Royal National Park

Exploring cultural heritage in the park

Cultural sites

Audley Room Function Centre

Wheelchair access: easy

The Audley Room is upstairs from the Royal National Park Visitor Centre and is wheelchair accessible.

When you’re looking for a venue filled with character and heritage charm, look no further than Audley Room Function Centre. Set within Royal National Park on the banks of picturesque Hacking River, it’s the perfect spot for weddings, corporate functions, and elegant high teas.

Sip champagne and nibble gourmet canapés with your guests, while the helpful staff organise the rest, allowing you to focus on the important things. Whether you’re exchanging vows or organising a social or corporate event, the natural bush setting and scenic river views from the shady verandah make it both an elegant and relaxing venue.

Check out the delicious catering options to suit every occasion online at Audley Room and create an event to remember.

Getting there: On entering Royal National Park:

• From Farnell Avenue at Loftus, follow Audley Road down to Hacking River. The visitor centre is on Lady Carrington drive just after crossing the weir.
• From McKell Avenue at Waterfall, follow Sir Bertram Stevens Drive all the way, and Audley Room Function Centre is the last building on the left before crossing the weir.

Road access: Sealed road - 2WD vehicles.

Opening hours: Audley Room Function Centre has variable opening times. Please call (02) 9542 6066 for further information.

Venue hire: See details

Contact: The Audley Room, Phone: 02 9542 6066

Garie Beach picnic area

You’ll love this quick holiday fix just an hour or so from Sydney. So pack a picnic, herd up the clan and get down there nice and early to grab a great spot at Garie Beach, in the southern end of Royal National Park.

Head to the beach for a spot of whale watching in the winter or for the feel of warm salt water on your skin, surf the waves in the warmer months. If you’re feeling lucky, try your hand at some beach fishing. It’s an ideal spot for birdwatching, so bring the binoculars for a chance to glimpse an albatross, sea eagle, and the rarer peregrine falcon as they cruise on the updraft from coastal breezes.

After lunch, explore the rainforest gullies around the beach where cabbage tree palms and ferns provide a shady spot.

Activities: walking, surfing, swimming, fishing, birdwatching, whale watching, picnicking, playing and socialising

Location:  shown on Forest Island - Garie Beach - Otford map

Getting there: Garie Beach picnic area is in the southern section of Royal National Park. To get there from Waterfall train station:

• Follow McKell Avenue to the end
• Turn left into Sir Bertram Stevens Drive
• Drive for approximately 3km and follow the signs to Garie Beach

Road access: Sealed road - 2WD vehicles.

Facilities: picnic tables, flush toilets, cold showers, cafe/kiosk, carpark

Royal National Park coastal cabins

Travelling on the Royal's long-established road network, you can see cabins along the coastline - most of them constructed before the land on which they were built was added to the national park.

These historic cabins are privately licensed and currently not available to the general public. Best views can be obtained from Governor Game Lookout, Otford Lookout or numerous locations along the iconic coast track. Cabin communities are concentrated in the areas of Bulgo, Burning Palms, Little Garie and South Era.

Getting there:  

Water supply:  

Bookings:  

Royal National Park Visitor Centre

Wheelchair access: easy

This area is fully wheelchair accessible.

• The visitor centre, Weir Cafe and pavillion are accessible via a concrete pathway from Triangle carpark (on the southern side of the weir, adjacent to the toilet facilities).
• The Audley Room is accessible from the parking area at the front of the dancehall on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive.

Activities: paddling, picnics and barbecues, walking

Location:  shown on Audley map

Getting there: On entering Royal National Park:

• from Farnell Avenue at Loftus, follow Audley Road down to the Hacking River, the visitor centre is on Lady Carrington Drive just after crossing the weir
• from McKell Avenue at Waterfall, follow Sir Bertram Stevens Drive all the way, the visitor centre is the last building on the left before crossing the weir

Road access: Sealed road - 2WD vehicles.

Opening hours: 8.30am-4:30pm daily (closed Christmas Day)

Facilities: picnic tables, gas/electric barbecues, flush toilets, drinking water

Contact: Royal National Park visitor centre, Phone: 02 9542 0648

Historic roads and tracks

Bundeena Drive to Marley walk - 3.25km each way (one-way route)

Walking (medium difficulty, 1 hour 30 minutes each way)

General information

A delightful track that combines bush, heath and beaches with a moderate walk in the coastal region of Royal National Park. Bundeena Drive to Marley walk is ideal for intrepid bush walkers who love an invigorating day-walk with birdwatching and spell-binding views, just south of Sydney.

Following this track as it winds through fragrant bushland, notice the tall trees of angophora and scribbly gum give way to heath of hakea and boronia. Look for grass trees and the striking Gymea lily that shoots a single red flower in the spring. Enjoy a break by the picturesque Deer Pool before joining Little Marley trail.

Arriving at Little Marley Beach, tuck into a well deserved picnic on the sands and soak in the fresh coastal breezes. Retrace your steps, or if you’re feeling like a longer walk, organise a pick up and head north for Bundeena along The Coast track.

