GreenWay

For other uses, see Greenway.

GreenWay
Length	6 km (3.7 mi)
Location	Inner West, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Began construction	November 2022
Completed	14 December 2025
Trailheads	Iron Cove (north) Cooks River (south)
Use	Walking Cycling
Maintained by	Inner West Council
Website	GreenWay — Inner West Council

The GreenWay is a shared walking and cycling trail in the Inner West of Sydney, Australia. It is intended to preserve a corridor for native wildlife and plants.

The full length of the track leads from the Cooks River in Earlwood to the Parramatta River and The Bay Run in Iron Cove. It follows the alignment of the Hawthorne Canal.

For most of its length, the trail follows the alignment of the Inner West Light Rail line along seven stations from Hawthorne to Dulwich Grove, although the stations of Leichhardt North and Dulwich Hill are not far from the trailheads. The full length of the trail takes 25 minutes to cycle or 75 minutes to walk.

Because of the mixed use but lack of differentiation between a walking and cycling lane, it is suitable for most walkers and cyclists. Cyclists must proceed slowly to avoid pedestrians, and walkers must have good balance and ability to change direction to avoid the cyclists.

In narrower sections of the GreenWay, cyclists and pedestrians must be careful to avoid each other

The majority of the trail is separated from the suburban streets, with exceptions in small sections (Ness Avenue and Tennant Parade at the south end and Weston Street in the middle section).

The GreenWay fills in previous missing links with three new tunnels in Longport Road, Davis Street and Constitution Road, and has two new underpasses in Parramatta Road and New Canterbury Road.

Section of the GreenWay passing through a tunnel under a heavy rail line

It passes through the suburbs of Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Lewisham, Petersham, Leichhardt and Haberfield. The trail will also connect with the Sydney Metro Southwest line upon opening in late 2026.

History

Local residents realised in the mid-1990s that a greenway could be developed through the undeveloped land which he saw as a missing link near Hawthorne Canal, the idea had broad community support and was supported by the councils of Ashfield, Leichhardt, Marrickville, and Canterbury-Bankstown. The idea was inspired by a state government scheme in the late 1980s. ^{[1] [2]}

In 2009, a masterplan was publicly released. ^[2] In 2010, the Rees government allocated $37 million to complete the project. ^[1] Following a change in government, in 2011 transport minister Gladys Berejiklian scrapped funding for the GreenWay, claiming that the project was too expensive and citing poor planning decisions. She also claimed the project would delay the light rail extension to Dulwich Hill. ^{[3] [2]}

In 2016, the state government and the Inner West Council both committed $7 million to resume the project. Before this, the project had only been allocated $14 million of funding for the missing links it joined. ^[4]

In 2018, another masterplan was released. ^[2]

In August 2022, the state government committed an additional $9.8 million towards the completion of the trail, by that point a part of the trail at Richard Murden Reserve in Haberfield was already completed and further construction was due to start by November. Along with this funding announcement, it was also announced that the council would be continuing with upgrades to the seawall at Dobroyd Point, a shared path through Richard Murden Reserve, shared paths through streets in Dulwich Hill, and a lighting upgrade at the Bay Run. ^[5]

By May 2025 the project was 80 percent complete. ^[6]

Delivery

The project was funded by the Government of New South Wales, Inner West Council and federal government, contributing $41 million, $11 million and $6 million respectively. The federal money was used to build a tunnel under Old Canterbury Road. In total, the project cost $57 million to construct. ^[7]

Reception

Much of the GreenWay follows the L1 light rail corridor

Local residents have favourably compared the layout of the trail to New York City's High Line. ^[7] The project has been heralded by the mayor of the Inner West Council Darcy Byrne, the transport minister of New South Wales John Graham, and the chief executive of Bicycle NSW Peter McLean. ^[1] Premier Chris Minns has also praised the project. ^[6]

Former Ashfield councillor Monica Wangmann criticised the decision to grow the light rail and allow for greater housing density rather than allowing the trail to flourish. ^{[2] [6]}

Future

Upon opening of the Sydenham to Bankstown extension of the Sydney Metro Southwest project, a new 13.8 km walking and cycling trail named the "MetroWay" will open and connect to the GreenWay. The MetroWay will include 350 bike spaces at railway stations, public art, trees, rest stops, lights and signs. State government transport minister John Graham stated that the planned MetroWay will cater to users of all ages and riding abilities. Graham also pointed to benefits such as increased housing opportunities. ^[8]

References

1. Gorrey, Megan (13 December 2025). "'It's been 25 years in the making': The inner west's $57 million path is finally opening" . The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 12 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
2. Ticher, Mike (6 December 2025). "The dream that grew into the GreenWay – a car-free corridor from Sydney Harbour to the Cooks River". Guardian Australia . Archived from the original on 26 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
3. Saulwick, Jacob (7 September 2011). "Light rail delayed, Greenway is canned". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
4. O'Sullivan, Matt (30 June 2016). "Greenway for Sydney's inner west to become reality after $14m funding boost". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
5. Thomson, Angus (5 August 2022). "Funding boost for Bay Run to Cooks River connection". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
6. Cox, Lisa (9 May 2025). "Car-free green corridor connecting Cooks River to Sydney Harbour to open in 2025". Guardian Australia . Archived from the original on 26 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
7. O'Sullivan, Matt (14 December 2025). "Thousands flock to Sydney's version of New York High Line" . The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 14 December 2025. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
8. Gorrey, Megan (16 February 2026). "First GreenWay, now 'MetroWay': Sydney's next cycling route revealed" . The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 15 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.