Wattamolla Visitor Precinct

The National Parks and Wildlife Service is enhancing the visitor experience at Wattamolla.

Wattamolla Providential Cove Royal National ParkWattamolla Visitor Precinct is one of the most popular places in Royal National Park with visitation increasing significantly over the past few years driven by day trippers and those walking the Royal Coast Track. Visitor demand regularly exceeds the capacity of existing facilities, including picnic areas and car parks which is negatively impacting on the visitor experience and putting pressure on the natural environment.

National Parks and Wildlife Service prepared a Master Plan to address these challenges and to guide how it could better manage visitation whilst protecting the natural and cultural values of the place. This plan was placed on public exhibition in 2016 with over 150 responses received. The plan was finalised and approved in 2017.

The Master Plan identified and assessed visitor needs, the impact of increasing use on the natural environment and managing the sustainable use of Wattamolla. The plan guides the enhancement of the precinct to meet rapidly escalating visitor expectations and proposes a range of measures including traffic and parking upgrades, enhanced landscaping an improved waste water treatment system and public amenities. The implementation of the plan has been staged based on prioritised actions and cost.

A number of key upgrades proposed by the master plan have been completed. The onsite sewerage treatment system was upgraded in 2016-17, and a new amenities block completed in December 2019. Both these projects have made a substantial contribution to improving visitor amenity and environmental outcomes within the precinct.

What is happening at Wattamolla?

The next stage of upgrade works will commence on 26 April 2021 and will include:

  • reconfiguration of the lower loop car park to create additional shaded open space for picnics, and provide for safer bus drop-off and accessible parking
  • upgrade of picnic areas including new shelters and BBQs
  • new viewing platform and safety fencing
  • landscaping, pathways and tree planting that will improve the visual amenity of the site
  • new drainage works that will help protect Wattamolla lagoon.

Once complete these works will provide a safer, more accessible and improved visitor experience.

The works are expected to take approximately 6 months to complete.

You can still visit Wattamolla

Access to Wattamolla beach and public amenities will remain open.

Alterative access through Wattamolla for the Royal Coast Track will be available. Please check the current alerts before you visit and pay attention to on site signage.

Park Connection bus

The Park Connections bus will continue to visit Wattamolla. The bus stop will move from the lower loop carpark to the first aisle of the terraced carpark near the amenity building. The new, temporary bus stop will be signposted.

Improvements to the lower loop carpark and picnic area are scheduled to commence after the Easter school holidays on 26 April 2021. These works are estimated to take approximately 6 months and the precinct is scheduled to reopen prior to the 2021 summer holidays.

Wattamolla is one of the most popular locations in Royal National Park with visitation regularly exceeding the capacity of the site. These works aim to provide an enhanced visitor experience and manage visitation more effectively, such as encouraging visitors to use the local bus service rather than private vehicles.

This project will also deliver environmental benefits with improved drainage and vegetation to better manage run-off from the car parks.

Our national parks are managed to protect their unique values and provide for sustainable visitor use and enjoyment. This includes providing visitor experiences and, where appropriate, new visitor facilities, including tracks and trails.

Wattamolla Visitor Precinct has significant environmental and cultural heritage values, including areas of Coastal Sandplain Heath, a component of the Eastern Suburbs banksia scrub in the Sydney Basin Bioregion endangered ecological community. The precinct also contains significant Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Cultural Heritage that reflect its diverse land use history, including traditional use by local Aboriginal groups, the depression-era cabin community, and a low-level military installation during World War II.

Wattamolla is one of the most popular precincts in the Royal National Park, with up to 3500 visitors per day during the peak summer period. Wattamolla provides a range of recreational experiences, including picnics for families and groups, bushwalking, angling, swimming, whale watching and beach recreation. Wattamolla is mainly accessed by private vehicle, with a public bus service introduced in 2019 providing alternative transport.

We understand the value and popularity of places such as Wattamolla to the community and are continually working on strategies to manage visitation while providing an attractive visitor experience.

The planned upgrades to Wattamolla will enhance the visitor experience by protecting and improving the natural and cultural values of the place.

National Parks and Wildlife Service will continue to engage with stakeholders and interested community members. Updates on this project will be available from this webpage.

Check the NPWS Visitor alerts for up to date information that may impact your visit.

Where can I get more information?

Check back on this page for the latest updates. If you have any questions, you can submit these via the form below and we will endeavour to answer your question.

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