From Wikitravel

The Royal National Park [1] is located in on the southern fringe of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia around 35km south from the city centre.

For other places with the same name, see Royal National Park (disambiguation).

[edit] Understand

The Royal National Park is the second oldest national park in the world. It is easily accessible from Sydney and is popular for picnics, walking and other recreation. The picnic areas within the park are largely at Audley, next to the Hacking River. The boatshed and Visitor's Centre are there too. However there are many other picnic areas within the park, and many other areas to explore.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By Train

Cityrail has services from Sydney City to Loftus, Heathcote and Waterfall stations which are on the western perimeter of the park. These services run with 30 minute frequency and take around 45 minutes for the trip. Audley and the coastal areas of the park are a considerable walk from these access points. Walk from Loftus along the tramline and the 45 minute easy walk to Bungonia Lookout over the river and Audley. Consider it you want to walk down the hill to Audley (or more to the point, consider if you want to walk back). From Waterfall follow the Uloola track for 3 hours to Audley passing Uloola falls.

Cityrail runs hourly services to Otford on the southern boundary of the park. This is an access point to the southern end of the coast walk. It is a 10 minute steep uphill walk from the station to the park boundary. About an hour walk to Werrong beach or two hours to Burning Palms beach.

Cityrail runs services to Cronulla to meet a ferry to Bundeena. This is an access point to the northern end of the coast walk. The trains run every 30 minutes and the ferries run every hour. Don't expect them to connect. Turn left out of the exit to the station, and then left through the railway underpass to get to the ferry. About 5 minutes walk. It is 15 minutes walk from the ferry wharf at Bundeena to the park. You will to know where you are going, and consult a map. Topographic maps of the park can be viewed online at the New South Wales Lands Department. Bundeena has a nice beach by the side of the wharf, and nice cafes. It is not strictly speaking within the park, but it is surrounded by it.

Loftus Tramway Museum runs hourly trams from Loftus station to the top of the hill at Audley every hour on Sunday. It is a steep 30 minute walk down to the main picnic areas at Audley. You could probably walk as fast as the tram though.

[edit] By Car

You can drive into the park at Audley, at Waterfall and at Stanwell Tops. Follow the signs from the Princes Highway. A entry fee applies for all cars taken into the park. Sometimes there are attendants at the gated entryways selling entry tickets. Even when these are not on duty you are expected to pay. Rangers check cars for displayed tickets in the parking lots. You can buy tickets from the Visitor's center and the kiosks. You do not have to pay if you are just passing through the park and do not stop. There are parking and picnic facilities within the park.

[edit] Get around

There are well developed roads for cars within the park, and these can be used to access the walking trails and the major picnic areas. There is plenty of parking at the main picnic areas.

Cycling is permitted on the trails but not the tracks, and can access many areas that cannot be driven to. The main roads through the park are steep and hilly, with many bends, and with cars that invariably exceed the speed limits and advisory corner speeds.

Many areas of the park can only be accessed by walking.

Maps of the park are available for purchase from the visitors centre in Audley, or many map and bookshops around Sydney. Individual brochures for the walks and beaches are available at no charge. Detailed topographic maps are viewable online at the NSW Lands Department.

[edit][add listing] See

The historic boat shed, river, wier and picnic grounds at Audley. For more things to see visit the Royal National Park Photo & Video Gallery

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit] Walk

Stay safe. Carry enough water for your trip, water is not usually available in the park, and what water there is is often not safe to drink. Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back. Although the park is not of the scale of other Australian National Parks, it is still possible to become lost.

The park is one of the best places to do day walks from Sydney. You can walk along spectacular sandstone cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean with views to the north to Sydney or to the south to Wollongong. Alternatively you can walk in the river valleys behind the headlands. There you will find tall rainforest trees such as the Lilly Pilly Acmena smithii or the fragrant Celery wood Polysias elegans.

Some of the walks are described on the park web page

• Lady Carrington Drive from Audley or Forest Island. This is a well marked trail from Audley, and probably the most popular walk in the park. You can cycle this trail as well with a mountain bike. It is mostly flat, wide and follows the Hacking River.

• Coast walk. The Coast walk is a 30km walk starting at Bundeena and ending at Otford. See the section above on how to access these points. Along the way it passes most of the Park's significant beaches, including Wattamolla, Garie, Era and Burning Palms. It climbs headlands, goes along sandstone cliffs and around rocky foreshores. It passes depression-era huts set in a valley with deer at Era, and no shortage of kangaroos. This walk is recommended to take 2 days. You can stay at Garie Beach YHA or camp at North Era with a permit. If you are fit and keen the walk can be done in one day. If you plan your walk during the migration of the humpback whales you might get lucky and see a mother and her calf.

