Coastal views, Aboriginal art and waterfalls await along these tracks within the Royal National Park.
Just an hour south of Sydney’s CBD, Royal National Park is Australia’s oldest national park and the second-most visited after Blue Mountains National Park.
Although it may be one of the most popular parks, there’s still dozens of quiet spots to retreat to within it if you want to escape the city for some coastal or bushland scenery. There’s plenty of both.
One of the biggest draw cards to the 160-square-kilometre coastal beauty is its walking tracks. The most famous being the two-day, 26 kilometre Coast Track.
But, not everyone is quite that dedicated to hiking. So here are some of the top day walks you can do when visiting Royal National Park.
Best Royal National Park walks
Bundeena to Marley Beach
How long is it? Up to 14 kilometres return
Facilities? There are toilets and water at the Bundeena end, but nothing else along the way.
One of the most popular parts of the Coast Track, this section of the iconic walk is also on of the easiest to get to. It’s an out-and-back track that starts and ends in Bundeena, where you can either get to by car or ferry from near Cronulla Train Station.
You’ll start by walking south-east along a wide track surrounded by bush, with the blue of the Pacific on the horizon.
Before you start walking south toward Marley Beach, you’ll reach The Balconies – a cliff face that leaves you feeling like you’re standing on the edge of the world.
Much of the track now follows the coast, dotting inland here and there, but offers great views of the crashing ocean waves from high above the surface. From May to October, you may even be lucky enough to see whales passing by offshore.
The view coming down to Marley Beach, which is pictured above, is easily the highlight of this walk, but before you get there, the Insta-famous Wedding Cake Rock sits perched on the edge of the cliff.
Named for its appearance of a tiered cake, this layered rock formation is certainly unique, but it’s also certainly dangerous. A few years ago, a fence was erected around the site to prevent people from getting too close to the edge of the unstable rock. While many hop the fence these days to get the perfect picture, it’s just not worth it. It can easily be admired from afar.
More accessible than in years past, a good portion of this walk is now made of metal grid-like boardwalks, lessening the number of trip hazards (especially tree roots!) and erosion on the track that was common after rain.
Map of the Bundeena to Marley Beach walk:
Jibbon Loop Track
How long is it? 4.2 kilometres
Facilities? There are toilets and water at the Bundeena end, but there’s nothing else along the way.
If walking counter clockwise, the greater part of the track until you hit Shelley Beach is a challenging walk on loose sand, but it’s well worth it for the views when you each the coast. And you get the tougher part over with first.
A shorter walk than the others noted on this page, the Jibbon Loop Track packs in a lot in just over four kilometres.
It begins by veering off to the left of the same pathway where you’d start the Coast Track, and quickly turns into a sandy trail surrounded by seaside scrub.
The true magic starts once you hit Shelley Beach, when the walk follows the edge of the headland. There’s rocky shores, pebbled beaches, a few small swimming coves and views across Port Hacking to Cronulla.
Before you walk onto the soft sands of Jibbon Beach where the walk ends, you’ll be treated to an open-air gallery of some of the best-preserved rock engravings in the area. The Dharawal people carved whales, stingrays, kangaroos and other figures into the soft sandstone.
The walk continues back to Bundeena along the beautiful Jibbon Beach. The perfect spot to swim or just relax after a walk, the beach is usually quiet par a few boats moored in the calm waters of the bay.
Map of the Jibbon Loop Track
Wattamolla to Eagle Rock
How long is it? Up to 7.8 kilometres return
Facilities? There are toilets at the Wattamolla end, but nothing else along the way. The picnic area at Wattamolla Beach has ample parking and free barbecues.
The track begins and ends at (arguably) the most beautiful beach in the Royal National Park. It takes you along a middle section of the Coast Walk, mostly along the soaring cliff sides.
Mostly made of steel boardwalks, the track does have some slight ups and downs along the way. But, it isn’t too challenging for most walkers. Rather, the gains in elevation provide incredible views over the surrounding bushland and coastline.
Before reaching the turnaround point, the track crosses over Curracurrong Creek. There are sturdy stepping stones to cross over the water, which flows off the cliff edge into the ocean not far past the track.
Unfortunately there’s no signage at Eagle Rock to let you know you’ve arrived, but there usually are other walkers admiring the views. The rock formation, which only looks like an eagle when looked at from south to north, hangs over clear-blue water and makes a perfect pitstop along the way for a drink or snack.
You’ll also be able to see Curracurrong Falls from a similar point along the track.
Walking to the Eagle Rock view point and back will take just under eight kilometres It’s an out-and-back track, so you can make it longer if you’d like to stretch your legs a bit further.
Tip: A secret that was strongly debated whether or not to publish here, is a small swimming hole along the track. About half-way to Eagle Rock, there’s a offshoot track to the right, just before you cross over the creek at Curracurrang Gully. Following this for just a few minutes will take you to a quiet pool with a cascading waterfall. It’s just perfection.
Map of the Wattamolla to Eagle Rock walk:
Other popular walks in Royal National Park:
- Karloo Walking Track: This track takes you to the one of the Royal’s most popular swimming holes – Karloo Pools. The pool does get busy on sunny, summer weekends, but it’s well worth it. (There’s also the optional return to Waterfall Station along Uloola Track instead of just re-walking the same degment) Length: 10 kilometres
- Otford to Weerong Lookout: The end of the Coast Track to Bundeena, this portion is significantly more forested than the exposed northern end of the walk, but there are still plenty of coastal views to be had. This end tends to be a lot less busy than walks beginning in Bundeena. Length: 4.6 kilometres
How to get to Royal National Park
Driving is the easiest, and lets you discover some of the lesser-trodden tracks. Many of these are only accessible by roads within the park. The drive down from Sydney is relatively simple, following Princes Highway the majority of the way,
If you need to, you can take public transport to parts of the park – including some of the area’s best walking tracks.
From near Cronulla train station, you can take a boat across Port Hacking to Bundeena with Cronulla Ferries. Boats are currently only departing once per hour, on the half-hour departing Cronulla and on the hour departing Bundeena.
Although it would need to be well-timed with your train and walking schedule, the journey is well worth it. The colourful ferry has been operating since 1939. It offers views across to the Bundeena’s beaches as well as past some of Cronulla’s most sought-after real estate.
From Heathcote or Waterfall train station, you can walk into the park via either Karloo Walking Track (from Heathcote) or Uloola Walking Track (from Waterfall).
From Otford station, it’s about a one kilometre walk to the Otford end of the Coast Track.
What to expect of Royal National Park’s weather
Weather in the national park should be similar to Sydney’s weather. Being more exposed and by the ocean, expect it to be a bit cooler and windier by the coast.
In summer, be sure to wear sun cream and bring extra to reapply as required – especially if you go swimming.
Much of the tracks within the park are quite exposed with little shade.
Luckily, the more trodden tracks are now made of metal, grated footpaths. If you’re venturing onto a less popular track it could be a bit muddy after significant rain.
