If you didn’t know about this trail in advance you’d never find it. It begins at a truck stop at the side of the highway and heads into the bush on an unmarked track. What follows is a real surprise. The forest is beautiful right from the off, and the views from the top of the trail are spectacular. It’s one of our favourite things to do in all of Wollongong!
It’s a fairly easy walk, with a little rough terrain, but nothing too challenging and no sustained climbs.
We’re sharing all the track details, including how to find the trailhead, which is not as straightforward as you might expect!
The Brokers Nose Walk
The stats
Distance: 4.6km (total distance)
Elevation: 160m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Type of trail: Return
The Brokers Nose Trail is an easy - moderate track that is primarily through bushland before arriving at an epic lookout. The walk has a pretty rough section, but it doesn’t require scrambling, it’s just far from a smooth path.
We took one hour to walk to the lookout and back, but you may want to build in extra time to take in the views.
How to find the trail head
This was a bit of a challenge for us but happily it won’t be for you. The trail isn’t marked and Google Maps will try to take you on the most insane route ever! The hiking trail starts from a truck stop/layby directly opposite the Mount Ousley Road Car Park.
To get to it, you will need to pull off the road on the lane heading south (it’s a highway, so there’s no crossing over to it). The exact co-ordinates are 34°22'28.4"S 150°51'41.3"E and you can put this into Google Maps to find the exact location.
If you are coming from Wollongong you need to go up the Mount Ousley Road (M1) north towards Sydney. Take the Picton junction but take the turn to head directly back to Wollongong (i.e take the slip road back onto the Mount Ousley Road heading south). Then you’ll see a layby/truck stop that is about 100m after the slip road.
If you’re coming from Sydney then head south and look for a layby on your left just after the Picton junction. It’s easy to shoot past it, but you can loop back via the next junction.
The gate that guards the start of the trail
This trail is also used by mountain bikers, but we only encountered one at the very end of the walk and the terrain is such that for the most part they can’t go fast and whizz past you (which is what I hate about shared use trails!).
Starting the trail: into the forest
You’ll head past the gate and straight into some fairly dense bushland. The dirt path is narrow and stony, but it’s pretty flat for the first part of the walk. The forest is really pretty, we weren’t expecting it to be full of Cabbage tree palms and hanging vines.
There’s clearly a lot of wildlife around too because we could hear constant scurrying, but the bush was too dense to find out what they were!
The forest provides lots of shade for the majority of the walk, which is great if you’re hiking on a hot day.
As you may have realised with how hard it is to find, this track has no signposts and fairly early on you’ll see a side trail to your right which has a small amount of wooden boardwalk. Ignore this and keep to the main trail to stay on the Brokers Nose walk.
After 600m you’ll come out into a clearing. Walking to the right will offer your first big view, it would be spectacular, but there are huge power lines which definitely detract, don’t worry because nothing obscures the views from the top!
Onto the climb
From the clearing you head straight back into the bush for roughly 600m, before the vegetation changes and suddenly you’re walking in a little patch of rainforest.
It’s not difficult but it’s far from the smooth path you’ve had up to this point.
You can avoid part of it if you want to, by taking the obvious trail to the right, which is on a much smoother path.
They do join up a little further up the hill, so you can’t avoid the rough track completely though.
The lush vegetation on either side of the trail is really pretty and it continues to be nice and shady as you climb.
After about 800m the path flattens and smooths out. There are multiple side trails along this stretch of the track.
Many probably lead to the same place, but we took the one on the right at the 2.1km mark.
Onto the viewpoints
The trail is wider and exposed now that you’re out of the bush. You’ll pass an electricity pylon before arriving at the first viewpoint 300m after you leave the bush track.
The view is fantastic, we preferred it to the Mount Keira Lookout which we’d been to just before this walk.
There are no railings and there wasn’t anyone else around at all - which definitely made it even better - but it is a great view regardless.
You can see various beaches, Wollongong city, the lighthouse, Port Kembla and so much more.
To the right of the viewpoint is a collection of rocks which we assume are what the trail is named after, but to be honest with no signs or information boards we’re just guessing!
Just beyond the rocks is another lookout which is even more expansive than the first. We’ve loved looking down to the dense bushland which looks completely wild and untouched from above.
There is lots of room on the rocky platform to sit and relax, or have a picnic and the view could keep you occupied for hours! You’ll also see lots of graffiti carved into the rock which apparently dates back over 100 years!
It’s a fabulous view for such a short walk and definitely one of our favourite hikes in Wollongong so far.
Heading back
You continue back on the same trail. When we got the chance to take the smoother trail we took it and descending was quicker and easier.
None of the rocks or any part of the track were slippery (we hiked on a dry day) so the descent was really straight forward and we were down in no time.
Packing suggestions for the walk
Having the right gear can make a huge difference. Here’s what we pack and have relied upon for years:
Sunscreen: Cancer Council Active. With a high SPF, but not the greasy feel of other sunscreens. Makes a big difference when you’re working up a sweat on a sunny day! Check it out on Amazon
Good Rain Jacket: North Face This is an essential item we always pack in our bag! This jacket from North Face is designed to keep you dry but also comfortably warm (many rain jackets will make you feel like you’re in a sauna). Check it out on Amazon
Bushman Spray: Good for keeping off the mozzies and any other bugs. Check it out on Amazon.
Day Pack: Osprey Talon 22 (we’ve owned this for years). Check on Amazon or direct with Osprey
Hiking Boots: Merrell Moab (for men and women). We’ve both used these for over three years and they just keep going. Check them out on Amazon
Trekking poles: We’ve used Black Diamond for years as they are light, solid and durable. Check them out on Amazon.
Reusable water bottle: To avoid single-use plastic. Check them out on Amazon
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