Royal National Park

Gazetted In 1879, The World'S Second Oldest National Park After Yellowstone, Forty Minutes South Of Sydney, With The Coast Track Running Along Sandstone Sea Cliffs And Wattamolla And Garie Among The City'S Least Crowded Ocean Beaches · Audley, New South Wales

Royal National Park sits about forty minutes south of central Sydney, gazetted in 1879 and generally regarded as the world's second-oldest national park after Yellowstone. It runs along a stretch of sandstone coastline where the Coast Track, a roughly 26 kilometre one-way walk from Bundeena to Otford, follows sea cliffs past pockets of rainforest, heathland and a string of beaches that stay far quieter than Sydney's harbourside sand. Wattamolla and Garie are the best known of these, both reached by a sealed road rather than a long walk, and both unpatrolled outside limited summer lifeguard hours. Audley, on the Hacking River near the park's northern edge, has a kiosk, a causeway and rowboats for hire on calm water, a gentler contrast to the open coast a short drive away. The park's heathland puts on a wildflower display through spring, and whale watching from the clifftop lookouts runs through the annual migration season. A day visitor vehicle fee applies at the main entrances, and some park roads close temporarily after bushfire, storm damage or total fire ban days.

About 40 minutes south of central Sydney, between the Princes Highway and the coast, Audley, New South Wales, Australia

The park itself has no closing gate and tracks are open during daylight hours year round, though NPWS asks walkers to start the Coast Track early enough to finish before dark given its length. A day visitor vehicle entry fee applies at the main road entrances and is collected at a pay station or online in advance; walk-in and cyclist access carries no fee. Garie and Wattamolla beaches have lifeguard patrols only across the summer school holiday period and on peak weekends, not year round. Audley's kiosk and rowboat hire run standard daytime hours that shorten in winter. Some park roads and sections of track close without notice after bushfire, flood damage or on a declared total fire ban day - check the NPWS alerts page before driving down. Confirm the current vehicle entry fee before a visit, since it is reviewed periodically.

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