We're back for 2021

We’re COVIDsafe and we are back for 2021!

Registrations are now open for the 2021 Great Illawarra Walk.

Things will be a little different this year, but rest assured we are working as hard as we can to make sure the event goes ahead in a COVIDsafe manner.

What will be different this year?

• Every walk participant will be required to complete a health declaration as part of their registration. This declaration ensures everyone has been screened appropriately prior to event day.
• We will be capping the walk numbers at 500, so register now - first in best dressed! This is to make sure we aren’t going over the recommended outdoor numbers as dictated by NSW Health.
• We’re encouraging all walkers to stay in small groups, with their own households or families where possible.
• In line with health recommendations, we won’t be encouraging mass gatherings. We have staggered our start time – the early birds can kick off from 6am and those who fancy a Saturday morning sleep in are welcome to start up to 7.30am at Addison Street, Shellharbour. When you arrive, we’ll have COVID marshalls on hand to help you ‘check in’ to the event on the Service NSW app.
• As with previous years, we will also have additional starting points at Warrawong, Wollongong and Fairy Meadow, and we will stagger those start times accordingly.
• We will have professional COVID marshalls on hand to check temperatures and we will have plenty of hand sanitiser to go around – although it’s always a good idea to carry your own as well!
• T-shirts will need to be collected prior to the day, to ensure minimal contact on event day. Details about shirt collection will be made available on the website soon.
• Headlands Hotel Austinmer will be hosting the after party once again, but numbers will be capped as per the venue’s COVIDsafe plan.

*CHECK OUT OUR COVID SAFE PLAN HERE*

Saturday 13 March, 40km from Shellharbour to Austinmer

WHERE DO WE WALK?

The 2021 Great Illawarra Walk begins at Bean Roasted Espresso Bar Shellharbour (Addison Street) between 6am and 7.30am on Saturday 13 March and finishes at Headlands Hotel Austinmer.

Check out the route section of the website for a full breakdown of the walk route.

Great Illawarra Walk - Route Overview

Depart Shellharbour Village – Bean Roasted Espresso Bar, Addison Street

Depart Warrawong – Wave FM, Hoskins Street

Depart Wollongong – One Agency Property Division, 103 Kiera Street

Depart Fairy Meadow – One Agency Property Division, 19 Princes Highway

Arrive Headlands Hotel Austinmer

One Agency Property Division will once again be providing regular water stops along the way - although it's still a good idea to have a drink bottle with you to stay well hydrated.

Headlands Hotel Austinmer - The After Party

Join us for an end of walk celebration at the Headlands.

The walk finishes at Headlands Hotel Austinmer, with a finale party throughout the afternoon. Most walkers are expected to arrive early afternoon - plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy a beverage (or two!).

Join the The Great Illawarra Walk in 2021!

The Great Illawarra Walk is once again calling on Illawarra residents to don their walking shoes for the annual Great Illawarra Walk on Saturday 13 March 2021.

We have made the decision, in conjunction with Chloe Saxby’s family, to support research into Vanishing White Matter (VWM) Disease at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) at the University of Wollongong (UOW) for the third year in a row.

Chloe sadly lost her battle with VWM late last year at the tender age of 12.

For those who don’t know the background to this great event, local girls Chloe Saxby and Holly Burns were diagnosed with an extremely rare and degenerative brain disease almost ten years ago. Vanishing White Matter Disease, for which there is no cure or treatment available, is a progressive disorder that mainly affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

In 2018 it was announced that – thanks to local charities Saving Chloe Saxby and the Great Illawarra Walk - Australia’s first research into Vanishing White Matter Disease would take place right here in Wollongong. This research is continuing through 2021, and we will do our best to support it.

The Great Illawarra Walk, now in its fourteenth year, is donating all monies raised from the 2021 event to this worthy cause. 

The event runs over one day, with participants walking up to 40km across the Illawarra. Participants can choose to walk any distance between Shellharbour and Austinmer. 

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