Stanwell Park is a northern suburb of Wollongong, the centre of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The settlement is home to about 1400 people, a dormitory and satellite suburb for commuters to the nearby cities of Sydney and Wollongong, and a popular tourist destination.

For Wikivoyage purposes, this includes greater Stanwell, which includes Stanwell Tops and Otford.

Understand

History

Stanwell Park was established on land granted to Matthew John Gibbons in 1824, encompassing the present-day Stanwell Park and Coalcliff. This area was part of the larger northern Illawarra region, known as Bulli. It was originally inhabited by the Wodiwodi Aboriginal clan of the Dharawal (Tharawal) people, it gained historical significance when three shipwrecked sailors survived a challenging coastal journey, with two perishing near the present-day site of Sea Cliff Bridge. Explorer George Bass noted the rich coal seams in the cliffs.

Gibbons placed a convict named John Paid in charge of the Stanwell Park farm, but Paid used the secluded valley as a hideout for a bushranger gang he led under the alias Wolloo Jack. This gang terrorised the Bargo to Liverpool area until Paid and some of his gang members were executed in 1829.

When Governor Lachlan Macquarie visited Stanwell Park in 1822 he remarked that: "On our arrival at the summit of the mountain, we were gratified with a very magnificent bird's eye view of the ocean, the 5 Islands, and of the greater part of the low country of Illawarra ... After feasting our eyes with this grand prospect, we commenced descending the mountain ... The whole face ... is clothed with the largest and finest forest trees I have ever seen in the colony."

The valley continued to attract notable people: Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, one of Australia's best-known explorers built the first house at Stanwell Park; Supreme Court Judge John Fletcher Hargrave later owned and holidayed in the area, his inheritance coming to Lawrence Hargrave, one of the world's most important aviation pioneers of the 1890s in the lead-up to powered man flight. He performed his most important experiments at Stanwell Park. Lawrence Hargrave moved to Hillcrest House, having inherited it from his brother Ralph Hargrave, in 1893. It is on the road up to the Stanwell Park railway station.

Landscape

Stanwell Park is decently hilly. However, this is not the case in whichever direction you come from. Rather, the terrain is pretty steep, and often cyclists are asked to dismount when going uphill. However, there is a narrow 40 m stretch to the south where the road passes through, it is a lot less steeper, but all the roads to the west can't be seen – due to the hills.

Get in

By car

From Princes Motorway (M1), exit onto Lawrence Hargrave Drive and follow it for 10 mins.

By train

1 Stanwell Park Station is the only station within Stanwell Park. The closest other stations are either in Otford or Coalcliff, all of which are served by the South Coast Line (SCO) between Port Kembla or Kiama (both branches of SCO stop here) and Bondi Junction.

Get around

Most of the area in Stanwell Park is walkable. TfNSW bus route 15 connects Stanwell Tops to Stanwell Park Station and Helensburgh.

See

• 1 Articles Fine Arts Gallery, 111 Lawrence Hargrave Dr, ☏ +61 2 4294 2491. A local art gallery with a mix of traditional and quirky styles. (updated Jun 2021)
• 2 Bald Hill Lookout, Lady Wakehurst Drive, Stanwell Tops. One of the 'gong's most famous coastal lookouts with great views of Sea Cliff Bridge from afar. It is a pain to get to on foot, though. (updated Sep 2023)
• 3 Otford railway tunnel, Chellow Dene Ave (southern access in Stanwell Park via a side track from Chellow Dene Ave). An abandoned rail tunnel that once formed part of the South Coast Line between Stanwell Park and Otford. It stretches for 1.57 km one-way – however, the northern section is private property and the tunnel may be closed at any point in time. (updated Sep 2023)
• 4 Stanwell Park Viaduct (Curved railway viaduct over Stanwell Creek Gorge) (note: best viewed by rail since it's difficult to access on foot). This viaduct built in the 1910s above Stanwell Creek Gorge – the specific route was chosen due to problems with the old railway route, forcing the construction of a new track higher up the mountainside. At 65 m (213 ft) above the creek bed, surrounded by rainforest and containing around five million bricks, it is the largest railway viaduct in Australia. (updated Sep 2023)

Eat

• 1 The Beach Kiosk, 2A Station St. (updated Jul 2021)
• 2 Uluwatu Blue, 1/109 Lawrence Hargrave Dr, ☏ +61 2 4204 3620. Outdoor dining/cafe. (updated Sep 2023)

Sleep

• Fernleigh Cottage Bed & Breakfast, 69 Stanwell Ave, ☏ +61 2 4294 1991, +61 409 304 094. Check-in: 2PM. (updated Jun 2021)
• 1 Ocean Blue B&B, 9A Murrawal Rd, ☏ +61 429 009 400. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM. (updated Jun 2021)

Go next

• Royal National Park
• Helensburgh (New South Wales)

Routes via Stanwell Park

Bondi Jcn ← Helensburgh ←

N  SCO  S

→ Coalcliff → Wollongong