Royal National Park

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Photo by HelenB
Cliffs along the Coast Track, Royal National Park, NSW, October 2009

Australia, New South Wales

Overview

Royal National Park was established in 1879, which makes it the second oldest national park, after Yellowstone NP in the USA. Located only 32 km (about 20 miles) south of Sydney in NSW, it is 15,091 hectares (150.91 sq. kms) in size. 241 species of birds have been recorded in the park, along with 43 native mammals, 40 reptile species and 30 amphibian species.

Birds

Notable Species

Azure Kingfisher

Rarities

Sooty Albatross Very Rare Visitor, White-tailed Tropicbird Rare Visitor, Straw-necked Ibis Rare Visitor, Yellow-billed Spoonbill Rare Visitor, Osprey Rare Visitor, Square-tailed Kite Rare Visitor, Spotted Harrier Rare Visitor, Buff-banded Rail Rare Visitor, Lewin's Rail Rare Visitor, Australian Crake Rare Visitor

Photo by HelenB
Riparian habitat in Royal NP, NSW, October 2009

Photo by HelenB
A forest trail in Royal NP, NSW, October 2009

Photo by HelenB
Looking north towards Sydney from the Bundeena area of Royal NP, NSW, October 2009

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Brown Quail Common Resident, King Quail Uncommon Resident, Musk Duck Uncommon Visitor, Black Swan Uncommon Resident, Australian Wood Duck Common Breeding Resident, Pacific Black Duck Common Breeding Resident, Grey Teal Uncommon Resident, Chestnut Teal Common Resident, Hardhead Vagrant, seen in strong drought, Australasian Grebe Common Resident, Little Penguin Uncommon Visitor, Southern Giant Petrel Common Visitor, Southern Fulmar Possible on windy day, Great-winged Petrel Possible on windy day, White-headed Petrel Possible on windy day, Gould's Petrel Possible on windy day, Blue Petrel Possible on windy day, Antarctic Prion Possible on windy day, Slender-billed Prion Uncommon, Fairy Prion Common Visitor, Flesh-footed Shearwater Uncommon Visitor, Fluttering Shearwater Common Visitor, Hutton's Shearwater Uncommon Visitor, Wedge-tailed Shearwater Common Visitor, Sooty Shearwater Uncommon Visitor, Short-tailed Shearwater Uncommon Visitor, Snowy Albatross Uncommon Visitor, Antipodean Albatross (Gibson's) Common Visitor, Black-browed Albatross Common Visitor, Campbell Albatross Common Visitor, Shy Albatross Uncommon Visitor, Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Common Visitor, Australian Gannet Common Resident, Australasian Darter Uncommon Resident, Little Pied Cormorant Common Resident, Pied Cormorant Moderately Common Resident, Little Black Cormorant Uncommon Resident Great Cormorant Common Resident Australian Pelican Common Resident White-faced Heron Common Resident, Little Egret Regular Visitor, Eastern Reef Egret Common Resident, Pacific Heron Uncommon Visitor, Great Egret Uncommon Visitor, Intermediate Egret Uncommon Visitor, Eastern Cattle Egret Occasionally seen flying over, Striated Heron Uncommon, but regular in some locations, Nankeen Night Heron Common Resident, Australian White Ibis Common resident, Royal Spoonbill Regular Visitor, Pacific Baza Uncommon but Regular Visitor, Black-shouldered Kite Common Visitor, Whistling Kite Common Resident, White-bellied Sea-Eagle Common Resident, Swamp Harrier Uncommon Visitor Brown Goshawk Uncommon Visitor Grey Goshawk Common Resident Collared Sparrowhawk Uncommon Resident, Wedge-tailed Eagle Uncommon Resident, Little Eagle Rare bur increasing resident Brown Falcon Uncommon Visitor, Australian Hobby Uncommon Resident, Peregrine Falcon Common Resident, Nankeen Kestrel Common Resident, Australasian Swamphen Common Resident, Dusky Moorhen Common Resident, Eurasian Coot Common Resident, Painted Buttonquail Uncommon Resident, Bar-tailed Godwit Common Summer Migrant

To be Continued

Site Information

History and Use

Established in 1879, Royal NP is the world's second-oldest national park, after Yellowstone NP in the USA.

Areas of Interest

• Audley Weir - good for Azure Kingfisher
• Lady Carrington Drive ~ Historic 10km track. Runs from Audley to south Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, following the Hacking River. Habitats include: tall eucalypt woodland with either a rainforest or open grassland understorey. 86 species logged here.
• Wattle Flat ~ Wattle Flat Picnic area and a 300m walk through warm temperate rain forest upstream beside the Hacking River. 102 species.
• Mount Bass Fire Trail ~ not far from Audley Weir. Low heath & exposed sandstone. Walking trail, access off Bundeena Dr. 41 species
• Little Marley Track ~ A 6 km track through mainly heath from Bundeena Road to Marley Beach. 12 species
• Bonnie Vale Campground ~ Campground in the north part of Royal National Park near Bundeena. 86 species

Access and Facilities

• Activities possible in this diverse park: bushwalking, cycling, surfing, picnicking, bird watching or whale watching, in habitats from beach to rainforest
• Park hours ~ 7am to 8.30pm, but may be closed at times due to poor weather or fire danger
• Visitor Centre at 2 Lady Carrington Drive, Audley. Newly-refurbished and located on the ground floor of the Audley dancehall. Open 8.30am-4:30pm daily (closed Christmas Day)
• Entry fees: Vehicle: AUS$11 per day, free entry with the NSW National Park pass or NPWS exemption pass
• Camping fees: vary by campground. See link in External Links, below
• Location: 32 km (about 20 miles) south of Sydney and 40km (25 miles) north of Wollongong. Coming from Sydney, Royal National Park's main entry points are along the Princes Highway

Contact Details

Street address: Farnell Avenue, Audley Heights, NSW 2232
Tel: 02 9542 0648

External Links

• Royal National Park
• Royal National Park
• NSW's parks