The short
| Distance | 5km Loop – shorter options available |
| Grade | Easy |
| Type | Carrier, pram options available |
| Time | A couple of hours |
| Conditions | Mostly flat, some stairs, a mix of shared paths and bush tracks, pet friendly |
| Facilities | Adventure playground, Picnic tables, bbq’s, car parking, toilets, netted baths, shared paths. |
| Getting there | Car – Situated in Oatley West, South of Sydney, there is plenty of free parking onsite or surrounding streets. |
Oatley park is a bush wonderland in suburbia. This 5km loop is an easy, scenic walk with some great spots to stop for a mid walk picnic with bub. But you can choose your own adventure, there is a great network of tracks and paths to suit whatever style and length you and bub want!
The long
Access
Oatley park is situated in the western part of Oatley, 20kms south of Sydney. There are plenty of free parking options available within the park or in the surrounding the streets.
The nearest train station is Oatley. It is a 1.5km mostly flat and straight forward pram accessible walk from the station if you’re travelling by public transport.
If you are after a coffee stop or lunch supplies before heading to the park, you will pass Oatley west village on your way. This cute and tidy shopping strip contains a number of great cafes. We had a post walk lunch at Edmons and Greer which boasted a lovely outdoor courtyard that fit our prams and even better, a proper change table!
The trail
Choose your own adventure
There are a network of tracks and paths across Oatley park which will allow you to choose your own adventure. For mums with prams, stick to the shared paths that loop around the park. There are a number of lookouts you can visit and a stroll past Oatley castle and along the baths would be a lovely way to spend a morning.
For mums looking to get off track and into the bush, there are also a network of bush foot tracks to take. Explore the map or go and choose your own adventure following trails at a whim – Oatley Park is not big enough to get lost!
5km Lime Kiln Bay and Jewfish Bay Circuit
If you are interested in a longer walk, here is a 5km circuit around Lime Kiln bay and Oatley Park which will give you and bub a good dose of bush.
Total climbing: 161 m
You can choose to start the trail at any point in the circuit, however I usually start at the end of Oatley Park Ave, near the main entrance of the park and do a anticlockwise loop of the trail. Walk down the hill on Dame Mary Gillmore Rd to where the road meets Lime Kiln Bay reserve and head down onto the bush track.
Soon after entering Lime Kiln Bay Reserve there is an option to shorten the walk and cut back into Oatley Park by taking a trail which forks off to the left – due West.
For the longer circuit, continue right to follow the trail around Lime Kiln bay wetlands. Continue on the trail, keeping left to stay within the reserve and you will eventually pop out at the bottom of the Hurstville Golf course. Continue west and follow the boardwalks through the mangroves.
When you pop out at the edge of the park and residential area, go left and you will cross a footbridge over Lime Kiln bay. From here head up the hill on the bitumen road about 400m into Oatley Park.
At the top of the hill, look out for a track which drops down into the bushland and follow this around as it hugs the promontory around Jewfish bay. This is the most scenic part of the walk. Keep following the foreshore until you get to Oatley Baths. This is a great spot to stop for a picnic, toilet break or splash with bub. Oatley Castle is up the short hill from the baths and a great place for little adventures to explore.
Looking back towards Lime Kiln bay from the headland track 
Looking back towards Como Bridge 
A quick stop for a splash 
From the baths, follow the foreshore almost to the end and take the set of stairs up to a bush track and follow it to the right to continue on the circuit. You will eventually pop out at Douglas haig street. Head up the reserve between the park and houses until you arrive back at your car!
For a shorter 2km version which takes in all the best scenery of the park, start at the Adventure park and enter the strip of bushland immediately south, this is the headland track. Follow it until the end and you will reach the intersection of the shared paths. From here, go immediately right, across the road and then drop into the bush track. This is the headland track and will follow the promontory around until you reach the baths. Take the road up from the baths back to the intersection of the headland track and retrace your steps back to the adventure playground!
Total climbing: 62 m
More info – resources
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/lime-kiln-bay-and-oatley-park
