New multi-day walks for all abilities planned

The Illawarra's Great Southern Walk – part of the NSW Government's Great Walks Strategy and expected to provide a substantial boost to tourism – is on track to be completed by 2024.

The Great Walks Strategy outlines plans for 13 new multi-day hikes across the state, five of which are already in operation. But, of particular interest to those of us in the Illawarra is the Great Southern Walk, a planned 67-kilometre walk incorporating existing walking tracks through Kamay Botany Bay National Park on the Kurnell peninsula, the Royal Coast Track and tracks through the Illawarra Escarpment, with new connecting tracks in the Royal National Park and the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area and upgraded tracks in Kamay Botany Bay National Park.

The NSW Government announced the Great Southern Walk in June 2021 and construction started in late 2022 on the section linking Bald Hill to Stanwell Park.

The five-day/four-night Great Southern Walk is expected to be a huge boost for tourism. New camping and accommodation facilities have been planned for sites along the route, so walkers of all levels of fitness and experience can enjoy bush-walking with overnight stays.

As part of the strategy, two new campgrounds have been earmarked for the Royal National Park at Wattamolla and Garie, where camping platforms, basic huts, amenities and camp kitchens are proposed. Both sites have water with upgraded sewage treatment systems.

There may also be opportunities for guided multi-day walk experiences along the Great Southern Walk, led by either an Aboriginal-owned business or an operator partnering with the Aboriginal community.

The Great Walks Strategy includes multi-day walks "designed for varying levels of fitness and experience with a range of distances, grades and accommodation options to cater for as many walkers as possible", according to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.