Grand Pacific Walking Trails WOLLONGONG & SURROUNDS
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9 11 13 15 Grand Pacific Walking Trails WOLLONGONG & SURROUNDS Mt Kembla Memorial Pathway Forest Track - Maddens Plains Bellambi Lagoon & Sandhill Circuit Mt Kembla Ring Track Mt Kembla Village has a rich but also The Forest Track is an undulating walk BOOMERANG Starting at Towradgi Park this walk includes This walk can be started at the same location as walk 8 but is an disastrous mining history and this pathway along the escarpment edge from an access GOLF COURSE beach, bush, lagoon and shared pathway. It easier option. It has a section of excellent rainforest as the track is dedicated to those that have worked point on a service road north of Sublime has extensive coastal and escarpment views. descends to a fire trail which then should be taken to the north and there. Stage 1: Follows the original railway Point to Mt Mitchell overlooking Stanwell PRINCES HWY From the car park at the eastern end of circumnavigates the mountain eventually meeting Cordeaux Rd. The easement from Mt Kembla Mine to Port Park. It passes through many different Towradgi Road walk north along the beach TOWRADGI CREEK bitumen road must then be walked back up to the car park. This Kembla. Historical photos and information vegetation communities and is an excellent for about 1.3km then turn up into the dune track can also be accessed from the top of Farmborough Rd. Pass can be viewed on the way to Stones Road. introduction to escarpment flora. There are at the steps and walk over the dune heading through the locked gate and climb up the steep road past historic Stage 2: Follows a natural and landscaped also spectacular coastal views from various further north. Now walk down through the TOWRADGI mining cottages and pit pony stables. section consisting of a variety of native vantage points, though care must be taken bush, coming out at the sports field. Walk PA R K DR plants and trees to Benjamin Road. as they are not fenced and the cliffs are east back to the beach, around the headland AM MT KEMBLA A H R G Stage 3: Climbs steadily on a winding track VILLAGE very steep. The track is well maintained to the north and Bellambi Lagoon. Then MT KEMBLA Y R TOWRADGI RD R VILLAGE through mixed eucalypt and privet forest with some recent improvements, but may look for the shared pathway heading south. A H STONES RD to a point on the escarpment where the CORDEAUX RD be a little overgrown in places. Walk along It goes along the edge of the lagoon, rich in Bradford Breaker was situated (used in the the service road in an easterly direction bird life, and past the caravan park back to processing of extracted coal before rail and look for the track head on the left just Towradgi. A shorter version of the walk is to CORDEAUX RD transport to Port Kembla). A platform has before the edge of the escarpment. Also SUBLIME POINT start and finish at the car park at the beach MARINE PDE LOOKOUT (4.2KM) been constructed at this site for viewing see walk 12. end of Murray Rd East Corrimal. CORDEAUX RD SHARED PATHWAY the coastal strip. ACCESS ACCESS ACCESS ACCESS Up to 2hrs Up to 4km Easy - Medium Cordeaux Rd, 5-6hrs 12km Medium White Gated service road Up to 2hrs 5km return Easy, Towradgi Rd 1.5-2hrs 5kn return Easy, some Mt Kembla lookout return Mt Kembla Village undulating 4.2km nth of Sublime some sand beach carpark steps carpark, Upper Point Lookout, turnoff walking Cordeaux Rd Old Princes Hwy 10 12 14 Special Nature of the Illawarra Bushland The natural bushland areas to the west of Wollongong not only provide a wonderful backdrop to the city but also have special significance as a biodiversity hot spot. This section of the Great Dividing Range with its rainforest gullies and eucalypt forests is home to a diverse range of native flora and Mt Keira to Robertsons Lookout fauna. The Illawarra escarpment also forms a vital green corridor Illawarra Escarpment Traverse Mt Keira Ring Track connecting the southern end of the Royal National Park south to M M Macquarie Pass National Park and beyond. Just west of Mt Keira Lookout and T A complete traverse (up to STANWE LL T This is an iconic Wollongong and Illawarra R K PA R K R K D E D E I connecting with the Mt Keira Ring Track a I L 16.5km) of the northern Illawarra Escarpment walk which circumnavigates L R E R E A S A S delightful walk