Waratah Park MTB Short Track

Overview

Waratah Park MTB Short Track is a small, purpose-built mountain bike circuit tucked into the bushland behind the Sutherland Shire Cycling Club (SSCC) clubhouse at Waratah Oval, in the Sydney south suburb of Sutherland. The track was constructed in 2005-06 on a single parcel of bush behind the clubhouse and packs a surprising amount of variety into a tight footprint — tight switchback corners, jumps, rock gardens, berms, short technical descents and multiple alternative lines woven around the available terrain. It is floodlit, which makes it the only piece of dedicated MTB singletrack in the southern Sydney suburbs that can be ridden after dark.

The track is best known as the home of the SSCC Short Track MTB Series — a monthly, family-oriented race series that has run since the mid-2000s and is a Bronze-level event on the AusCycling MTB calendar (and at times has formed part of the National Cup). Riders aged from about 3 to 65+ turn out for short, lapped XCC-style racing. Future Olympians Rob Woods and Sid Taberlay, and Australian MTB representatives Josh Fleming and Perren Delacour, all raced laps here in the early years.

Outside of race nights the track is open to the public, free, and is widely recommended as a perfect introduction to mountain biking for children and beginners. More experienced riders use it as a midweek skills/fitness lap and then cross Rawson Avenue / the Princes Highway down to the trails of the Royal National Park for longer rides.

Location & Access

• Address: Waratah Park, 40 Rawson Avenue, Sutherland NSW 2232 (SSCC clubhouse is at the rear of the oval — locals also reference 42 and 48 Rawson Ave for the clubhouse itself).
• Region: Sutherland Shire / Southern Sydney.
• Coordinates: -34.0442, 151.0535
• Drive times: ~40 min south of Sydney CBD via the M1/Princes Hwy; ~10 min from Cronulla; ~5 min from Sutherland railway station.
• Public transport: Sutherland railway station (T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line) is ~700 m north — easily ridden or walked.
• Parking: On-site car park at Waratah Oval / SSCC clubhouse, plus surrounding street parking on Rawson Ave and within the park.

Best Season & Conditions

• Rideable year-round; Sydney coastal climate.
• Sandstone-derived soils — drains reasonably well but the short track does get slick and is closed briefly after heavy rain to protect the surface (informal — check SSCC Facebook for "racing cancelled" notices).
• Monthly SSCC Short Track MTB rounds run roughly Feb–Dec; in summer rounds tend to be evenings under lights, in winter the racing moves to Saturdays.
• Floodlights extend the usable day in autumn/winter — particularly useful for after-work midweek laps.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

• Land manager: Sutherland Shire Council (Waratah Park is a council reserve, 22 ha of mixed parkland and bushland).
• Track manager / builder: Sutherland Shire Cycling Club (SSCC) — built and continues to maintain the short MTB loop, has held the right to operate cycle racing at Waratah Park since 1973.
• Club website: https://sutherlandshirecyclingclub.org.au/
• Club MTB contact: mtb@sutherlandshirecyclingclub.org.au
• Club general contact: contact@sutherlandshirecyclingclub.org.au
• Council customer service: 02 9710 0333 (general; not MTB-specific).

History & Background

• 1973: SSCC negotiated the right to run cycle racing at Waratah Park, Sutherland — origin of the criterium circuit still in use today.
• 1990s: ~70 active club racers; the park's status as a southern-Sydney cycling hub is locked in.
• 2005-06: Short purpose-built mountain bike track constructed in the bush at the rear of the clubhouse. Quickly becomes a training/race venue.
• Mid-2000s onwards: Track raced on by future Olympians Rob Woods and Sid Taberlay, and Australian MTB representatives Josh Fleming and Perren Delacour, as well as generations of junior riders.
• 2022: Round 5 & 6 of the SSCC Short Track Series hosted as part of the AusCycling MTB XCO National Cup at Sutherland.
• 2023: SSCC publishes "Sutherland Shire Cycling Club — A Short History", documenting the club's 60+ years.
• 2025-26: Monthly Short Track Series continues; round results on race|result. Some race-night cancellations on social media (e.g. 17/10/25, 12/12/25 — heat/weather).

Recent News & Updates

• 2026 SSCC race calendar v7 published; Short Track Round 5 of 2026 was scheduled for 18/04/2026.
• "Racing Cancelled" posts (17 Oct 2025, 12 Dec 2025) confirm SSCC will pull race nights when conditions are unsafe — useful pattern for any rider planning around scheduled events.
• White Horse Point Score Series ran Oct–Dec 2025 (road) — confirms the club remains active multi-discipline.

Sources

1. Waratah Park, Sutherland — Sutherland Shire Council — accessed 2026-05-19. Council park entry; address, facility list.
2. BMX and mountain bike riding — Sutherland Shire Council — accessed 2026-05-19. Mentions track features, lighting.
3. Sutherland Shire Cycling Club — #OneClubAllCyclists — accessed 2026-05-19. Operator/club homepage; describes "short purpose-built mountain bike track behind the clubhouse" and access to Royal NP across the road.
4. Waratah Park Cycling Track, Sutherland — bgradecyclist — accessed 2026-05-19. Independent race-course write-up.
5. Waratah Track — Trailforks — accessed 2026-05-19 (403 to scrape; URL captured).
6. 2022 AusCycling MTB XCO National Cup — SSCC Short Track Series Rd 5 & 6 — AusCycling — accessed 2026-05-19. National Cup status confirmation.
7. Cycling and Mountain Biking — Visit Sutherland Shire — accessed 2026-05-19. Tourism listing.
8. SSCC Short Track Round 2026 Round 5, 18/04/2026 — race|result — accessed 2026-05-19. Round timing/contact.
9. History of Sutherland Shire Cycling Club recorded in new book — The Leader — accessed 2026-05-19. 1973 club track origin; club longevity.