Bundeena to Marley Head Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney
A great section of the classic Royal National Park Coast Track, and you can make a circuit of it by heading inland on the way back (and avoid the crowds in doing so).
Bundeena to Marley Head is one of my favourite sections of the classic Royal National Park Coast Track, although choosing a favourite section is a bit like choosing a favourite child. It’s got what you want from a coast track: cliffs, beaches, heath, and interesting rock formations. You can keep going as far as you like, but the views from Marley Head are very satisfying, so we usually turn around there and head back.
Wedding Cake Rock is on this route, and is a real tourist draw card, which will bring in the crowds rather. You can leave these behind on the way back by taking a little known inland route; this route lacks the views but the heath vegetation is interesting. And you can extend the walk by doing the worthy Jibbon Head Circuit.
Track Notes
We used track notes in A Day in the Bush, and there are notes online at Wildwalks. You can park at the Beachcomber Ave Car Park or closer to the water if you are starting with the Jibbon Head Circuit. (And there’s always the Ferry from Cronulla).
Bundeena to Marley Head: The Scenery
Lots of cliffs.
Drumsticks. Nice structure don’t you think?
Wedding Cake Rock still attracts the crowds despite being fenced off as it threatens to fall into the sea. People also still like getting their picture taken on it. It’s an interesting landform but like an overplayed song it is losing its interest for me.
The view from Marley Head. Marley Beach to the far right. Rocks on Marley Head. The sand dunes and lagoon in the distance. I’ve seen this bug before but had to take another picture (or three) because it is so cool. Not sure of the name yet. Let me know if you know. Walking up fire trails isn’t the best, but they can have a certain stark aesthetic. Tiny terracotta coloured flowers. Christmas Bells out early. The right turn off the main fire trail inland. Sophia testing the strength of the grass tree flowers. A young grass tree flower. Contrasting colours here with the red of the bottlebrush and the black of the burnt banksia.
A nice section of forest as we approached Bundeena. These next few flowers were just in the suburban road side nature strip. Just on the road side in suburbia. Sophia liked this bark and asked me to take a picture of it. It was in suburbia. Apparently called Pig Face. I’m experiencing dissonance over that name.
