Illawarra Escarpment Track (Forest Walk)

New South Wales

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.

Lookouts
Public Transport
Coastal
406m
Maximum Elevation
677m
Total Climb

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

 

Comments

Liked this walk but Point Sublime has awesome views. Recommend doing this one of a clear day to ensure maximum views at the lookouts. The decent at the start of the Sublime Point Track is quite strong. There's also several ladders to climb. Legs were like jelly at the end.

rob.bushman on 15 Nov, 2014

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