Spurred on by memories of childhood adventure books, Great Walks rediscovers the beauty of Royal National Park.
Royal National Park has been described as an extension of Sydney’s backyard, but you don’t really have to go very far to escape the crowds. Less than a kilometre along the Coast Track from the popular Wattamolla Beach, it can feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. This is only reinforced by the remote heathlands that surround the first half of the Deer Pool and Marley Beaches circuit, but it might also have had something to do with the wind and rain.
The circuit initially follows part of the 26km Coast Track, which extends all the way from Bundeena to Otford. There are signs pointing to walking tracks at both ends of the carpark, but we crossed Coote Creek just before it empties into the lagoon at the northern end of the carpark and headed into the bush towards Marley Beach. After we crossed Wattamolla Creek and the low dam wall below, the track became steeper and more eroded as we climbed towards the first junction. However, the views back towards the coast and over the remote heathland as we neared the top and turned left onto the Little Marley Fire
Trail were impressive, especially with the clouds racing overhead.
After a few hundred metres I had reverted to my childhood, remembering the vast moorland that had been crossed by Enid Blyton’s Famous Five in Five Go off to Camp and trying to recount to my partner the plot, which involved mysterious trains beneath the moors.
After heading down the fire trail for a kilometre, we reached an unmarked T-intersection and turned right onto the Little Marley Trail, which slowly descends through the heathland towards the coast. There is an optional signposted detour towards the quiet Deer Pool, which would make a great swimming spot in summer, and another unmarked side trip across the sand dunes of the the wild Marley Beach, with views of the freshwater lagoon. This track is easy to miss, so keep an eye out for it as you approach the ocean.
Once you’ve retraced your steps to the junction, the Coast Track skirts a rock shelf just before reaching Little Marley Beach and its miniature lagoon. This beach is meant to be safe for swimming, but with the cold winds and the threat of rain we decided to just watch the waves crashing on the rocks from a comfortable spot near the lagoon while we had lunch.
After crossing Little Marley Beach, the track heads straight up onto the towering cliffs of the Coast Walk, which instantly reminded me of the descriptions of the wild coastline in Five Go to Demon’s Rocks. There are no fences and few sections of metal walkway, but as long as you follow the coastline there’s no chance of getting lost. We picked our way along the easiest-looking route across the oxide-patterned sandstone, avoiding the pools of water and trying to call out path suggestions to each other over the wind, before following the track inland through the heath to the first and Wattamolla Beach.
Words_Laura Boness