Hi,
I will be coming from Japan to attend a conference at the University of Wollongong between June 30 and July 5. I would like to do some worthwhile outdoor activities during this time, and would welcome any suggestions for day-trips, half-days etc. I will be relying on public transport and will be on my own.
Any advice for a Brit on a brief stopover would be most welcome.
Cheers,
Peter
peterburden
1
ryb
No chance of hiring a car?
The obvious is to take the train to Sydney - only an hour and a half away.
Otherwise, Minnamurra Falls is excellent (need a car) - a micro-climate rainforest and beautiful falls.
Walks in the Royal National Park - between Wollongong and Sydney are another idea. You can get the train to Otford for the beginning of some good walks. Royal national park Walking Tracks
Minnamurra
You could also catch the train to Kiama and take a look at the blowhole. Blowhole
2
nette
you can also walk up mount keira, which is directly behind the university campus. This would be a nice thing to do if you had around 2 hours break while actually at the conference. ask anyone on campus for directions to the track and follow it straight up to the top. great views from up there as far as the eye can see up and down the coast and out to sea.
also, there are beaches everywhere in the illawarra. I second the suggestion to bushwalk in the nasho (royal national park) - but apart from that you could also visit some of the closer attractions like thirroul and austinmer (great beaches, nice cafes). easily accessible by train (10 - 20 mins) or bus (30ish mins) from wollongong.
the nicest way to get to thirroul from wollongong would be to get a bicycle and cycle up the bike track - it follows the sea all the way up the coast for about 16 kms. a great way to experience the illawarra. it's flat, so pretty easy-going.
the track starts from either wollongong harbour, or if approaching it from the thirroul end, go from thirroul station along station st, then right on mcauley st, left on surfers pde and right on to tasman pde.
3
julie1
A fair bit of Mt Keira has been closed for walking for the last few weeks following a serious landslip.
You'd enjoy the train from Wollongong to Sydney, the scenery is spectacular. Sit on the right hand side/ eastern side of the carriage as you head north. Keep an eye open for whales, they're starting to move about now, and should be plentiful when you're here.
5
micwalkermac
I came up with a tour itinerary for some overseas students who joined my atheltics club. Though it's written for someone with a car at their disposal, you may still find it useful - most notably the attractions in the city itself. It contains a heap of links to other sites and, with a map, you could be able to figure out what's within your reach using public transport (and if you can't, you could always ask here for further guidance).
Day 1Wollongong tour - Day 1
Day 2Wollongong tour - Day 2
I hope you enjoy the place :)
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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