The Southern Highlands boasts an abundance of bushwalking treats with something for everyone from couch-loving Norms to summit hungry fitness freaks. Just over an hour south of Sydney on the Hume Highway, Mittagong is the gateway to this glorious region of country estates, Celtic markets, Georgian buildings, pine trees, cafes and boutiques bursting with antiques, arts and crafts.
For those who can tear themselves away from the imported trappings of the landed gentry, another world awaits. Venture into this part of the Great Dividing Range and you will be rewarded, naturally, by spectacular waterfalls, sandstone gorges, escarpment cliffs, quiet valleys, limestone caves, a glow-worm glen, rainforest, waterfowl-infested wetlands and some of the most rugged wilderness anywhere in NSW.
Several National Parks and Nature Reserves are easily accessed via roads linking the towns of Mittagong, Bowral, Berrima, Moss Vale, Robertson and Bundanoon. By far the largest at 189,481 ha, Morton National Park offers superb sandstone scenery. The Shoalhaven River has excavated a 500m deep gorge through the north of the park while tributaries have created narrow canyons where swimming and canoeing are popular. The middle of the park is mostly inaccessible wilderness while to the south Pigeon House Mountain, George Boyd Lookout and Little Forest Plateau provide excellent views to the coast.
Experienced bushwalkers can undertake some serious treks in Morton but numerous easier options are available around Bundanoon, Fitzroy Falls and Belmore Falls. Both Fitzroy and Belmore plunge off the plateau into rainforest gullies.
Couch-lovers seeking no more than a casual stroll can drive to several spectacular lookouts in this area and, hopefully inspired by their efforts, can also tackle the half hour amble to the Glow-worm Glen - reached from the end of William Street in Bundanoon.
Several longer walks fan out on well-marked trails from the popular lookouts, including Fitzroy Falls Walk (9.5km) and Shoalhaven River Walk (16km).
Fitzroy Falls Walk is accessed via the Fitzroy Falls Visitors' Centre (17km east of Moss Vale) on the road to Robertson while the Shoalhaven River Walk starts from Badgery's Creek Lookout - signposted off Caoura Ridge Road, 8km south of Talong.
Morton deservedly attracts most of the walkers bound for the Southern Highlands, but the alternatives each have their own special appeal. Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve is popular with bird watchers who flock to see some of the 80 species of waterfowl that inhabit the wetlands. Platypus sightings are also possible here with dawn and dusk the best times to spot these shy creatures.
Macquarie Pass National Park showcases some of Australia's most southerly subtropical rainforest on a rugged sandstone escarpment. A pleasant 2km walk to Cascades Waterfall passes through the rainforest with interpretative signs along the way. The walk starts from the carpark at the foot of the pass on the northern side of the Illawarra Highway, 7km east of Robertson.
Stunning sandstone geography and peaceful heathlands are features of Budderoo National Park off Jamberoo Pass Road, 8km east of Robertson. Here you can walk along the rim of the escarpment with excellent views towards the Illawarra coast and Minnamurra Rainforest. Well maintained walking tracks, including one suitable for wheelchairs, provide access to three lookout platforms with great views of Carrington Falls.
Further south, Budawang National Park is a rugged and remote wilderness area that will only appeal to the hardiest bushwalkers. The view from the summit of Mount Budawang is superb, but Norms will just have to accept that is so, based on the accounts of summit-hungry fitness freaks.
NSW National Parks can be closed at times of bushfire and bushfire danger. It is advisable to check with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service before you set off. Either phone 1300 361 967 (within NSW) or (02) 9253 4600 or visit www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au.
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Macquarie Pass National Park - some of Australia's most southerly subtropical rainforests grow on this parks rugged sandstone escarpment. A pleasant 2 km walk to the Cascades waterfall takes you through rainforest, with interpretive signs along the way giving you information about the park. The walk commences from the carpark on the northern side of the Illawarra Highway. Backpack camping is permitted in the park as long as it is more than 1 km from any public-access road.
Willy, Fairfield.
4WD
