When was the last time you stopped at Bulli? Locals are highlighting the (many) reasons it might be time to reacquaint yourself. Photo: Bulli District.
You may think of Bulli as a transient stretch on the Princes Highway — a place you pass through on your way to Wollongong or the northern beaches. But a campaign from local businesses is combining with the launch of a new Urban Bushcare site to ask visitors to slow down, step off the main road and look again.
A new Urban Ecology Trail, the first chapter in Bulli District’s long-term ecotourism vision, is set to quite literally change the way people move through the suburb, linking its cultural pockets, natural corridors and increasingly vibrant town centre into one seamless experience.
The trail begins at Bulli Train Station, traces the laneway to Mailbag Hollow, and from there stretches toward the showgrounds and Grevillea Park.
It’s an invitation to reimagine Bulli not as a through-road but as a destination, according to district co-ordinator and local resident Balunn Jones.
“We’re looking to break down and reframe the misconceptions around Bulli,” he says.
The significant restoration effort at Mailbag Hollow, fuelled by a clutch of passionate and ecologically savvy community members, will form the cornerstone of the trail. Here, a pocket of endangered Illawarra Lowland Red Gum Grassy Forest is being restored, with opportunities for locals and visitors to take part in native planting, habitat-building and environmental learning.
Beginning in early 2026, volunteers will be invited to join Bushcare days every second Saturday, earning a $20 voucher to spend at any participating Bulli business. The idea is to turn a morning of conservation into a full day of food, music and coastal wandering.
Balunn says the model works because it brings the identity of the trail — connection, movement, ecology — into the town’s everyday rhythm.
“There’s already a natural corridor that runs with the creek, and we want to extend that out with some intentional landscaping, to create spaces where people can interact with that corridor, connect and learn more about some of the flora unique to the Illawarra and the many critters that move between the escarpment and ocean,” he says.
“I think that’s particularly important in urban settings, where that natural landscape starts to get lost.”
The trail will guide walkers from train to town, through bush pockets and community hubs, linking places that have long existed in isolation. It will transform the simple act of walking from the station to the hub. Visitors might stop to plant native grasses, meet a brewer, grab a pastry, talk to an artist, wander through a market or catch a rooftop sunset along the way.
The hope is to reveal Bulli as it’s known by residents: a cultural playground drawn from the talent and energy of its locals. Makers, bakers, designers, brewers and musicians have come together to present the town as a multi-stop adventure for summer travellers.
The district’s revitalisation, funded by the NSW Government’s Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, is not about reinvention so much as amplification — revealing Bulli’s layered identity through food, music, storytelling, nature and local pride. The vision is bright, bold and unapologetically communal.
Balunn believes collective experience is the district’s greatest strength.
“It provides a way for visitors to see a district with more than one reason to plan a visit,” he says. “When you come to know it, there are a lot of very interesting businesses in Bulli … and when taken together as one, you can build a real itinerary.”
That itinerary is quickly taking shape. Park Road Garage is launching a new evening service. Fitz rooftop has a Saturday DJ line-up designed to pull golden-hour crowds. Millers’ Local Bakehouse remains a pilgrimage for holiday pastries, and Bulli Markets continue every second Sunday, creating a natural weekend rhythm of browsing, swimming, dining and winding down.
Balunn is particularly excited about how the trail will connect these cultural pillars with other drawcards.
“Not everyone knows, for instance, that Grevillea Park is like an unofficial botanic garden. And the showground hosts some pretty major community events, including the annual Woodfest and the Illawarra Folk Festival,” he says.
“We want to create a pathway to allow people to move between those places and the many hospitality venues. To invite everyone to stay awhile, wander slowly and discover the town as its locals know it: a place where nature, community and culture meet.
For more information or to follow progress, follow Bulli District on socials or sign up for the newsletter at Bulli District.
