Travel Guide Royal National Park

Eucalyptus forests, rainforests, woodlands, oceanfront cliffs and beaches make up the bulk of the 16,000 ha of this park. Founded in 1879 by Sir John Robertson, then Premier of New South Wales, it is the second oldest national park in the world, after Yellowstone in the United States. It lost its original name, The National Park, in 1955 after Queen Elizabeth II passed through it during her visit to Australia in 1954. The Royal National Park was added to the National Heritage List in July 2006. Three hamlets are located in its northern part. Audley, which houses the Visitor Centre, is the closest to the entrance. Bundeena and Maianbar are accessible by road or ferry service from Cronulla. Bundeena is the largest of the three hamlets and has a restaurant, bar, supermarket, post office and gas station. There are three camping grounds. The one in Bundeena, called Bonnie Vale, is the only one equipped to receive vehicles. The other two can only be reached on foot and are of basic comfort.