Joining a bushwalking club is a great way to undertake more challenging bushwalks than you might feel comfortable tackling on your own (or with friends) – as well gaining knowledge and walk ideas from experienced bushwalkers. (The minor downside is that larger groups can be a bit slow, and you may need to adapt your walking pace to align with the group.) Despite having walked mostly solo for many decades, joining a bushwalking club has allowed me to safely tackle a few harder bushwalks that I would have been reluctant to do on my own.
There are over 60 bushwalking clubs listed on the Bushwalking NSW – Clubs by Location or Name page across NSW. Some of the most active bushwalking clubs around Sydney include:
Catholic Bushwalking Club
Formed in 1943, the Catholic Bushwalking Club is one of the oldest bushwalking clubs in Sydney. It runs a wide variety of bushwalks across Sydney, with mostly easy grades and the occasional challenging walk. To become a Full Member you need to complete 4 Club walks.
https://www.cbcnsw.org.au/
Springwood Bushwalking Club
The Club has an average of 4-5 bushwalks per week, mostly on weekends. There’s a wide variety of bushwalks, mostly in the Greater Blue Mountains but also in Sydney’s north. The Club also offers a number of multi-day hikes in Australia and overseas. Full membership requires an ‘Introduction walk’ & 3 Club walks.
https://www.springwoodbushwalker.org.au/
The Bush Club
Founded in 1939 and one of the most active clubs in Sydney, The Bush Club generally has at least one bushwalk on every day of the week. There are a variety of bushwalks from Social/Easy to Hard across Sydney, as well as multiple multi-day and commercial trips across Australia and overseas. Full membership is attained by completing 3 qualifying walks (one of them being a Prospective Members Induction Walk).
https://www.thebushclub.org.au/
Upper Blue Mountains Bushwalking Club
Active program mainly in the Blue Mountains National Park, Wollemi and Gardens of Stone, with 2-3 mostly hard bushwalks on most weekends and a couple during the week. UBMBC also has an average of one (technical) canyoning trip a week during the warmer months. Membership is fairly relaxed, with no minimum number of walks required by new members.
https://ubmbc.org.au
Alternatively if you have a specific bushwalk in mind or want to try canyoning (most bushwalking clubs expect you to have completed some training before taking part in a technical canyon trip), you can join a commercial tour or engage a guide.
Blue Mountains Adventure Company
This is the place to go for day walks., multi-day bushwalks, abseiling. canyons, climbing and mountain-biking in the Blue Mountains (they also cover Snowy Mts and Warrumbungles). Range of grades from Easy to Advanced.
https://bmac.com.au/
Epiphany Tours
Group Walks and Private Full Day Guided tours to some spectacular locations across a number of national parks around Sydney. Private tours can be customised, but the suggested tours include many locations that no other guided tours cover.
https://epiphanytours.com.au/
Lifes an Adventure
A range of guided multi-day bushwalks across NSW, Australia and the world, as well as the option of Private Group Walking Tours and Self Guided Tours.
https://www.lifesanadventure.com.au/