Rainforest walking track
Robertson Nature Reserve
Overview
An easy walk along Rainforest walking track in Robertson Nature Reserve, near Wollongong, is the perfect way to recharge the batteries. Stroll under the rainforest canopy and enjoy birdwatching and wildlife spotting along the way.
- Where
- Robertson Nature Reserve in Country NSW
- Distance
- 0.6km loop
- Time suggested
- 15 - 30min
- Grade
- Grade 1
- What to
bring - Drinking water, hat, sunscreen
- Please note
- Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go birdwatching
- The weather in this area can be extreme and unpredictable, so please ensure you’re well-prepared for your visit.
Prepare yourself for a journey back in time as you enjoy a leisurely stroll along on this easy walking track.
Stroll along the wheelchair-friendly walking track and surround yourself with the dense rainforest that once covered the landscape around Robertson. Looking up at the sheer density of the vines, you can see why the Yarrawa Brush, as it it’s known, was so difficult to penetrate for early explorers.
If you’re keen on birdwatching, keep your binoculars handy and you might just spot Lewin's honeyeaters, white-browed scrub hens, crimson rosellas, wonga pigeons or satin bowerbirds. You’re sure to at least hear the distinctive whip crack call of the eastern whipbird.
Look out for wombat burrows, and if you look really closely, you might even notice the delicate rainforest snails and other invertebrates picking their way through the ferns and mosses.
Map
Map legend
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/robertson-nr-rainforest-walking-track/local-alerts
General enquiries
- National Parks Contact Centre
- 7am to 7pm daily
- 1300 072 757 (13000 PARKS) for the cost of a local call within Australia excluding mobiles
- parks.info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Park info
- in Robertson Nature Reserve in the Country NSW region
Robertson Nature Reserve is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Rainforest walking track.
Track grading
Features of this track
Distance
0.6km loop
Time
15 - 30min
Quality of markings
Clearly sign posted
Experience required
No experience required
Gradient
Flat
Quality of path
Well-formed track: The walk is a 1.5m-wide gravel track.
Steps
Occasional steps: Along the path there are several small steps that range from between 5-15cm in height.
Other barriers
Pinch points: There may be points along the walk where the track narrows between hanging vines, but the vines can be manoeuvred around and pushed out of the way.
Getting there and parking
Get driving directions
Rainforest walking track starts at the northwestern corner of Robertson Nature Reserve. To get there:
- Once in the township of Robertson, turn onto Meryla Street from the main road.
- Follow to the end then turn left onto South Street
- Continue until you see the sign on your right
Parking
Parking is available on South Street at the start of the walk in a grass carpark.
Best times to visit
There are lots of great things waiting for you in Robertson Nature Reserve. Here are some of the highlights.
Autumn
Breathe in the crisp fresh air as you walk through the dense rainforest.
Spring
Take a short stroll through the rainforest and discover its ancient secrets.
Summer
Escape the crowded beaches and enjoy cool temperatures under the rainforest canopy.
Winter
Rug up and experience the beauty of the misty rainforest in winter.
Weather, temperature and rainfall
Summer temperature
Average
11°C and 26°C
Highest recorded
25.5°C
Winter temperature
Average
2°C and 14°C
Lowest recorded
2.2°C
Rainfall
Wettest month
February
Driest month
September
The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day
549.7mm
Facilities
Seats and resting points
There are 3 bench seats evenly distributed along the loop walk.
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Rainforest walking track is a flat, gravel loop track that's 1.5m wide. There are 3 bench seats at regular points along the walk where you can rest.
There are some points along the track where people with reduced mobility may need assistance:
- Along the path there are several small steps that range from between 5-15cm in height.
- There some sections where the track narrows between hanging vines, but the vines can be manoeuvred around and pushed out of the way.
- Parking is in a grass carpark at the start of the walk. Some assistance may be needed to get across the grass to the trackhead.
Prohibited
Pets
Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.
Smoking
NSW national parks are no smoking areas.
Learn more
Rainforest walking track is in Robertson Nature Reserve. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
Historic rainforest
The dense rainforest you’ll find at Robertson Nature Reserve once covered 2500ha of the red basalt soil area around Robertson. The Yarrawa Brush, or ‘Brush’, as it was called by the early explorers who were trying to forge a route from the highlands to the coast, was first penetrated by Charles Throsby in 1817. However, the area was not significantly cleared until the 1860s, when settlement around Robertson began. But by the early 1900s, more than 80 per cent of the Yarrawa Brush was gone. Today, only about 500ha of fragmented patches survive, making Robertson Nature Reserve a special window into the past as well as an important place for conservation.
Natural wonders
Robertson Nature Reserve is a tiny 5.3ha reserve, but it’s packed with natural wonders. It conserves one of the largest and least disturbed areas of rainforest remaining from the Yarrawa Brush. Step inside this dense cool or warm temperate rainforest and you’ll find unique shrubs, soft tree ferns, numerous vines and intricate fungi. Look up into the canopy at trees like sassafras, featherwood, coachwood and possum wood. Watch for the flashes of crimson rosellas darting through the trees or listen for the whip crack call of the eastern whipbird.
- Rainforest walking track An easy walk along Rainforest walking track in Robertson Nature Reserve, near Wollongong, is the perfect way to recharge the batteries. Stroll under the rainforest canopy and enjoy birdwatching and wildlife spotting along the way.