Helensburgh (New South Wales)

Helensburgh is a far northern suburb of Wollongong around 45 kilometres south of the Sydney CBD.

Understand
Halfway between Sydney and Wollongong, at the southern end of the Royal National Park, and surrounded by bushland. It has a population of about 6,400 residents (2016). Helensburgh is colloquially known among the locals as "The Burgh" (pronounced "berg").

From Sydney
Main route - Take the Princes Highway, or Heathcote Road if you are coming from the West/Menai follow the road until you reach the Motorway, stay on the Motorway until you reach the Helensburgh Stanwell Park turnoff (First Exit).

Scenic route - Take Farnell Avenue from Loftus or McKell Avenue from Waterfall. Turn right off McKell Avenue and follow Lady Wakehurst Drive (if you are coming from Waterfall) until you reach the seaside (you cannot miss it) then turn right onto Domville Road (Blind Corner) near the Pie Shop follow it down (Steep Descent) to Otford Road then turn right (narrow bridge – one way traffic only) then down across the causeway and up the hill (Steep Road) till you reach Walker Street turn right and you will reach the main shopping center.

Alternative route - Take the Princes highway, or Heathcote Road if you are coming from the West/Menai follow the road until you reach Waterfall (ensure you are in the right hand lane) and follow arrows to the right pass the Illawarra sign to Old Princes Highway. You will pass Garrawarra Hospital. Follow that until you reach Parkes Street (roundabout) Turn left follow Parkes Street to main shopping centre.

From Wollongong
Main Route - Take Mt Ousley Road (M1 Princes Motorway) or Bulli Pass (B65) (Northern Suburbs) follow it for awhile until you reach Bulli tops. Keep left to stay on the M1 Princes Motorway. Stay on the Motorway until you see the sign Helensburgh/Stanwell Park first turnoff once on the Motorway. Turn right after exiting the motorway and stay on Old Princes Highway. You will see a roundabout after the underpass. Take the 2nd exit to stay on Old Princes Highway. When you reach the next Roundabout take the 2nd Exit onto Parkes Street. Follow Parkes Street to main shopping centre.

Scenic Route - Take Memorial Drive north towards Bulli where you will merge onto Princes Highway. Stay in the left lane pass Bulli. Your exit will be the left lane over the bridge into Thirroul. Follow Lawrence Hargrave Drive all the way through to Stanwell Park. The road at this point will start climbing up to Bald Hill (Steep). Turn Left or Turn Right for Bald Hill Lookout. There are 2 ways from here. If you turned right at the top to see Bald Hill Lookout. Upon leaving Bald Hill turn right follow road to the fork. Keep left and follow Otford Road to the township (Narrow Road). If you turned left keep following Lawrence Hargrave Drive till you see Walker Street on the right down the hill. Turn Right (Indicate Early) follow Walker Street to Shops.

By train
Catch the 4- or 8-car SCO service which depart hourly during weekends and off peak. (Peak times vary) You can catch this train from Bondi Junction P1/2, Edgecliff P1, Kings Cross P1 or Town Hall P4 in peak hours only and on the weekends. Normal services stop at Central (Platform 25 or 4 to 14). Redfern (Platform 12 or 2). Wolli Creek P4, Hurstville, Sutherland. Some Services stop all stations to Waterfall during peak periods. (Waterfall is Weekends only). Then alight at (Rear 6 Cars Only). The main township is about 30 minutes walk if you are a fast walker, 1 hour for slow walkers (Majority Steep Hills)Train Timetable

There is a local bus Route 15 available to transfer you to the Main CBD of Helensburgh. This trip takes around 15 minutes or so. Not all trains are serviced however the majority are.

Bus Timetable

By bicycle
There is a cycle lane running alongside the Princes, if you don't mind cycling alongside the 110 km/h traffic (or 120km/h as many vehicles tend to speed along there) with a rumble strip to protect you.

The Royal National Park route towards Stanwell Park and Helensburgh is a popular recreational cycle with the lycra-clad, especially on weekend mornings. People choose this route for the challenging hills rather than a utilitarian method of access, and the roads have narrow shoulders and cars and motorbikes taking on the hills and curves as well.

By taxi
Taxis run from Sutherland to Helensburgh, however they can be very expensive.

There is also an Uber running from Helensburgh.

See






Go next

 * Royal National Park
 * Stanwell Park
 * Wollongong