Sublime Point Track & Forest Walk, Northern Illawarra, NSW

A walk from Austinmer to Coal Cliff along the Illawarra Escarpment, with excellent coastal views and a variety of attractive forest types.

Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra

This walk from the pretty suburb of Austinmer to Coal Cliff first climbs steeply up the Illawarra Escarpment to Sublime Point, where there are excellent views down the coast towards Wollongong (although a bit hazy on the day we did it). There’s a restaurant/cafe here in case you’re already hungry and/or thirsty. You then take the Forest Walk north, with more coastal views along the way. There’s attractive forest scenery throughout, including rainforest and open forest.

The track drops down the escarpment near Coal Cliff. The end of the Forest Walk connects with the Wodi Wodi Track, and you can continue on to Stanwell Park (which would be quite a long walk). Take a train from either Coal Cliff or Stanwell Park back to Austinmer, or do a car shuffle. And of course you can do the walk in the reverse direction.

Sublime Point Track & Forest Walk: The Scenery

Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
A hazy view south over Thirroul and beyond.
Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
Although Bottlebrushes are all over our towns and cities, I don’t often see them in the wild. This seems to be the season for them.
Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
Flannel Flower. One of my favourites.
Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
These were dainty.
Sublime Point and Forest Tracks, Illawarra
Either a very small armadillo, or a large native cockroach. He was heavily armoured.
Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
Looking down towards Stanwell Park beach. There were heaps of hand gliders in the distance. A bit too small to show up in my photo. They looked like a flock of giant seagulls.
Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
A photo-worthy bug.
Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
Not seen these wildflowers before.

And a couple of pictures from another occasion we did this walk in 2016…

 

Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
There’s coal in them there hills!
Sublime Point Track and Forest Walk, Illawarra
Angophora Costata (Smooth Barked Apple, or Sydney Red Gum): one of my favourite trees in the area.

Author: Edward Hathway

I'm a clinical psychologist and keen hiker.

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