When Sophia and I first tried to do this walk many years ago it was overgrown, and on that day we discovered the nearby Forest Walk, which goes to Sublime Point. I saw on Facebook that a friend had done the Wodi Wodi Track recently though, so I thought we would give it a go. It’s a fairly short circuit walk through eucalypt forest and rainforest, with some steep climbing and walking on roads. If you take a side trip near Stanwell Park station there are viewpoints over the suburb of Stanwell Park and the coast. Track notes at the end.
Wodi Wodi Track: The Scenery
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Track Notes
Not much in the way of track notes online, and although there were track notes in the older edition of A Day in the Bush, they took it out because the track was overgrown for a while. We started in the suburb of Stanwell Park near the beach and lagoon, and walked clockwise.
From the car we walked along the Lower Coast Road onto a narrow track and eventually Lawrence Hargrave Drive towards Coal Cliff station. Before you get to the station there is a signposted turnoff to the right which passes under the railway tracks through a tunnel, and then onto the Wodi Wodi Track. Along this track the aforementioned Forest Walk is a left turn and steep climb up the hill, and you can take this for a short while to get to a view point at the top. But the Wodi Wodi Track continues on, and eventually you must take a left turn off a fire trail to stay on this track. (If you accidentally continue straight you will start to realise that you’re descending back towards the coast prematurely, and so have missed the turn off).
The track starts to climb steeply up the escarpment, then levels out, and as you get near to Stanwell Park station there is a left turn which climbs steeply again up the escarpment to a junction. From the junction you can go left and keep to the left as a few other tracks branch off, and you eventually get to a vantage point with views over the coast. Going right takes you to Stanwell Tops, emerging at the back of a nice B&B, and Stanwell Tops Lookout is a short distance along the road to the right (the original lookout is unsafe, but there are nearby rocks which provide good views). Returning back down to the main track you take a left and are soon at the station. Walk back through Stanwell Park to wherever you parked your car, taking in the beach if you like.
It all sounds a bit confusing I’m sure, but I used my phone and Google maps to navigate the roads and work out that side trip. The Wodi Wodi track is marked, as is the side trip to Stanwell Tops, but the left turn at the fork to the vantage point is not marked at the time of writing – you’ll see it though.
Nearby Walks
If you’re interested in doing other walks in the Illawarra, or in the Royal National Park just to the north, then browse through the walks I’ve done in the area below. There are some real classics in the Royal National Park, especially along the coast.
Illawarra
When Sophia and I first tried to do this walk many years ago it was overgrown, and on that day we discovered the nearby Forest Walk, which goes to Sublime Point. I saw on Facebook that a friend had done the Wodi Wodi Track recently though, so I thought we would give it a go. It’s a fairly short circuit walk through eucalypt forest and rainforest, with some steep climbing and walking on roads. If you take a side trip near Stanwell Park station there are viewpoints over the suburb of Stanwell Park and the coast. Track notes at the end.
Wodi Wodi Track: The Scenery
————
Track Notes
Not much in the way of track notes online, and although there were track notes in the older edition of A Day in the Bush, they took it out because the track was overgrown for a while. We started in the suburb of Stanwell Park near the beach and lagoon, and walked clockwise.
From the car we walked along the Lower Coast Road onto a narrow track and eventually Lawrence Hargrave Drive towards Coal Cliff station. Before you get to the station there is a signposted turnoff to the right which passes under the railway tracks through a tunnel, and then onto the Wodi Wodi Track. Along this track the aforementioned Forest Walk is a left turn and steep climb up the hill, and you can take this for a short while to get to a view point at the top. But the Wodi Wodi Track continues on, and eventually you must take a left turn off a fire trail to stay on this track. (If you accidentally continue straight you will start to realise that you’re descending back towards the coast prematurely, and so have missed the turn off).
The track starts to climb steeply up the escarpment, then levels out, and as you get near to Stanwell Park station there is a left turn which climbs steeply again up the escarpment to a junction. From the junction you can go left and keep to the left as a few other tracks branch off, and you eventually get to a vantage point with views over the coast. Going right takes you to Stanwell Tops, emerging at the back of a nice B&B, and Stanwell Tops Lookout is a short distance along the road to the right (the original lookout is unsafe, but there are nearby rocks which provide good views). Returning back down to the main track you take a left and are soon at the station. Walk back through Stanwell Park to wherever you parked your car, taking in the beach if you like.
It all sounds a bit confusing I’m sure, but I used my phone and Google maps to navigate the roads and work out that side trip. The Wodi Wodi track is marked, as is the side trip to Stanwell Tops, but the left turn at the fork to the vantage point is not marked at the time of writing – you’ll see it though.
Nearby Walks
If you’re interested in doing other walks in the Illawarra, or in the Royal National Park just to the north, then browse through the walks I’ve done in the area below. There are some real classics in the Royal National Park, especially along the coast.
Illawarra
Royal National Park
Royal National Park
Two walks and two national parks for the price of one here, easily accessible in southern Sydney. Not really a views walk, there are instead a number of picturesque pools on this long circuit walk, most of them swimmable in warm weather, and on the day I took these pictures there were some very healthy Gymea Lilies in flower. You can walk between Heathcote and Waterfall train stations as one way walks with a return trip by train. (more…)
The Jibbon Head Circuit is the shorter section of a longer walk we’ve done from Bundeena to Marley Head in the Royal National Park. It’s a mostly flat walk at the northern most end of the park, and offers very attractive coastal scenery for relatively little effort, including secluded looking beaches and rocky sections. When combined with the section of the classic Coast Track between Bundeena and Marley Head it makes for an excellent coastal walk of moderate difficulty, and all within easy reach of Sydney. (more…)
The Royal National Park is the world’s second oldest, established in 1879. It sits on the south-eastern border of Sydney, encompassing about 30km of picturesque and often dramatic coastline. The coastal sections are dominated by unique heathland, cliffs, rock formations, headlands, lagoons and sandy beaches. Further inland there are eucalypt forests and patches of rainforest.
(more…)
The Royal National Park Coast Track is a classic 26-29km walk along the full length of the park’s coastline, just south of Sydney. There are unspoilt sandy beaches galore, shear cliffs, prominent headlands, interesting rocks, heathland, lagoons, pockets of forest, and even a palm jungle. There are a bunch of shorter day walks that take in sections of this walk, but only the full walk allows you to properly overdose on quintessential NSW coastal scenery. (more…)
This walk in the Royal National Park combines two tracks, the Wallumarra Track and Forest Path, and takes in a variety of vegetation including heath, woodland, and finally subtropical rainforest. There are no sweeping vistas on offer but a satisfying enough walk nevertheless; the tall palms and rainforest scenery of the Forest Path are particularly attractive. This section can be done as a shortish circuit walk from the stone gates where Lady Carrington Drive meets Sir Bertram Stevens Drive. (more…)