A comprehensive list of the walks available, and details of the routes can be obtained from the Visitor Centre.

[edit] Swim

Wattamolla lagoon and surf beach is a popular safe swimming spot that you can drive to. It is a truly beautiful spot and the combination of lagoon and surf swimming between rugged cliffs is fantastic. However you will not be the first person to discover the location, and it is quite popular on summer weekends. Try a weekday evening to have the area to yourself. You will no doubt see people jumping from the cliffs into the lagoon below, and swinging from ropes and jumping. The lagoon is very variable depth, and many people have had serious injuries jumping here.

Garie is a surf beach also accessible by road, with is patrolled on weekends in summer from 10am. Little and Big Marley, North and South Era, Burning Palms and Werrong are surf beaches that you within an hour or so from the nearest place to park your car. Era and Burning Palms have lifesavers on Sundays in summer, but are unpatrolled at other times. The beaches can have strong rips at times, so take care swimming at unpatrolled beaches. Werrong is a nudist beach.

There is no swimming in the river at Audley.

[edit] Canoe

The historic boatshed adjacent to the Audley picnic area has row boats and canoes for hire. From here you can paddle around, or head out on a half day trip up to the headwaters of the Hacking River. Private craft are not allowed in the river.

[edit] Cycle

You can use a mountain bike in the park on trails (wide roads with a barrier to prevent access by cars) except where signposted. Pick up the brochure on cycling in the park from the Visitor's Centre.

• Lady Carrington Drive is a popular family off-road easy cycling location, and bikes can be hired from the boatshed which is an easy cycle from the start of the track. They can give directions at the boatshed.

• If you have your own mountain bike you can catch the train to Waterfall and cycle along the Uloola Trail to the falls. Follow the cycleway south from the station past the primary school, and down the service trail. It is around 12km return cycle along wide and mostly well graded trail. You can cool off by paddling in the water by the falls if they are flowing.

[edit][add listing] Eat

There is a kiosk at Audley within the Park open most days. They have gourmet pies and cappuccino. There is a kiosk at Wattamolla beach and at Garie beach usually open on weekends during peak times. Nice for an ice cream on a hot day, but don't rely on them being open for camping supplies as they seem to close up if the business isn't there.

There are free electric barbecues provided at Audley, Wattamolla, and other places within the park.

There is a selection of coffee shops and take away places at Bundeena. There is a coffee shop and take away at Otford outside the park's southern boundary. On a sunny weekend you will likely find an ice-cream van or two at Bald Hill, near the southern exit of the Coast/Cliff Walk.

[edit][add listing] Drink

Whatever you want to drink, bring it with you. Water for the walk or beer for the barbecue.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Garie Beach YHA[2], Garie Beach, ph 02 9261 1111 (email bookings@yhansw.org.au, fax 02 9261 1969). This hostel is accessible by walking 10 kilometres along the coast track from Otford, or by walking 1 kilometre from the Garie Beach car park. The facilities are very basic: there is no refrigeration or power points. There is solar powered lighting and gas stove-tops, as well as composting toilets. Dorm beds are $13 per night adults and $8 children. You can rent the entire facility for $120 per night.

[edit] Camping

National Parks and Wildlife Service, Farnell Avenue, Audley Heights, ph 02 9542 0648 (fax 02 9542 1420). Contact the NPWS for camping permits if you intend to camp in any of the campgrounds. Camping elsewhere in the park is forbidden.

• Bonnie Vale camping ground. This campground has 40 sites. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the park near Bundeena. You access it by road off Bundeena drive. The campground has excellent facilities including drinking water, toilets and hot showers, but there is no power. You can camp in caravans. The fee is $14 per night for adults and $7 per night for children. Bonnie Vale is a 15 minute walk from the Bundeena ferry wharf.
• North Era camping ground. This campground is accessible by walking along the coast track from Bundeena or Otford, or by walking the much shorted walk from the parking lot adjacent to Garawarra Farm. The campground has composting toilets, but no other facilities, and wood fires are banned. The fee is $5 per night for adults and $3 per night for children.
• Uloola Falls camping ground. This campground is accessible by walking along the Uloola Track from Waterfall, Heathcote or Engadine. The campground has composting toilets, but no other facilities, and wood fires are banned. The fee is $5 per night for adults and $3 per night for children.

[edit] Get out

Visit the Sydney Tramway Museum just adjacent and North of the park turnoff from the Princes Hwy at Loftus.

Travel south along the coast road via the new Sea Cliff Bridge. A bridge built over the sea by the cliff edge, just south of the park and Stanwell Park.

Travel further south along the highway, and in around half an hour you will be in Wollongong.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!