Illawarra Escarpment Track (Forest Walk)
New South Wales
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If you want to stretch your legs and take in some of the best views of the region, you can’t miss this - a bushwalk of the highest calibre.
The Illawarra Escarpment offers a full range of exciting walks. This extended hike combines several of the best, threading through magnificent cliff-top rainforest and dry eucalypts.
Start the walk at either Coalcliff (Wodi Wodi track) or Austinmer (Sublime Point track). Both trackheads are a short stroll from the train station. Your path then ascends sharply before snaking a leisurely 11km along Forest walk. Views are superb across the panoramic coast below, as you wander through upland swamps and tall blackbutt-apple shale forest. You’re bound to capture some inspiring photos here.
You can cap it all off with a post-trek barbecue: at Sublime Point lookout, the track takes a steep turn down to Austinmer via a narrow cliff ledge and several ladders. The nearby Lady Fuller park, featuring picnic tables and toilets, offers a fitting end to your challenging, but rewarding hike.
Getting there
Start/finish at Coalcliff and Austinmer railway stations. (Note that trains run every two hours only on weekends.)
By car:
- From Stanwell Park, follow Lawrence Hargrave Drive for approximately 1.3km
- The walk begins at the Wodi Wodi trackhead, on the right.
Alternatively, if starting from Austinmer:
- From Lawrence Hargrave Drive, turn into Moore Street
- Crossover the railway bridge and continue straight along Balfour Road
- Turn left into Asquith Street and take the next left into Foothills Road
- The walk begins at the Sublime Point trackhead, on the right.
By train:
- Take the South Coast line to Coalcliff station
- Walk north approximately 600m along Lawrence Hargrave Drive, to the Wodi Wodi trackhead. The walk finishes in Austinmer.
- Access to the Sublime Point trackhead is via Hill Street then Foothills Road
Maps
Which maps cover the area?
Route/Trail notes
From Stanwell Park, follow the Wodi Wodi track until you see an unsigned junction (around the 2km mark), follow the path uphill. The track continues along fairly well signed. You will eventually reach Point Sublime Lookout, after taking in the views continue along the cliffside (in front of the cafe) until you see the Sublime Point Track. Continue until you reach Austinmer.
Permits/Costs
NIL
Other References
https://hikingtheworld.blog/2019/04/07/illawarra-escarpment-track/
http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/illawarra-escarpment-state-conservation-area/forest-walk/walking
Coalcliff to Austinmer via Sublime Point (KML)
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