sydney and on the left-hand side of Circular Quay. It is close to the foundations of Sydney Habour Bridge, although not to be mistaken with Dawes Point Reserve, and is easy to find.

Given its location, this photography hot spot is easily accessible, with various public transport and parking options nearby.

In fact, you can leave your car in the parking spots right next to the Reserve up until 8 am for free! So if I have persuaded you to set your alarm clock super early, you won’t have to pay for parking.

And hopefully, you don’t need to ask the name of the road that the reserve is on! 😆

A couple enjoying surnise at Hickson Road Reserve

I have another great photo of the Sydney Opera House taken from Hickson Road Reserve, which I am very proud of. But I decided to share this one with you instead. As mentioned in this article, this is the view that greets you at the end of the wharf. The sandstone pillar on the left and the light pole to the right, nicely frame the Sydney Opera House in the middle. Not to mention the wooden pier that you can also include in your composition to add even more pizazz to a beautiful scene. (HDR Image, Nikon D300s, 19mm | Sunrise | November 2012)

My final thoughts

Out of 10, I would give Hickson Road Reserve a 9 as a photography location.

Please don’t ask me why I have decided to take a point away from Hickson Road Reserve… I guess I can’t go giving out 10 out of 10 scores willy-nilly! And believe it or not, there is no exact science to the way in which I rate each photography location. 😉

However, as far as Sydney photography locations go, there are not too many better than Hickson Road Reserve. Not only are you central to two of Australia’s most recognisable structures, but there is a plethora of options available for how you could photograph them.

I have been to this location a few times, and I am still excited to return with my camera. I am sure that you will also have a similar experience when you do set that alarm clock and get the opportunity to visit.

I hope that this photography location review has been helpful.

Happy snapping!
Rob Potter