Royal National Park Coast Track hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Coast Track is the classic overnight walk of Royal National Park, on the southern edge of Sydney. It follows the sandstone cliffs, beaches and headlands of the park for 27 km from Bundeena, a village reached by ferry from Cronulla, to Otford in the north of the Illawarra. NPWS suggests 2 days: 17 km on the first day to Garie Beach, where you sleep at a booked campsite, and 10 km on the second day to Otford. You carry a tent, food and water.

The route

The track starts at the end of Beachcomber Avenue in Bundeena, 1.5 km from the ferry wharf, and heads south over open coastal heath to The Balconies and the long sand of Marley Beach and Little Marley. It drops to Wattamolla, a lagoon and waterfall behind a sheltered beach, then follows the cliff tops past Curracurrang Cove and Eagle Rock, a sandstone headland shaped like an eagle's head with a waterfall falling into the sea. The heath ends at Garie Beach, the overnight stop.

On day 2 the track climbs over Garie Headland to Little Garie and the heritage shacks at South Era and Burning Palms, then enters Palm Jungle, a pocket of rainforest with cabbage tree palms. The last climb leads up through the forest to the cliff edge and Otford Lookout. Otford station is a further 2 km down the road.

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap from the Bundeena track head to Otford Lookout, 25 km, and splits it into 2 stages, about 12.7 km each, as NPWS does. The NPWS total of 27 km includes the walks from the ferry and to the station. The highest point, about 260 m, is near the end, in the forest above Otford.

Highlights

• Marley Beach and Little Marley: wide, empty beaches below the heath
• Wattamolla: a lagoon, waterfall and sheltered beach, a good lunch stop with toilets
• Eagle Rock: the most photographed rock on the track, with a waterfall dropping straight into the ocean
• Garie Beach: a surf beach with a surf club, toilets and cold showers, and your campsite
• South Era and Burning Palms: small communities of old holiday shacks, some built in the Depression, with no road access
• Figure Eight Pools: rock pools on a tidal platform below Burning Palms, a side trip of about an hour. Go only at low tide and in a small swell; people have been swept off here
• Whales: humpback whales pass close to the cliffs from May to October

When to walk the Coast Track

You can walk all year. May to October is the best time: the air is cool, the light is clear and humpback whales migrate along the coast. Spring (September to November) brings wildflowers on the heath. Summer is hot and humid on the exposed cliffs, with little shade on day 1, and it is the bush fire season: the park can close at short notice on high fire danger days.

From 6 July to 18 December 2026 a deer control programme closes the Coast Track, Wattamolla, Garie and the coast south to Figure 8 Pools between sunset and sunrise, Monday to Thursday (except school holidays). Walkers with a Garie booking can still reach the campsite, but you must not be on the track at night.

How many days do you need?

Most walkers take 2 days, with the night at Garie Beach. The first day is longer (17 km, NPWS says allow at least 7 hours); the second is shorter but steeper. Strong walkers do it in one long day without a booking, but start early: the park is open 7 am to 8:30 pm and the first ferry on weekends is 8:30 am.

Booking, getting there and water

Garie Beach campground is the only place you may camp, and you must book it in advance through NPWS. Each booking is a raised timber platform for one two-person tent or two small one-person tents, and capacity is small, so book early for weekends and school holidays. North Era campground, used in older guides, closed in 2023. There are no huts and no other camping on the track.

Most walkers go north to south. Take the train to Cronulla, then the ferry from the wharf behind Cronulla station to Bundeena. It runs about every 30 minutes; in 2026 the adult fare is $9.40 each way, paid on board by card or cash. Opal cards are not accepted, and in big swell a bus replaces the ferry. At the end, walk 2 km from Otford Lookout down to Otford station for trains to Sydney and Wollongong (Opal or contactless card). If you drive, leave the car at Beachcomber Avenue or Otford Lookout; the Garie car park is locked overnight. The park entry fee of $12 per vehicle per day applies at Wattamolla and Garie.

There is no drinking water on the track. Fill up at the Bundeena track head and carry at least 2 litres per person per day. Water at Wattamolla and Garie is untreated, so boil or treat it. Bundeena has a small supermarket, cafés, a pharmacy and a doctor; there are no shops on the track or at Garie, so carry all your food.

Money and phone signal

Cards work in Bundeena, Cronulla and on the ferry. Mobile reception in the park is limited and patchy, so download the maps in the free NSW National Parks app before you leave home and install the Emergency+ app.

Difficulty

NPWS grades the Coast Track Grade 4: some bushwalking experience is recommended. The path is clearly signposted and mostly a formed track, with boardwalks over the heath, but it has many steps, very steep sections, soft sand on the beaches and rough rock platforms. Day 2 ends with a steep climb through the forest to Otford. The bigger risks are heat, sun, dehydration and the sea.

What to pack

A tent that fits the Garie platform, sleeping bag and mat, stove and food, a water filter or tablets, at least 2 litres of water each day, sun hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and a long-sleeved shirt, a rain jacket, a torch, a first aid kit with blister care, sturdy shoes and swimming gear. Pack out all your rubbish.

Safety

In an emergency call 000. The beaches are not patrolled (Garie only part-time in summer) and have strong rips; swim only in calm water. Keep back from cliff edges: the sandstone breaks off, and the old track at the foot of the Garie cliffs is permanently closed. Rock platforms like Figure 8 Pools are deadly in large swell. Check the NPWS alerts, the fire danger rating and the marine forecast on the morning you start, and fill in the NPWS trip intention form.

History

The coast is Dharawal Country, and Aboriginal rock engravings and middens are found along it, for example near Jibbon Head at Bundeena. Royal National Park was proclaimed in 1879, the first national park in Australia and the second oldest in the world after Yellowstone. The shack communities at Era, Burning Palms and Little Garie grew up in the 1920s and 1930s and are now protected as heritage.