Silvermine Bay
I have a long history with Silvermine Bay, having lived just over the hill in Discovery Bay, and used to do the fairly easy walk between the two all the time. However, that was a long time ago, back in the 90s, and at that time, there was not much to Silvermine Bay.
Some trivia: The ferry wharf in Central has Mui Wo as the destination and not Silvermine Bay, what's the difference? Well Mui Wo is the town located in Silvermine Bay. As I am wandering around, I will just refer to it as Silvermine Bay.
Move forward to 2026, and everything aligned, yes, even those weather gods were happy with me, and it was time to go back, but this time via ferry, rather than the walk from Discovery Bay.
Taking the Sun Ferry from Central to Mui Wo top
For this visit, I was staying close to the Happy Valley race course on Hong Kong Island, and the ferry, just like most services, leaves from Central. So after fuelling up with breakfast, a quick trip on the MTR to Central and a mostly covered walk to the ferry wharf. And the mostly covered thing is important given the sun, and me not wanting to work on my next melanoma, so I stay under the walkway shade.
This service, which is run by Sun Ferry, departs from Wharf 6 and takes about half an hour. The actual ferry is modern, fully air-conditioned and very comfortable.
Getting on board and heading for the upper deck, the first thing I noticed was that it was empty, which is interesting, as these are usually more crowded.
Exploring Mui Wo Town and the Waterfront Bike Parks top
Getting into the Silvermine Bay ferry wharf, disembarkation is quick and very like the Star Ferry. Leaving the wharf, the first thing I see is a construction site; well, this is Hong Kong, and nothing unusual in that.
Me being me, I wanted to get a photo of the ferry before it leaves, so I head further along the waterfront to get a better look, and passing some construction workers who gave me the "crazy tourist" look and a nod of hello.
OK, enough of that, time to explore, so seeing nothing but construction in that direction, I did a 180 and headed back past the wharf, which is where a memory from a previous visit hit me. There are bikes everywhere, and this seems to be where they congregate.
Not only does this remind me of visiting Silvermine Bay back in the 90s, but also of visiting Amsterdam, just without the canals, and fewer bikes.
Heading through what is fast looking like a never-ending bike park, I eventually made it to just another street, usual parked cars, etc. Not unexpected, but what was, was the small beach with multiple small boats stored behind it.
Not sure what that is, my first thought was some sort of boating club, but the lack of a dock made that look unlikely. Maybe it's just a storage area.
Wandering around, it's basically just another small town, the usual streets lined with shops and parked cars, and more than a few bikes. And shock horror, the bike riders seem to actually obey the road rules, which is a pleasant surprise given how insane they usually are. No, I am not saying they are all responsible, but the majority I saw today were.
The Silvermine Bay Promenade and River Walks top
Interesting, yes, but nothing special, so I headed back to the waterfront, as there is a promenade that I spotted when getting off the ferry, which goes past the beach and ends up at the trailhead for the Discovery Bay walk.
This is a new one for me, and quite impressive with the banners waving in the breeze, and yes, there were some bikes, but they just got on with their day. The total opposite of what I see all the time back home, where only the minority care about what's happening around them.
Moving down this wide and open promenade, and as you can see from the banners, there is a breeze, which, given the extreme heat and humidity, was most welcome.
Getting to the end of the promenade, there is a bridge over a river, which is interesting as I do not remember any of this being here the last time I visited. Oh well, it was over 30 years ago.
The bridge has a bike path and foot path, and yes, out of force of habit, I stopped and checked for cyclists before crossing the cycle path. Most likely not needed, but probably a good idea anyway.
While crossing the bridge, and looking around as I usually do, the view was good, well laid out, a nice place to walk by the water.
Nice, and if time allows, a place to explore, with a bridge in the distance, which should make a good vantage point for more photos, with the boats docked, and the tree-lined shoreline.
Crossing the river and heading past the viewing deck, towards the beach, I saw from the ferry dock. Yes, I said viewing deck, which normally I would have entered to take photos and generally look around, but in this case, there were a few locals there, whom I did not want to disturb.