climbs to a high point on S escarpment from Stanwell S R R Mt Keira but unfortunately is partly closed I I D D COALCLIFF B B the escarpment where there is a viewing Park to Austinmer with many due to a rock fall on the north side of the E E V V platform which provides extensive views I great view points and varied I Wollongong Visitor Information Centre L SEA CLIFF mountain. Do not let this put you off as L of the coastal plains and of Mt Keira C vegetation along the way. Highly BRIDGE the sections that are open are a great C itself. This walk can either be done as recommended. This walk forms rainforest experience. Best starting points Southern Gateway Centre, a side trip when on the Mt Keira Ring part of the long awaited, but not are either Byarong Park, a pleasant picnic Bulli Tops NSW 2516 R D Track or as stand-alone walk by parking yet fully constructed, multi-day spot in rainforest, which is part way up Mt E V Phone: 02 4267 5910 at the corner of Mt Keira Rd and Queen walk of the escarpment from the A Keira Rd from West Wollongong or the R G R Email: [email protected] Elizabeth Drive. The track starts just off Royal National Park in the north A H same start point for walk 10. QUEEN ELIZABETH DR WOMBARRA QUEEN ELIZABETH DR E the roadway to the southwest. to Mt Kembla and beyond in the C N E (also see walk 14) south. There is a section which can R MT KEIRA RD MT KEIRA RD W A now be walked in one day. Public L transport friendly. See separate brochure for more detail. [email protected] AUSTINMER Illawarra Branch www.npansw.org.au Find us on Facebook Ph 0416 325 266 ACCESS ACCESS ACCESS We would like to acknowledge the original custodians of this land we walk, the Dharawal people Up to 2hrs Up to 4km Medium Cnr Mt Keira Rd and Variable Up to 16.5km Variable Stanwell Park Station Up to 2hrs Up to 4km Easy - Medium Cnr Mt Keira Rd and return Queen Elizabeth Drive some steep Austinmer Station Queen Elizabeth Drive sections WCC5000843-JL. COVER IMAGE: DEE KRAMER IMAGE: COVER WCC5000843-JL. 1 3 5 7 Grand Pacific Walks locator billiesthings @ Mt Mitchell Lookout - Stanwell Park Helensburgh historic Railway - Glow Worm tunnel Austinmer to Sublime Point Lookout Tom Thumb Lagoon (Wollongong Greenhouse Park) Image: Adele Fraser, Image: Adele Fraser, L With a one hour steady climb from OW Helensburgh’s first railway station This iconic Illawarra walking track can be Just south of the Wollongong CBD, opposite the corner of E R Lawrence Hargrave Drive, just south of COAST was opened on 1 January 1889. It was accessed from Austinmer railway station Springhill Road and Bridge Street is Wollongong Greenhouse Park, STANWE LL R Stanwell Park village this walk passes D located between two single line tunnels (on foot or by car) by firstly crossing the a former rubbish dump site but now a bushland restoration project. Sydney PA R K through tall gums with plenty of bird at the junction of Tunnel Road and rail bridge to the west. Ignore Hill Street There is a perimeter circuit walk plus a trail to the top of the small RAWAL ST BUT TENSHAW DR MUR RD UITH sounds. It Joins the Forest Track and Vera Street. The short Helensburgh and continue up Balfour Road and on to the ASQ hill. A bit of an oasis in the industrial landscape. PA R K ascends about 250 metres before Tunnel was at the northern end of the E top of Asquith Street. At the T intersection S Campbelltown S finding a sizeable rock platform at station and was 80 metres long. The T turn left and a track head is found. A well J J KELLY PARK the highest point. There are majestic much longer Metropolitan Tunnel at the NEL RD formed track leads up the escarpment KEY T UN views north, east and south. For the southern end. (some 1000 steps) to the summit at Sublime MILLER ST south view walk a few hundred metres Point (alternative start point). There are five From Helensburgh Station exit the HELENSBURGH AUSTINMER further south on the trail to another resting stations and nine sets of ladders T main car park and cross Tunnel Road. S KEIRA ST LONG WALKS R view point. The cliff edges are not T before arriving to witness great views from H D Follow the open passageway along U T E N I BALFOUR RD VERA ST fenced making the walk unsuitable V N the top. For safety, always face the ladders U BRIDGE ST y A E Q an abandoned railway line passing an S w R L A G for toddlers. This is an excellent walk, R climbing up or down.