Plant communities: heathlands

Location:  shown on park map

Bundeena Drive to Marley walk - 3.25km each way (one-way route)

Walking (medium difficulty, 1 hour 30 minutes each way)

General information

A delightful track that combines bush, heath and beaches with a moderate walk in the coastal region of Royal National Park. Bundeena Drive to Marley walk is ideal for intrepid bush walkers who love an invigorating day-walk with birdwatching and spell-binding views, just south of Sydney.

Following this track as it winds through fragrant bushland, notice the tall trees of angophora and scribbly gum give way to heath of hakea and boronia. Look for grass trees and the striking Gymea lily that shoots a single red flower in the spring. Enjoy a break by the picturesque Deer Pool before joining Little Marley trail.

Arriving at Little Marley Beach, tuck into a well deserved picnic on the sands and soak in the fresh coastal breezes. Retrace your steps, or if you’re feeling like a longer walk, organise a pick up and head north for Bundeena along The Coast track.

Plant communities: heathlands

Location:  shown on park map

Couranga walking track - 5km

Walking (medium difficulty, 2 hours )

General information

You could close your eyes and pretend you’re in your happy place, but why not jump on the train or get in the car and be there for real? Only an hour from Sydney, this medium walk near Waterfall on the western edge of Royal National Park is the perfect day trip for those in need of a dose of nature.

Feel the city stress peel away as you follow the track through the heathlands, a real treat in spring when the vivid wildflowers attract the nectar-loving honey eaters and southern emu wrens. Meandering downhill, you’ll realise that the heath gives way to majestic forests of bluegum and blackbutt.

You’ll pass the historic sawpits, remnants of the logging days, before reaching the Hacking River. Spend a relaxing afternoon under the rainforest trees before heading back. If you’re after a longer walk, cross the river and join the forest path before returning.

Plant communities: dry eucalypt forests, rainforests, grassy woodlands, heathlands

Cultural heritage: The track follows the route of the old logging track. At Fosters Flat you can still see the remains of the old sawpits where loggers cut and sawed valuable bluegum, blackbutt, turpentine and rainforest timber.

Location:  shown on Forest Island - Garie Beach - Otford map

Forest path - 4.5km

Walking (easy, 1 hour 30 minutes)

General information

Forest path offers an easy hike through Royal National Park’s rainforests.

This almost-circular loop is suitable for walkers of all fitness levels and is a great one for the kids. One of the park’s oldest tracks, it begins south of Bola Creek, near the southern end of Lady Carrington Drive.

Following Forest path, you’ll cross the lower slopes of Forest Island, a hill isolated by the valleys of the Hacking River and Bola Creek which almost surround it.

This beautiful walk leads you past a variety of native plants and flowers, including eucalypts, casuarinas, cabbage tree palms and Gymea lilies that are home to a range of birdlife. You’ll also pass Bola Creek.

Plant communities: rainforests, dry eucalypt forests

Location:  shown on Forest Island - Garie Beach - Otford map

Lady Carrington drive - 10km each way (one-way route)

Walking (easy, 3 hours each way) This beautiful and historically significant route is popular with walkers and bird watchers. If you can, arrange to have a vehicle at one end of the track and start walking from the other. Alternatively, you could walk a section of the track and retrace your steps, coming back another day to tackle the rest. There are two picnic areas, Calala (5.6 km from northern end) and Bola Creek (800m from southern end) where you can enjoy the peace and tranquility.

Mountain biking (easy, 1 hour 18 minutes each way)

This trail is ideal for all level of cyclists and is best ridden on a mountain bike. It is especially popular with children and family groups as is it relatively flat for the majority of its length. It is also ideal for those seeking a fitness experience as it is a 18km return journey. A very scenic and peaceful ride with a high probability of encountering an echidna or lyrebird. The track is 3 m wide and is shared by walkers.

Map: view a map of cycling trails in Royal National Park [PDF 1.1MB].

For mobiles: download cycling in Royal National Park, including map [PDF 1.4MB]; PDF designed for viewing on a mobile device.

General information

Plant communities: rainforests, dry eucalypt forests

Cultural heritage: Lady Carrington Road was completed in 1886 (renamed Lady Carrington Drive in 1916). Less than 1/2 km from the northern end of the Drive is a large overhang called 'Gibralter' where the road surface has been cobbled.  Two stone troughs, Jersey Springs, were built in 1892 to capture water from a natural spring. These can be seen 2.6 km from the northern end of the Drive. Evidence of the park's history can also be seen adjacent to the southern end of the Drive in the form of a shale quarry. You can also see evidence of the park's logging history with large Turpentine stumps and remnant Turpentine trees in the Rainforest adjacent to the Drive.

Location maps

• shown on park map 1
• shown on Audley map 2
• shown on Forest Island - Garie Beach - Otford map 3

Exploring cultural heritage in the park: events and activities