Illawarra Escarpment

Illawarra
Lookout from the Illawarra Escarpment above Wombarra over the northern Illawarra plain viewing Austinmer, Thirroul, Bulli, Wollongong up to Port Kembla in the far distance.
Highest point
Peak	Bells Hill, New South Wales
Elevation	803 m (2,635 ft)
Coordinates	34°37′S 150°36′E / 34.617°S 150.600°E / -34.617; 150.600
Dimensions
Length	92 km (57 mi) NNE
Geography
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Region	Illawarra
Range coordinates	34°20′S 150°50′E / 34.33°S 150.83°E / -34.33; 150.83Coordinates: 34°20′S 150°50′E / 34.33°S 150.83°E / -34.33; 150.83
Geology
Orogeny	Sydney Basin
Age of rock	Tertiary

The Illawarra escarpment, or officially the Illawarra Range, is the fold-created cliffs and plateau-eroded outcrop mountain range west of the Illawarra coastal plain south of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The range encloses the Illawarra region which stretches from Stanwell Park in the north to Kiama, Gerringong and the Shoalhaven River in the south.

Bells Hill, west of Knights Hill, is the highest point in the range at 803 metres (2,635 ft) AHD  on the range's plateau; with a number of other peaks on the escarpment ranging from 300 metres (980 ft) to a maximum of 768 metres (2,520 ft) at Mount Murray southwest of Dapto.

The escarpment or scarp was created between 225 to 280 million years ago and since eroded by creeks to its present height around 30 million years ago. Most of it is sandstone, with many Hawkesbury sandstone boulders and ledges visible in addition to the actual cliffs. Its maximum heights are reached in the south, west of Albion Park at Knights Hill, 709 metres (2,326 ft), and Mount Murray, 768 metres (2,520 ft). This forms the eastern edge of the Southern Highlands plateau, uplifted along with the Blue Mountains around 70 million years ago.

Many of the towns on the coastal plain adjacent to the escarpment were first founded to harvest the cedar trees on the slopes of the escarpment or the coal seams beneath it. With the original logging industry of the area came the need for passes over the escarpment, creating such ones as Rixons Pass, Bulli Pass, O'Briens Road and Macquarie Pass. The city of Wollongong is the central city in the Illawarra.