Stanwell Park

The Royal National Park (the world’s second oldest), provides the ideal ‘warm up act’ to the stunning views that burst forth at the Bald Hill lookout high above Stanwell Park. From here, you can see all the way down the coast to Wollongong.

Bald Hill now offers a new walking path that descends through the vegetation taking in stunning views of the coastline below. Beautifully constructed using sandstone buffers to make well spaced steps, an extension of the iconic Coast Track through Royal National Park, long beloved by walkers since the 1920s. Ideal for day trippers.

In favourable winds, you’ll also have front row seats to witness the colourful hang gliders taking off and soaring through the sky, landing on Stanwell Park’s beach below. It was on that same beach way back in 1894 that aviation pioneer Lawrence Hargrave made one of the world’s first successful flights – a full decade before the Wright Brothers!

To stand on the beach today,with the escarpment’s cliffs towering above, gives you an otherworldly feel – like you’re transitioning from one world to another. And in a way, you are – with all of Wollongong’s wonders ready to unfold.

One of those wonders is just around the corner – the impossibly photogenic 665-metre Sea Cliff Bridge, a joy to drive, walk or cycle across. For a different experience, cruise it from the back of a Harley-Davidson with Just Cruisin’ trike tours or get the bird’s eye view with Touchdown Helicopter Tours.

Stanwell Park also is just a short drive from Sri Venkateswara Temple – one of the most famous Hindu temples outside of India or family fun to be had at the nearby Symbio Wildlife Park – packed with a diverse range of animals, including everything from koalas and kangaroos to cheetahs, and meerkats!