Sydney Point is the high northern shoulder of the Panchgani plateau, looking out over the Krishna river valley to the Dhom Dam and across to the towns of Wai and Pasarni. The viewpoint was named in the 1830s by Sir John Chesson, the British official who founded Panchgani as a hill station — Sydney was his daughter's name. On a clear winter morning the view stretches all the way to the Pratapgad ridge.
The point is a five-minute drive from the bazaar or a 30-minute walk uphill, and is busiest at sunset. There are a handful of tea stalls and corn-on-the-cob vendors at the parking area. The walk down through the boarding-school quarter back to the centre is a pleasant way to descend.