New Cycling and Walking Trails Announced

Sydney, NSW

The New South Wales government will spend $80m creating the state’s first “multi-day walks” including a five-day, 59km hike from Botany Bay to the Illawarra.

NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean said a new mountain biking network will also be created across the Escarpment and become a major drawcard for visitors to the area.

“This new mountain bike track will offer riders over 44 kilometres of uninterrupted, sustainably managed track between Mount Keira and Mount Kembla,” Mr Kean said.

“Both this signature walk and biking network are major initiatives that will not only make our national parks more accessible to a broader audience but also bring new visitors to this spectacular region,” the state environment minister, Matt Kean, said.

Upon further research, it appears that Minister Kean’s announcement regarding the cycling element of the new trails is somewhat premature and optimistic. According to well informed sources the project still has a number of hurdles to jump. On the positive side, the state government is currently funding a detailed review of environmental factors which covers geotechnical, flora, fauna and heritage considerations. Fieldwork for this study should be finished by the end of July with the report due by late 2021.

Unlike the walking trail, this 44 kilometre proposed MTB project would not be a point to point trail, but a series of beginner, intermediate and advanced trails winding through the escarpment that forms the backdrop to Wollongong.