Blogs from Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania

The Royal National Park is the second oldest National Park in the world and was the first to have the title National Park. It was founded by Sir John Robertson on 26th April 1879. The park is 18 miles (29k) from Sydney’s CBD (Central Business District) and is 58 sq. miles. It was originally named National Park and wasn’t until 1955 that it became the Royal National Park when Queen Elizabeth II passed by in the train. In 2006 the park was added to the Australian National Heritage List. We only spent one night and day in the Park, but it was amazing. We arrived late so just parked in a carpark and spent the night there. The next day we got up early and started our hike. The first part of the hike was ... read more

The sun was shining so we decided to take on a bush walk with Anthea, Dave and a couple of their friends. We met at Cronulla for breakfast – stocking up on fried breakfasts and coffee before embarking on our bush walk!! As Will had indulged in pancakes before even leaving the house and made us late he opted for healthier Eggs Benedict and an apple juice as he had a guilty conscious, although the apple juice resembled pond scum We caught the ferry from Gunnamatta Bay in Cronulla across to Bundeena Bay and Bundeena National Park, where Dave took charge as ‘Camp Dad’ and led the group into the National Park with his trusty guide We passed some beautiful scenery – isolated beaches, coastal cliffs with views across the Tasman Sea, views of the Sydney ... read more

These are some of my pics from my first month in Australia. The pictures range from our first national park trip which was gorgeous but painful on the mind and body. I guess that's what happens when you don't eat for 36 hours and carrying a 70 pound pack up steep slopes. Some more of the pics are from other national parks and the city of Melbourne and Sydney. Hope you all enjoy!... read more

From Kangaroo Valley we drove out via Macquarie Pass through Wollongong and northwards along the coast across the Sea Cliff Bridge. We stopped at Bald Hill in Stanwell Park, home of the Sydney Hang Gliding Centre. It had superb views but the wind was offshore so there were no gliders. We drove into Royal National Park and camped at Bonnie Vale camp ground in Bundeena. It was a lovely spot nestled on the shores of Simpsons Bay in Port Hacking, with great views towards Cronulla and the southern suburbs of Sydney. Despite the cold, Annelies and Thomas had great fun frolicking in the mud and shallows of Cabbage Tree Basin and Simpsons Bay. On Wednesday, we drove through Bundeena to Jibbon Beach (too cold to swim) and then walked part of the Coast Track to The ... read more