Barren Grounds Nature Reserve is situated at the southern end of the Illawarra Escarpment, inland from Kiama. There’s a few easy to moderate walking options that we’d done in the past (based on the Griffiths Track loop), but the route depicted here is a longish (19km) walk along the Kangaroo Ridge Trail, which continues to the edge of the escarpment for views over the NSW South Coast. The area is notable for its bird life, and contains a combination of heath and forest vegetation.
There’ll probably be people around on the Griffiths Track, but you should have the Kangaroo Ridge Trail pretty much to yourself.
Track Notes
Information on Barren Grounds can be found on the NPWS website. There are maps at the car park so you don’t really need track notes. You start on the Griffiths Trail walking clockwise, then take a left turn onto the Kangaroo Ridge Trail, which eventually leads to the edge of the escarpment. (We turned around at the escarpment, although I think it’s possible to continue on to Drawing Room Rocks, which can also be visited on a much shorter but steeper walk from the bottom of the escarpment.)
You can return the way you came, or continue clockwise around the Griffiths Track back to the start.
Kangaroo Ridge Trail: The Scenery
