The Sutherland Hospital – Emergency Department
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1
430 Kingsway (corner of Kareena Road), Caringbah NSW 2229
Royal National Park Coast Track · Checked October 2026
Royal National Park Coast Track emergency & health guide: hospitals, 000, closures and park rules
How to call for help with patchy phone signal, the nearest hospital for each of the 2 stages, and the park rules: the Garie campsite booking, deer-control and fire-danger closures, water and rock-platform safety.
In an emergency call 000 from any phone, or 112 from a mobile; both reach the same service. Ask for an ambulance for injuries and the police for a lost walker. Mobile reception in Royal National Park is limited, so if you have no signal move to a headland or open cliff top. Give the nearest landmark (Wattamolla, Eagle Rock, Garie Beach, Burning Palms, Otford Lookout) and your GPS coordinates; the Emergency+ app shows them.
Emergency numbers
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| 000 | Triple Zero: police, ambulance and fire, free from any phone, 24/7. Ask for an ambulance for injuries and the police for a lost walker. |
| 112 | Works from mobile phones only and reaches the same service as 000; it still needs signal from some network. |
| 106 | Text emergency calls from a TTY for people who are deaf or have a speech impairment. |
| 131 444 | NSW Police Assistance Line, non-emergency, 24/7 |
| 1800 022 222 | healthdirect: medical advice from a nurse when it is not an emergency, 24/7 |
| 1800 679 737 | NSW Rural Fire Service information line: bush fires and total fire bans |
| 02 9542 0648 | Royal National Park Visitor Centre, Audley: alerts and closures, 8:30 am–4:30 pm daily |
Mobile reception in Royal National Park is limited and patchy: you often have signal on the headlands and none on the beaches and in the gullies. Install the Emergency+ app, download the park maps in the NSW National Parks app, fill in the NPWS trip intention form so someone at home knows your plan, and check the park alerts, the fire danger rating and the marine forecast on the morning you start. A personal locator beacon (PLB) is a good idea if you walk alone.
Rules to know
- Camping is allowed only at Garie Beach campground, and only with a booking made in advance through NSW National Parks. Each booking is a raised timber platform for one two-person tent or two small one-person tents, and places are few. North Era campground closed in 2023 and has been decommissioned.
- Deer control, 6 July – 18 December 2026: the Coast Track, Wattamolla and Garie picnic areas, the coast between Garie Beach and Figure 8 Pools and the edges of Bundeena are closed from sunset to sunrise, Monday to Thursday (except school holidays). Walkers with a campground booking may still reach their campsite. Penalties apply.
- The park is open 7 am to 8:30 pm but can close at short notice in bad weather or high fire danger. Total fire bans declared by the NSW Rural Fire Service apply in the park.
- There is no drinking water on the track. Fill up in Bundeena and carry at least 2 litres per person per day; water at Wattamolla and Garie is untreated and must be boiled or treated.
- Park entry costs $12 per vehicle per day at Wattamolla, Garie and Garawarra Farm. The Garie Beach car park is day use only and locked overnight, so overnight walkers leave cars at Beachcomber Avenue in Bundeena or at Otford Lookout, or come by train and ferry.
- Bundeena ferry: it leaves Cronulla about every 30 minutes (first boat 5:30 am on weekdays, 8:30 am at weekends). Pay on board, $9.40 for adults in 2026; cards are accepted but Opal is not. In big swell a bus runs instead. At the end, Otford station is 2 km down the road from Otford Lookout.
- The beaches are not patrolled (Garie only part-time in summer) and have strong rips. Rock platforms such as Figure 8 Pools are deadly in large swell: visit only at low tide in calm seas. Keep back from cliff edges; the old track at the foot of the Garie cliffs is permanently closed.
- Pets (except certified assistance animals) and recreational drones are not allowed, and NSW national parks are no-smoking areas. Take all your rubbish out with you.
Nearest hospital for each stage
| # | Stage | Hospital (24/7 emergency) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bundeena → Garie Beach | The Sutherland Hospital – Emergency Department |
| 2 | Garie Beach → Otford | Wollongong Hospital – Emergency Department |
Hospitals
St George Hospital – Emergency Department
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2
Gray Street, Kogarah NSW 2217
Wollongong Hospital – Emergency Department
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 2
348 Crown Street, Wollongong NSW 2500 (ED entrance off Darling Street)
Clinics and urgent care
There is no clinic on the track or at Garie. Bundeena has a GP (Bundeena Family Practice, Tuesday–Friday, by appointment), and the Bulli Hospital Urgent Care Centre treats minor injuries during the day. For medical advice when it is not an emergency, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (24/7).
Bundeena Family Practice (GP)
- Opening hours only
- Stages 1
Shop 5, 22-30 Brighton Street, Bundeena NSW 2230
Bulli Hospital Urgent Care Centre
- Opening hours only
- Stages 2
22 Hospital Road, Bulli NSW 2516
Pharmacies, cash and supplies
Australia has no duty-pharmacy rota. Bundeena Pharmacy on Brighton Street (02 9523 1378) is open Tuesday to Saturday, and Cronulla has several pharmacies near the station. There is nothing on the track, at Garie or at Otford Lookout, so carry blister care, sunscreen, insect repellent and any medicines you need.
Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.
Have the nearest help on your map, offline
Outest shows these hospitals, pharmacies, ATMs and stops on the Royal National Park Coast Track map, offline, together with the route, water and places to sleep.