Gondwana Coast Fossil Walk

The Gondwana Coast Fossil Walk is a short walk that takes you across a 270-million-year-old rock platform at the edge of the sea in the harbour town of Ulladulla. The route passes the Ulladulla Sea Pool, continues along a stretch of beach and then out across the rock platform. At low tide, fossils of marine creatures are visible in the exposed rocks.

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Location	Ulladulla Harbour
When to do it	Low tide
Guided distance	Approximately 500 metres
Self-guided distance	Varies depending on how far around the rock platform you continue
Surface	Beach and rocks
Bring	Shoes with good traction. Consider bringing swimmers for the sea pool after the walk.

Yes, it’s a fun, straightforward short walk, particularly for families with children interested in fossils or rock pools. The self-guided option has a couple of limitations: the route is not signposted, and it can be difficult to recognise the fossils at first. A guided tour would provide more context and structure for first-time visitors. Our self-guided route involved clambering over slippery rocks, so it is best suited to confident walkers wearing shoes with good grip.

There is a guided tour that runs for approximately 2 hours and starts with a hands-on briefing that shows you what you’re looking for. Guided tours operate mainly during NSW school holidays and need to be booked in advance via the Ulladulla Visitor Information Centre or online. Payment is in cash on the day.

As the guided tours were not running on our last visit, we did a self-guided tour based on a map we picked up at the Information Centre. The walk is unique and, as it’s not signposted, it feels like you are discovering it for yourself as you wander along the beaches and across the rocks.

The notes below are based on our self-guided walk.

The Ulladulla Visitor Information Centre is a useful place to start. You can grab a coffee and pick up the self-guided map showing how to access the rock platform. This is particularly helpful because the route is not signposted or immediately obvious.

From the Information Centre, head across the road to the harbour and then south along Ulladulla Harbour Beach.

Walk behind the boat ramp, then continue along the harbour until you reach the Ulladulla Sea Pool. This is a great spot for a swim on a hot day after your walk across the rocks.

From the Sea Pool, walk along the beach and then across the rocks, continuing around the headland. From this point on, the rocks do get quite slippery, so you’ll want shoes with traction.

From here, start examining the rocks for traces of ancient marine creatures.

Continue around the first headland, across the rocks and sandy stretches. Once you spot the first fossils, you will begin to recognise them throughout the rock platform. Some are faint or layered, while others are immediately obvious.

When the tide and conditions allow, you can continue around the second headland to tiny Lobster Jacks Beach. Allow enough time to return comfortably before the tide rises.

Identifying individual fossils can be difficult when you are exploring independently. The Gondwana Coast Fossil Walk website has a handy guide to the fossils you may see, as well as a photo gallery that is useful to look through before you go.

The rock platform is around 270 million years old and formed from sediment deposited on a seafloor when this part of Australia lay closer to the Antarctic Circle. The water was ice-cold (below 5°C), and cold-water marine animals lived on or burrowed into the silty bottom. After they died, sediment buried their remains. Over millions of years, the sediment became rock, and then erosion exposed the fossils visible today.

The Brodie Park Geological Time Walk pairs well with the Gondwana Coast Fossil Walk. This 255-metre self-guided path has rocks and signs arranged chronologically to trace 500 million years of regional history.

One Track For All is a nearby Aboriginal cultural trail around the northern headland. The two loops take around 45 minutes to complete and pass through bushland with carved artworks, interpretive material and harbour lookouts.

Both walks are easy and level, with plenty of information panels for children to follow.

For more ideas around the harbour and nearby headlands, see our Ulladulla travel guide.