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Beautiful Wangi Point Circuit Track

Lake Macquarie

Wangi Point Circuit Walking Track

Located on the western shore of Lake Macquarie, the Wangi Point Circuit Walking Track is a great walk through Australian coastal bushland. This 1.8km loop takes about 45 minutes to walk, but took us longer as we took in the wonderful views over the lake. The track is well formed and easy to walk, unless you decide to take some of the offshoots. These can lead down to the lakeshore, and can be steep and rocky, but provide amazing views of the coast and waterways.

Parking

A small parking area on Reserve Road, provides a small area for a limited number of cars. No facilities are provided, so you will need to be prepared before you arrive here. A large map next to the parking area provides directions to the walks in the area and typical walking times.

Wildlife

During our walk, we saw seagulls and cormorants, but white-faced herons and white-breasted sea eagles also live in the area. Other walkers we passed said they saw a seal on one of the rocky beaches, but it was gone when we arrived.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Nowra New South Wales Australia

Hanging Rock

How to Get There

Only two and a half hours drive south of Sydney, Nowra is a great place to explore the nearby Kangaroo Valley and Shoalhaven District. Public transport by train and bus goes to Nowra, but you will then need to organise personal transport to explore outside of the town.

Where Did We Stay

While in Nowra, we stayed at Springs Shoalhaven, because it was in a quiet location and had an on-site restaurant at the adjoining club. The clean rooms and great views over the golf course we a nice place to relax before going out for dinner. The meals at the club were great and the staff friendly.

Nowra’s Buildings

Wandering through Nowra’s business district, we found several nice old buildings, which were worth stopping to look at.

Nowra Street Art

Walking through the central shopping district of Nowra, you will come across many pieces of excellent street art decorated buildings. Mostly located around the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, others can be found in side streets, which makes them fun to track down while exploring.

Ben’s Walk

The walk loops around the Shoalhaven River, through its gorges and forests. The walk begins at the Nowra Showground, where you can enjoy a barbecue, and superb views of the river and mountains from Hanging Rock. The complete track provides a return walk of about 5.5 kilometres taking around two hours. A short return walk from the footbridge to the Showground and Hanging Rock takes around 10 minutes. A suspension bridge provides a fun crossing of the river.

Soldiers’ Monument

Opened in 1931, this memorial commemorates all those who served in conflicts that involved Australia. The bronze statue represents an Australian soldier, his helmet and rifle discarded now that has won and returned home, but remains forever vigil.

Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum

The museum has an almost complete collection of the aircraft operated by the RAN.  This ranges from the early 1950s when HMAS Sydney and Melbourne were acquired to a recently retired Seahawk helicopter.  A purpose-built air-conditioned building houses all the displays. Inside a raised mezzanine floor provides an excellent overhead perspective of the displays.  This is something that many aviation museums are lacking.  There is also plenty of space between each display so that they can be seen easily without the crowding that some museums use.

To read the full story of our visit there, follow the link.

RAN Fairey Firefly AS.5 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
RAN Fairey Firefly AS.5

What Did We Think of Nowra?

A great place to stay with a range of activities to do and things to see. We used it as a base for exploring Kangaroo Valley and further afield to Kiama and the Illawarra.

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Karloo Pools Track Royal National Park

Karloo Pools

Karloo Pools Track

Getting There

Heathcote railway station is a great place to start the Karloo Pools Track, having ample car parking, or providing easy access from Sydney’s rail network.

We chose to use the train from Central Station, which was a quick and convenient trip taking just under an hour.

From the train station, walk through the car park, past the Sutherland Shire Rural Fire Brigade building to the start of the track.

Information Board
Information Board at the Start of the Track

The Karloo Pools Walking Track

NSW Parks and Wildlife maintain the track and manage the Royal National Park. They give the track a rating of three, meaning that it is well sign posted, with some steep areas and unformed paths and is moderately challenging.

Compared to other grade 3 and 4 tracks we have walked, this would be at the high end of grade 3. Several steep areas also had steep slopes adjacent to the track, so care was needed not to slip down.

The walk starts with an easy walk through eucalyptus forest, passing the outskirts of Heathcote before descending through the valley. In places you need to climb over rocks, but the scenery is amazing and worth the effort.

Climbing up to opposite valley, you are rewarded with views over the National Park. From here the track descends to the Karloo Pools.

Karloo Pools

Surrounded by forest and rock outcrops the pool’s setting is picturesque and rewards your hour’s walk to get there. Whether you want to relax in the shade, swim in the pool or sit on the rocks, it’s a great place to enjoy lunch.

This is a popular swimming hole, it is often crowded particularly in summer, so be prepared to share it with others. Although we only saw a few people on the walking track, several dozen were there when we arrived around 10:30am.

We relaxed there after the walk, had lunch and spent time taking photos before walking back to the train station.

What Did We Think?

We thoroughly enjoyed the walk and pools, as it was a little challenging, with a great reward. Remember to wear good walking shoes, because you will need them in some of the more difficult places. There is no lifeguard on duty so take care when swimming and supervise children. It is also important to check the the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service’s page, because the park may be closed, or warnings in place.

Our photos are available for purchase on

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.