Bushwalking is a great pastime to enjoy with children. Not only does it get them outside and away from screens, it teaches them about flora and fauna.
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While little legs may not be able to handle a long bushwalk, there are plenty that are perfect for kids, weather permitting. Many are also close to amenities such as visitors' centres, picnic areas and bathrooms, making it a great family day out.
There are plenty of child-friendly bushwalking tracks right here in the Illawarra and surrounds for you to try out these school holidays.
PLEASE NOTE: Parts or all of NSW national parks sometimes close due to heavy rains or other dangers. Please go to the alerts page and search for the park you wish to visit before setting off.
Read more: What to do in the Illawarra
Lyrebird loop walk
Ideal for walking with children, the beautiful Lyrebird loop is located in Budderoo National Park and takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
The 1.6-kilometre loop will take you through rich, remnant rainforest teeming with diversity and gives you a bird's eye view over the primeval world as you wander the elevated walkway.
This easy walk takes you across suspension bridges, viewing platforms and interpretive signs along the way, making it a huge hit with kids.
You will view subtropical, dry, riparian and temperate rainforest and be impressed by the sheer variety of flora in this fragile ecosystem.
Look out for bird's nest ferns, strangler figs and colourful orchids.
Carrington Falls walking track
This short, family-friendly walk starts from Carrington Falls picnic area in Budderoo National Park before looping around the edge of the escarpment and past several lookouts.
It offers a number of different views of Carrington Falls waterfall, which cascades 90 metres down to the Kangaroo River below.
Soak up the natural beauty from Falls View lookout, before making your way down a steep metal stairway into a shady rainforest gully.
The track then climbs back up the escarpment, passing Valley View lookout beside Carrington Falls before returning to the picnic area.
The walk is just 600 metres long and takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy a picnic at the end.
Spring and summer sees the area come alive with vibrant wildflowers, including waratahs, and you may see a lyrebird scratching in the undergrowth or spot a swamp wallaby or long-nosed potoroo.
But beware, snakes are common in the area, so keep an eye out for red-bellied black snakes, copperheads and tiger snakes in summer.
Details: Click here
Illawarra lookout walking track
Located in Barren Grounds Nature Reserve, this two-kilometre return walk takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete and is an easy way for walkers of all ages to experience spectacular views, colourful wildflowers and amazing birdlife.
Starting from Barren Grounds picnic area, the short trail takes you along an undulating path through woodland and heath before you arrive at Illawarra lookout.
From there, you can take in views of the hinterland, rolling green hills and stunning coastline before returning to the picnic area for a relaxing lunch.
Along the way, look out for an echidna waddling across the track and an abundance of birdlife, including the threatened ground parrots and eastern bristlebirds that make their home in the area.
Details: Click here
Belmore Falls walking track
Belmore Falls walking track in Morton National Park is a 1.8-kilometre return walk that takes 30 minutes to one hour to complete.
Starting at Hindmarsh lookout carpark, you will follow the escarpment past several lookouts, before arriving at the last one, which provides views of the waterfall.
You will see sandstone flora including honey flower, banksia, wattle and tea-tree while enjoying magnificent views of Kangaroo Valley.
PLEASE NOTE: All access to the base of Belmore Falls, including from this walking track, is permanently closed for visitor safety. This includes Hindmarsh and Belmore Falls lookouts and picnic areas. Access to the top of Belmore Falls, including from the Belmore Falls Road causeway, is also prohibited to protect visitor safety.
Cascades Walk
One of the most popular bushwalks for children is Cascades Walk in the Macquarie Pass National Park.
This easy two-kilometre return walk will take just 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes to complete but you will be rewarded with a rainforest adventure through a eucalypt forest, past a creek and on to the beautiful cascades.
The rainforest itself is a haven for lyrebirds, platypus and goanna, and you will be surrounded by native figs, lilly pilly trees and lianas.
As you wander through the under-storey of ferns you will see lizards and birds.
Children will love the variety of birds and plant life, so why not count how many they can find.
You can end the walk with a relaxing lunch at Cascades picnic area.
Details: Click here
Maddens Falls track
This short and easy walking track in Dharawal National Park is a great one for children. It takes you to a lookout that offers views of the waterfall dropping from Maddens Creek to the pools below.
It is perfect for spotting birds, such as honeyeaters, red wattlebirds and golden whistlers, as well as tree frogs, brown froglets and banjo frogs.
There is plenty of colourful vegetation at the falls base including acacias, native river roses and lush, sprawling ferns. While you are there, try and spot the rare fern-leaf grevillea with its toothbrush-like flowers.
Summer is a great time to visit as flowers are still in bloom. Visit in April and you will see the falls at their peak.
After viewing the falls, head back along the track to the picnic area.
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