Category: Royal National Park

Sydney’s Royal National Park: 6 Of The Best Day-Walks

Cliffs, sandy beaches, rock formations, lagoons, heathland, wildflowers and more, on six of the best day-walks in Sydney’s Royal National Park.

The Royal National Park is the world’s second oldest, established in 1879. It sits on the south-eastern border of Sydney, encompassing about 30km of picturesque and often dramatic coastline. The coastal sections are dominated by unique heathland, cliffs, rock formations, headlands, lagoons and sandy beaches. Further inland there are eucalypt forests and patches of rainforest.

Continue reading “Sydney’s Royal National Park: 6 Of The Best Day-Walks”

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. Continue reading “Bundeena to Marley Head Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Jibbon Head Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney

A short circuit walk in the Royal National Park near Bundeena, taking in beautiful coastline, and you can extend it by continuing along the classic Coast Track to Marley Head or beyond.

The Jibbon Head Circuit is the shorter section of a longer walk we’ve done from Bundeena to Marley Head in the Royal National Park. It’s a mostly flat walk at the northern most end of the park, and offers very attractive coastal scenery for relatively little effort, including secluded looking beaches and rocky sections. When combined with the section of the classic Coast Track between Bundeena and Marley Head it makes for an excellent coastal walk of moderate difficulty, and all within easy reach of Sydney. Continue reading “Jibbon Head Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Wattamolla to Garie North Head, Royal National Park, NSW

This section of the Royal National Park Coast Track passes by the famous Eagle Rock, and you can continue to Garie North Head for elevated views down the coast.

Most sections of the classic Royal National Park Coast Track can be visited as day walk circuits, however the section between Wattamolla and Eagle Rock cannot. We did this and continued on to Garie North Head for great views down the coast, then returned back along the Coast Track to Wattamolla. On this occasion the highlight for me was the novelty of seeing this area after substantial fire damage. The colours were intense blacks, blues, oranges, whites, browns, greys, pinks and greens, and we could see rocks and topography usually hidden by vegetation cover. Continue reading “Wattamolla to Garie North Head, Royal National Park, NSW”

Wattamolla to Marley Beach Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney

Wattamolla to Marley Beach is an excellent section of the Royal National Park Coast Track south of Sydney, taking in lots of cliffs and interesting rocks, plus tonnes of wildflowers in spring.

The Royal National Park Coast Track is pretty special from start to end, and this section from Wattamolla to Marley Beach is no exception. There are many cliffs and interesting rocks, windswept beaches and bays, plus a large variety of wildflowers in spring. And you can make a partial circuit by taking fire trails inland for a while. The vegetation is predominantly heath.  Continue reading “Wattamolla to Marley Beach Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Burning Palms Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney

One of my favourite Sydney walks that I’ve done multiple times, the Burning Palms Circuit from Otford takes in excellent coastal scenery in the Royal National Park, and passes through a unique and atmospheric palm jungle. Definitely one of my recommended walks in the area.

I’ve done the Burning Palms Circuit multiple times, and it remains one of my favourite walks around Sydney. It starts at Otford on the edge of the Royal National Park, and you soon pass by steep coastal cliffs, descend into a palm jungle, pass through grassy plains, then arrive at the very picturesque Burning Palms Beach, backed by the beginnings of the Illawarra Escarpment. There were very choppy seas on the day I took these pictures (…and I’ve now put a few extra pics at the end from a different day just a month later). Continue reading “Burning Palms Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Wallumarra Track and the Forest Path, Royal National Park, Sydney

A variety of vegetation on this walk as it passes at first through heath, then woodland, and finally into subtropical rainforest.

This walk in the Royal National Park combines two tracks, the Wallumarra Track and Forest Path, and takes in a variety of vegetation including heath, woodland, and finally subtropical rainforest. There are no sweeping vistas on offer but a satisfying enough walk nevertheless; the tall palms and rainforest scenery of the Forest Path are particularly attractive. This section can be done as a shortish circuit walk from the stone gates where Lady Carrington Drive meets Sir Bertram Stevens Drive.  Continue reading “Wallumarra Track and the Forest Path, Royal National Park, Sydney”

The Coast Track, Royal National Park, Sydney

One of Sydney’s classic bushwalks, the 27-30km Coast Track is a smorgasboard of coastal scenery, including plenty of sandy beaches, cliffs, weathered rocks, prominent headlands, lagoons, and heathland.

The Royal National Park Coast Track is a classic 26-29km walk along the full length of the park’s coastline, just south of Sydney. There are unspoilt sandy beaches galore, shear cliffs, prominent headlands, interesting rocks, heathland, lagoons, pockets of forest, and even a palm jungle. There are a bunch of shorter day walks that take in sections of this walk, but only the full walk allows you to properly overdose on quintessential NSW coastal scenery. Continue reading “The Coast Track, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Heathcote-Waterfall Circuit, Heathcote National Park & Royal National Park, Sydney

Combining two shorter walks into one, there are multiple swimmable pools on this long circuit in the Royal National Park and Heathcote National Park in Sydney’s south.

Two walks and two national parks for the price of one here, easily accessible in southern Sydney. Not really a views walk, there are instead a number of picturesque pools on this long circuit walk, most of them swimmable in warm weather, and on the day I took these pictures there were some very healthy Gymea Lilies in flower. You can walk between Heathcote and Waterfall train stations as one way walks with a return trip by train. Continue reading “Heathcote-Waterfall Circuit, Heathcote National Park & Royal National Park, Sydney”

Garrawarra Farm car park to Garie North Head, Royal NP, Sydney

Great coastal views for almost the whole length of this walk, taking in a section of the famous Coast Track, in the Royal National Park south of Sydney.

There are a number of walking options in the Royal National Park that take in a section of the classic 30km Coast Track. One good option is to start at the Garrawarra Farm car park on top of the escarpment, walk east down Burgh Ridge towards the sea, then walk north as far as Garie North Head for excellent views back down the coast. And in the summer holidays Garie Beach is patrolled so you can safely have a swim before heading back. Continue reading “Garrawarra Farm car park to Garie North Head, Royal NP, Sydney”