The walk from Wolli Creek Station to Sydney International Airport is surprisingly pleasant (unlike the $14.87 per person access fee at the Airport station). It’s also pretty easy.
According to Google Maps, it’s a 2.7 km walk that will take over 33 minutes. The reality is quite different. I met my flying friends, David and Alan, to test it out. It turned out to be just under 2 km and took around 25 minutes. That’s at least partly due to a brand new, shared cycle way that Google Maps doesn’t know about yet. I’ve captured the walk on Strava, showing the more direct route.
To get to Wolli Creek station, you can catch either the Airport line (getting off at the stop after International) or the Illawarra line, whichever suits you best.
From Wolli Creek to Sydney International Airport
Wolli Creek station is quite new. This means that there are lifts, making it easier to get your bags off the platform. Once you are out of the station, cross the pedestrian crossing and turn left towards Woolworths.
Stay on the Woolworths side, as you’ll need to cross over the Princess Highway to Cahill Park. You then follow the waterway through the park. There’s a short deviation around the rowing club before you turn left over the Marsh Street Bridge.
Once over the bridge, follow the underpass along the shared bright blue cycleway, with the Cooks River to your right and the Airport straight ahead.
You’ll then emerge from car park number 7, immediately in front of the arrivals hall.
Tip: If you are walking from the Airport to Wolli Creek, head into the P7 car park. Go up one level, past the bike storage area and then follow the bike path signs. This is not signposted at all.
The walk is quite flat, on well-formed paths. It would be very realistic to drag your baggage over the distance. Much better than the cobbled streets of Europe!
On the walk we saw a few employees returning from the Airport, but no one who looked like an international passenger.
Wolli Creek or Tempe?
We walked to Tempe on the way back. It’s a longer walk and the second half of the walk couldn’t be described as scenic. There’s no disabled access at the station and there are fewer trains. It’s a no-brainer: consider Tempe only briefly and then head to Wolli Creek.
Summary: We were surprised at how scenic the walk was, particularly when compared with the Mascot to Sydney Domestic Terminal Walk. This could be a great way to tire your legs before a big flight or to start your jet lag recovery. If you have the time and it’s a sunny day, the consensus from David, Alan and myself was that we’d really consider it.
Love the tip 👍 And if you could include a nearby cafe to spend your savings on that would also be great!
We had a $1 frozen coke at McDonalds… that left us $14 to spend…
Thanks Points Brotherhood
If coming from domestic airport and want to walk to Wooli station could u please describe how u get onto the path. I know I should work it out in reverse from your description but can’t quite do it.
I did the walk to Wooli a number of times 20 yrs ago when it was just a dirt track, used by airport employees so am delighted to see it’s still accessible and even upgraded.
Hi Leonie, I have only walked to the International Airport to Wooli Creek and not the domestic airport.
Followed these instructions and made it in 22 mins from Wolli creek – saved $16!
Thankyou so much Drew! I tried to find a walking route on my own – it was a nightmare. Your instructions saved the day!
My wife and I walked to the airport, then from the airport, using Wooli Creek station. It was a breeze. Concrete path all the way, and very little gradient. Good weather and a comfortable pair of shoes, and only one piece of luggage to drag along, made it very achievable for those of us with average health. Well done for providing pedestrian access without the fees, especially for the 1,000s who work there.
Thank you very much for this direction. It was so easy to follow and helped me save some bucks in my current situation.