Marley Head Hike in Royal National Park, Australia

jana meerman marley head royal national park (3)

Royal National Park is home to over 150km² of hikes, waterfalls, beaches and ocean views. One of the best known hikes in the park is the trail past Wedding Cake Rock and on to Marley Head with views over Marley Beach below.

I am currently solo traveling around Australia, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport.

For thousands of years, the Gadigal people lived on this land, long before Europeans arrived. The first Europeans to arrive in the area were the British on the First Fleet in 1788.

Royal National Park is the third oldest national park in the world and the first in Australia, established in 1879. It was originally named just National Park with "Royal" added after Queen Elizabeth II visited in 1954. It's located just south of Sydney.

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How to Get to Royal National Park

Royal National Park is the oldest national park in Australia, located just south of Sydney.

By car: Of course the easiest way to get to the Royal National Park is with your own wheels. Parking is available at various spots throughout the park. The entry fee is AUD $12 per vehicle.

By public transport: You can also reach the national park by public transport from Sydney. I took the train to Cronulla and then walked down to Cronulla Ferry Terminal from where ferries depart every hour on the :30 across to Bundeena Wharf, just a short walk from the Marley Head Hike trailhead. At the time of writing, the ferry was AUD $6.80 per adult.

Marley Head Hike Details

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Jana Meerman

Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.

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