Silvermine Beach and Resort Facilities top
Moving past the viewing deck and closer to the beach, being Australian, I did consider, far from the first time, walking along the beach, but not wanting to miss anything, decided against it, for the time being anyway.
Again, the path along the back of the beach is wide and well planned, the sort of place that just wants you to walk along, and even the cyclists were using common sense.
Heading toward what looks like the main part of the beach, looks like there is actually accommodation here, in the form of the Silvermine Beach Resort. Interesting, and in a near-perfect location right on the beach, and close to Mui Wo, which has shops and places to eat.
When I get home, I think some research into this resort is needed, as it's a possible place to stay for longer future visits. Yes, a little remote, but I did stay at the Auberge in Discovery Bay North, which is also not exactly in the city, so never know.
Now comes the beach, and being Australian, I know beaches, and this one looks good, flat, good access, and after a walk/paddle in the water, no sign of any trash, which is excellent given the state of some of the others I have seen in HK.
And yes, there is what looks like a shark net and lifesaver monitoring towers. So with all that, I would expect this to be the go-to for families, and not just for me, who would sit under a tree with a good book.
Heading along the promenade behind the beach, and looking back the way I had come, there's the infrastructure building to support the beach, things like the lifeguard office, which I would normally call the surf club, and facilities for things like cleaning and general maintenance.
Continuing along the promenade, it's a good walk, tree-lined with plenty of shade to use to hide from the sun. And very few people around, well, it is the middle of the week, the middle of summer and very hot and humid.
Right now, this is empty, but I would expect it to be alive at the weekend, just check out the small boats stored under the trees. Maybe if time allows, I will come back then and see how different it is when it's busier.
Very close to the end of the promenade, and looking back, just see how big the beach is, with the resort near the centre, and the ferry wharf to central on the left.
Street Art and Return Journey top
This is very close to the end of the promenade, with the actual end being the start of the path to Discovery Bay, which I have done once or twice back in the day. Yes, I did think about doing it again, but as it's later in the day, maybe best to leave it for another day.
The last time I did this walk, it was very basic, unpaved, etc, just a track with some serious hills to climb, but by the look of how well developed the beach promenade was, I am expecting the path to be much better. Next visit, I will do it with the 360" camera.
That's for another day, but for today, I decided to do a 180 and just head back the same way I came, but this time be more aware of the other side of the promenade. Me being me, I usually miss something interesting, and this was no exception.
Now the question is, does this go anywhere? Or is it just residential? Regardless, it looks interesting, but given how many steps there are, my bad knees basically vetoed my exploring today.
Heading back toward the bridge over the Silver River, I decided to take a different path and basically explore the area close to the river.
That was a good call, as one of the things I found was some street art, which yes is another interest.
This is one of the most impressive examples of street art I have so far found in Hong Kong, and up there with some of the best from Singapore or George Town. All this is on the side of a small block of shops.
Hmmmm, where there is one, there are usually more, so time for a street art hunt in the surrounding area.
Yes, I did find a few more, including the one at the very top of this page, and this one on the corner of what looks like a random building.
Ok, enough street art for now, moving on toward the ferry wharf, crossing a bridge over some water, then it hit me, remember the bridge in the distance I talked about earlier, well, this seems to have been that same one, which I found by accident.
The plan was to go back the same way as earlier and head up river from the ocean, but somehow I managed to find it anyway.
It's impressive, wide, open, with some shade, places to sit, and yes, even the cyclists are still actually watching where they are going. Yes, it's dead today, but just like the beach, I would expect this to be busy at the weekend.
Anyhow, it's getting later in the day, so back to the promenade, then to the ferry wharf.
Final Thoughts & Verdict top
After about half a day of exploring, I can say it was a good day, with those weather gods, for once, seeming happy to leave me alone. Would I come back and do more exploration? That's a big yes. In fact, for my next Hong Kong trip, I will come back and spend more time exploring and even do the Discovery Bay walk.
In short, the beach is highly recommended, especially for families, and the rest of the place has just about everything you could want, just without the crowds, and not forgetting the non crazy cyclists.