Waratah Park / Oval Cycling Track

Waratah Park Cycling Track is a purpose-built, traffic-free cycling facility at Waratah Park in Sutherland, NSW, and one of the key hubs for road cycling in Sydney’s south. Sitting within the park’s large sporting precinct on Rawson Avenue, the facility caters for everything from riders learning to cycle through to fast-paced club criterium racing. The cycling facility features three loop configurations, allowing the course to be adapted for different training and racing formats. Sutherland Shire Council lists the longest circuit at around 1.2 kilometres, while current sanctioned racing also uses 900-metre and 1.5-kilometre configurations. The longer race circuit combines a fast downhill section, sweeping corners and a climb back towards the start/finish area, making repeated laps considerably more challenging than the distance might suggest. When it isn't booked for organised activities, the cycling track is open to the public year-round, providing a controlled environment away from normal road traffic. It's suitable for recreational riders and beginners as well as experienced cyclists wanting somewhere to work on fitness, cornering and speed. Organised club sessions and events take priority, so it's worth checking what's happening before making a special trip. Waratah Park has a strong club-racing scene and is home to Sutherland Shire Cycling Club, while Southern Cross Cycling Club also regularly races at the circuit. Criteriums cater for multiple grades and juniors, and the venue hosts larger events including the Southern Cross Junior Tour. There's also something here for the mountain bikers. Beside the cycling circuit is the Waratah Park Mountain Bike Short Track, featuring tight and twisty corners, jumps, rock gardens and multiple riding lines. That makes Waratah Park a particularly useful spot for developing bike-handling skills as well as putting in road-training laps. RTS TIP: Waratah Park is a great option if you want to practise riding fast without mixing it with Sydney traffic. Put in a few laps of the criterium circuit, or bring the MTB and have a play on the short track. If you've ever thought about giving crit racing a go, check the local club calendars too — there's regular graded racing here, making it an easy place to take that first step onto a start line.