Sandstone steps on the upgraded Wodi Wodi Walking Track in the Illawarra Escarpment. Photo: NSW Government.
Illawarra bushwalkers can again hit the trails in the Illawarra Escarpment with the reopening of the Wodi Wodi Walking Track.
The 2.15-kilometre upgraded track is the latest stage in the Great Southern Walk from southern Sydney to Bulli Tops.
National Parks and Wildlife Service’s South Coast branch opened the Wodi Wodi track on Monday, 23 December.
The $2 million upgrade took 18 months to complete in challenging, remote terrain, requiring multiple helicopter operations.
Track realignments were made to better manage and preserve cultural and environmental features, while stormwater management has been improved through grade reversals, drainage, and paved swales.
Classified as a Grade 4 Australian walking track, the mostly uphill route weaves through dense forest, features sandstone stairs and elevated boardwalks and passes through creeks and unique flora, offering ocean glimpses.
The Great Southern Walk will eventually be a 67 km coastal track from Kurnell in Sydney’s south to the Southern Gateway Centre at Bulli Tops.
It will incorporate existing walking tracks through the Kurnell Peninsula, the iconic Royal Coast Track and tracks through the Illawarra Escarpment, with some new connecting tracks in both Royal National Park and the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area and upgraded tracks in Kamay Botany Bay National Park.
The Illawarra section will link from Bald Hill and Stanwell Park, adjacent to the southern entrance to Royal National Park, through the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area to the Southern Gateway Centre at Bulli Tops. Locations for overnight campgrounds are being explored.
The project is due to be finished in 2025.
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