What is Royal National Park?
Royal National Park, south of Sydney, was established in 1879. It is Australia's oldest national park and is often described as the second-oldest in the world, after Yellowstone in the United States.
The park covers about 15,000 hectares of coastal cliffs, beaches, heath and rainforest. It was first called simply The National Park and was renamed Royal National Park in 1955, after Queen Elizabeth II passed through it during her 1954 tour.
The Coast Track, about 26 kilometres long, runs from Bundeena to Otford along clifftops and beaches. Highlights include the Figure Eight Pools, Wedding Cake Rock and the Wattamolla lagoon.
History and nature
Audley, in the north of the park, has boatsheds and picnic grounds dating to Victorian times.
The Dharawal people are the Traditional Owners, and rock engravings, middens and shelters across the park record their long connection to this country.
Humpback whales pass along the coast in winter and spring, and clifftop lookouts are popular for whale watching. Bundeena can be reached by ferry from Cronulla.
Audley's boatshed hires out rowboats and kayaks on the Hacking River, and the area is popular for picnics.
Did You Know?
Wedding Cake Rock was fenced off in 2015 because it is unstable.