Botany Bay National Park

Straddling the two headlands at the entrance to Botany Bay, this national park features a unique combination of natural and cultural heritage.

The park is the site of first contact between the crew of James Cook's Endeavour and the Aboriginal people of Australia in 1770. It's also the place where France's famous explorer Jean François de Galaup, Comte de Lapérouse, arrived within a week of the British First Fleet in 1788.

Beneath the park's gouged sandstone cliffs, there are rich marine environments. Above them, you'll find remnants of the heathland vegetation which Banks and Solander, Cook's botanists, first studied in 1770.

You can explore the Banks-Solander track, with its fascinating insights into the once-widespread vegetation communities that Cook's botanists explored in 1770.  Or learn about Australia's hidden stories of exploration and colonisation, told in the Lapérouse Museum and the Discovery Centre. Enjoy the Cape Baily Coast Walk, with its windswept heaths, historic sites and spectacular coastal views.

The historic section of the southern headland is the subject of a master plan aimed at providing visitors with an insight into the history and cultural values of the site. View more information on the Where cultures meet website.

Summer holiday information: are you planning a visit to Kamay Botany Bay National Park during the summer holidays? Please read some important tips on planning your day ...

Sectors in this park (see map below): Kurnell | La Perouse |