Saddleback Mountain (New South Wales)
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Saddleback Mountain is a mountain in New South Wales, Australia which rises to about 600 metres above sea level and has spectacular views of Noorinan Mountain and south to Coolangatta Mountain and Pigeon House Mountain to Ulladulla, and north over Lake Illawarra, the Illawarra escarpment and to the Cronulla Sandhills and Kurnell Oil Refinery on a clear day.
When viewed from Kiama and Shellharbour it has a distinctive saddle shaped peak and is connected to the southernmost tip of the Illawarra Escarpment, Noorinan Mountain by a high ridge, on which is Hoddle's Track, built by early surveyor Hoddle and once stretched from Bowral to Kiama before a more suitable route was found quickly over the escarpment.
Its summit is reached by Saddleback Mountain road which goes from Kiama to the summit via a steep turn-off. Saddleback lookout, near the electric towers on the summit and the Western and Southern lookout has fine views and is popular with tourists and motorists who drive up the winding picturesque road to the summit which passed dairy country common in the area.
The foothills go down to Kiama and Gerringong and the sea and down to Jamberoo valley and Minnamurra River. The entire area was once a subtropical rainforest known as the Illawarra Scrub but is now restricted to a small area around the summit lookout.
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