Royal National Park, NSW - day 1

Royal National Park is the second oldest national park in the world and I had the chance to visit it on a two day walk along the coast.

There are such amazing spots along the way and a campsite at North Era.

Some of the best places seen are:

• Marley Beach
• Wedding Cake Rock
• Wattamolla Dam
• Curracurrang Creek
• Garie Beach lookout
• Burning palms and small villages on the way to Otford

The walk looks longer than what actually is, but Dani and I did all the best to get lost, in order to walk more and more ;) so our mistake!!

At the beginning after we arrived in Bundeena with the ferry from Cronulla, we walked along Bundeena beach, called Jibbon Beach. That beach is really nice and solitaire, just locals were there at the moment we were and it was actually just 3 people and a dog probably. The area is really nice, with some wonderful houses just over looking the bay before arriving to the beach, near Port Hacking and the ocean.

We arrived at some aboriginal carvings and proceeded along the coast - well we thought it was the coast, but we were just on the Jibbon Point Loop Track -, after getting lost in the bush, we walked back to where the coast track started. It took us already 5 kilometres extra probably but we were still happy and eager to visit all the park.

The coast track took us from high cliff to beaches. Don’t forget to stop at Wedding Cake Rock. it is the most known and most photographed rock on the coast track, you can reach it with the car and a short walk as well and it is quite interesting to see. The wind blows strong and quick over there in a vortex way from down the ocean to up the cliff in the south corner of the rock coming from the path.

The first beach we encountered on our way was Marley Beach and Little Marley Beach where we stopped for lunch, it was quite nice and remote. If the walk is not taken by many people, you are quite sure to find yourself alone there or just with few visitors. Then our walk continued up and down on the hills and rock formations with different shapes and colours (have a look at this pic here….) to Wattamolla Dam, that has a big car park, toilets, barbecue facilities and it is a nice picnic area for visitors. Wattamolla Dam has some waterfalls and a pool where to swim and a safe swim area close to the beach. I did not find it too special, but did not have a deep look, because we found another nice dam or pool on the way to Wattamolla, where Daniel had a swim and I enjoyed the view.

From Wattamolla the walk proceeded to Currangcurrung cove and creeck: it was something different than the cliffs and rocks formations, just a small creek running down the hill and windy snaky path that leaded us down and then up past it. There is evidence that Aboriginal lived here, it was used as a regular campsite by the Dharawal people and I can understand why…such a nice spot where relaxed and stop, with a good view.

Eagle Rock lookout was the next information sign we found on the track. Eagle Rock is used as an icon for Royal National Park, but I don’t remember I found it really special. The rock sticks out of the cliff and looks like the head of an eagle, it is situated hall way between Wattamolla and Garie beach, the following beach that we arrived at later in the night, when the sun set and we hurried up down from the hill before it got too dark. I’m grateful we stopped up the hill to look at the sunset. The sun just set on the coast line over the cliffs, lighting the skies with the amazing orange, reddish colour that is typical for sunset :)

Tired and in need of water, we stopped at the facilities of Garie beach: toilets, kiosk, picnic tables, cold showers and Surf Life Saving Club. The water from there needs treating before it can be drink and obviously the kiosk is opened during the day 9am to 5pm. Garie beach is quite long and nice. it is surrounded all around by hills and nice green grass. I eventually thought we could camp there for the night, as seen some rest of camp sites on the north side of the beach. But camping is proihibited there and it is allowed only at North Era campground. North Era campground is about 40/50 minutes from Garie Beach and it was pitch dark when Dani and I arrived to the campground. It was on a Wednesday night, no one was around and the campground wasn’t really maintain: rubbish was everywhere and wild animals as well. We could not really understand and identify what animals were there outside. I thought the area would have looked a bit better, as the nice grassy zone close to Garie Beach and to the ocean. I honestly don’t understand why the NPWS chose to put the campground there. For info, anyway, have a look at: http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/Royal-National-Park/north-era-campground/camping