By Garry McDougall
Last weekend, on a sunny day watching the hang gliders on Bald Hill, I followed the landing area to the new walking track to Stanwell Park.
It is beautifully constructed using sandstone buffers to make well spaced steps, an extension of the iconic Coast Track through Royal National Park, long beloved by walkers since the 1920s.
Once upon a time, people walked from Bundeena to Otford rail station, but now you can join the coastal footpath to Wollongong.
However, this is not the new track's purpose. It descends to Stanwell Park, traces the beach, and joins the Wodi Wodi Track to the south-west. Excellent for day walkers, but long-distance walkers will probably buy supplies from the local shops, and join the Wodi Wodi via the station track.
The $22 million being spent is funding track construction and accommodation cabins attractive for national and international holidayers. A tour operator has been chosen to lead people from the Botany Bay start to the Panorama Lookout.
As an advocate of the Great Escarpment Track – Bundeena to the Shoalhaven River – this project dovetails with ours. Our track traces the length of the Illawarra Escarpment, Bundeena to the Kangaroo Valley and the Shoalhaven, a true challenge for young and old.
Locals have been championing this for 30-plus years. All the regional Councils back it, but funding has been sparse. With the new track, we have 50 to 60km continuous track, or one-third complete.
More good news. National Parks plans the next stage, an extension along 'The Bench’ behind Thirroul and Bulli, all the way to Balgownie. This passes through glorious rainforest, occasionally meeting our mining heritage. It's a short hop to Mt Keira and Kembla, extending the track by another 20 kilometres.
I’m pleased to see the Illawarra consolidate and rationale its tracks, as they are largely haphazard, and often neglected. A unifying track that anyone can join guarantees greater usage and commitment to the magnificent escarpment. This is the Illawarra’s distinctive feature, and must not be eroded by urban or infrastructure development.
Day and long-distance walkers rejoice. This is the region’s attractive challenge at everyone’s doorstep. The track route has a fantastic variety of landscapes, with plenty of ups and downs, great views, covering town and wilderness, a great outdoor experience.
To keep in touch with developments and join day walks, see our Friends of the Illawarra Escarpment Track Facebook page
About the writer
Garry McDougall is an author and artist. He co-initiated the Bicentennial Great North Walk, the 250 km walk joining Sydney to Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. Last year, he won the regional Art-in-Unusual-Places Grant, and is currently completing his sixth novel, Sea Voices.
