Royal Coast Track

Providing a spectacular walking experience along Sydney’s coastline.

Coast Walk signage, Palm Jungle Loop Track, Royal National ParkUpgrades to the Royal Coast Track will deliver new visitor facilities and improved safety measures to this spectacular coastal walk south of Sydney.

What the project involves

The Royal Coast Track is a 26-kilometre track along the coast of Royal National Park. The walk allows visitors to experience a natural landscape with dramatic scenery on the edge of metropolitan Sydney. National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is upgrading the track to deliver a quality walking experience along Sydney's southern coastline.

Track closures

From 22 March to 28 June 2021, a section of the Royal Coast Track at Burning Palms will be closed to allow track upgrades to be completed safely.

The closure will affect the track each week from Monday (8am) to Thursday (4pm).

The track will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of each week.

Access to the Figure 8 Pools, Palm Jungle Loop Track and the Royal Coast Track between Burning Palms and Otford will be affected. Access to Figure 8 Pools from Garawarra Farm during the closure is via the Garawarra Farm Fire Trail (5 hours return, moderate – hard track).

There is no impact to accessing Figure 8 Pools from Otford along the Royal Coast Track.

Please check the alerts on the NPWS Visitor webpage before visiting to plan your trip.

Royal Coast Track at Burning Palms closure

This project commenced in 2016-17. Currently, almost 17km of track has been upgraded with 9km remaining. Works have been staged and will be completed by June 2022.

The Royal National Park is Australia’s oldest national park and the second oldest national park in the world. The proposal includes major upgrade of the track surface and the provision of high quality visitor facilities at key destinations along the route of the Royal Coast Track, including improvement of safety fencing and signage at Wedding Cake Rock and improvement to the visitor facilities at much loved Wattamolla. The project responds to both to the current pattern of visitor growth, as well as the attraction of new visitors through the offer of enhanced coastal experiences.

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.

We are conducting environmental assessments to examine the significance of any likely environmental impacts of the proposal and will consider measures required to mitigate any impacts to the environment. This highlights the need to ensure public visitation and enjoyment is compatible with the protection of conservation and cultural heritage values.

The Royal Coast Track provides visitors with an opportunity to enjoy a varied walking experience along the spectacular coastline of the Royal National Park. The track offers amazing views of the landscape and coastline and respects the park’s natural and cultural values. Places such as Wattamolla, Garie, Burning Palms, Era Beach and Eagle Rock can be accessed via the Coast Track, and provide stunning views. Visitors can experience the beauty of local landscapes and wildlife including whale watching.

National Parks and Wildlife Service will continue to engage with stakeholders and interested community members. Updates on projects in Royal National Park are available on our website.

Project updates

Thelma Head materials delivery to site

Update on Royal Coast Track upgrade

Upgrade of Thelma Head section of the track completed.

  • 17 Aug 2020
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Bushwalking on the coastal track, heath vegetation, Eagle Rock area, Royal National Park.

Update on upgrade to the Royal Coast Track

National Parks and Wildlife Service is continuing the upgrade of the Royal Coast Track.

  • 22 May 2020
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