Using a variety of tracks, this walk follows the coast as well as going inland to Garrawarra Farm. With great coastal views and a magnificent palm jungle, this walk demonstrates perfectly, the diversity of the Royal National Park. Of historical significance are the houses scattered along the coast that were built during the depression. Take some time along the way to have a cool down at one of the many fantastic beaches.
(open in app)
There are closures in Royal National Park Today's Fire rating LOW MODERATE (No fire ban)
Bushwalking track notes photographs, maps and camping spots for Garie Beach to Garawarra to Burning Palms Circuit
Cross sectional view of the Garie Beach to Garawarra to Burning Palms Circuit bushwalking track
Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Garie Beach to Garawarra to Burning Palms Circuit bushwalking track
Overview of this walks Grading - Based on the AS 2156.1 - 2001
These details are new. This new feature still requires more testing and refining. Please use the 'Walker Feedback' for report specific issues. Please e-mail Matt if you have any general comments. Hope you find it helpful.
Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.
Length
13km
Time
7 hrs
.
Grade 4/6
Track: Hard
AS 2156.1
Gradient
Very steep (4/6)
Quality of track
Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6)
Signs
Directional signs along the way (3/6)
Experience Required
Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
Weather
Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)
Infrastructure
Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)
*This summary of grading information is new and still in testing
Some more detail of this walks Grading
Here is a bit more details explaining the grading looking at sections of the walk. Gradient
7km of this walk has short steep hills and another 3km is flat with no steps. The remaining (3km) is very steep.
Quality of track
9km of this walk follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles and another 4.4km follows a clear and well formed track or trail. The remaining (360m) follows a smooth and hardened path.
Signs
Around 8km of this walk has directional signs at most intersection, whilst the remaining 5km is clearly signposted.
Experience Required
Around 9km of this walk requires no previous bushwalking experience, whilst the remaining 4.5km requires some bushwalking experience.
Weather
This whole walk, 13km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).
Infrastructure
Around 9km of this walk has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced), whilst the remaining 4.2km is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats).
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Garie Beach, Royal National Park, is a large, south-east facing, yellow sand beach. The beach is backed by steep headlands and gullies. There is a large car park at the end of Garie Rd for access to the beach. Garie Beach is popular for surfing, patrolled 9am-5pm from December to January. Facilities include toilets, kiosk, picnic tables, cold showers and Surf Life Saving Club. The water from the shower should be treated before drinking, this water comes from a tank and may be unavailable during dry periods. More info
(0 km)
Garie Beach Car Park
to
Little Garie Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 754 m
Time = 20 mins
Climb = 59 m
Descent = -47 m
From the Garie Beach car park, the walk follows the sign to 'North Era', keeping the sea to the left. This track follows the base of the large grassy hill between the rocks and the ocean, to the Little Garie cabins and up past the Little Garie Community Hall.
(0.75 km)
Little Garie
to
North Era Bush Campground Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 845 m
Time = 23 mins
Climb = 62 m
Descent = -74 m
Continue straight: From the community hall in Little Garie, the walk heads steeply up the hill, following the track to the south-west. To prevent erosion of the hill, wooden steps have been installed. From the top of the ridge, the track continues down the other side, keeping the ocean on the left while winding down into North Era Bush Campground.
(1.6 km)
North Era Bush Campground
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Int of Burgh Ridge Track and Era Track (East) Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 914 m
Time = 20 mins
Climb = 59 m
Descent = -20 m
Continue straight: From the North Era Bush Campground, the walk heads up the grassy hill, keeping the ocean to the left. Just before the buildings, the walk comes to an intersection with a track on the right (which heads into the trees). Continue straight: From the top of the ridge, the walk heads down the hill, keeping the ocean to the left as it winds down between the cabins to the beach at the bottom. From here, the walk continues around the back of the beach following the coast, and up between the houses to the large clearing before the top of the hill. Here, the walk comes to an intersection with two rough bush tracks towards the top of the hill.
(2.51 km)
Int of Burgh Ridge Track and Era Track (East)
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The Squeeze Way and Burgh Ridge track Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 1.28 km
Time = 32 mins
Climb = 181 m
Descent = -13 m
Veer right: From the intersection, this walk heads up the hill and away from the ocean, winding through the tall grass to the top of the hill, where it comes to a 'T' intersection with the track at the top. Veer right: From the intersection, this walk follows the bush track heading up the hill and away from the ocean, towards the thick forest at the top of the ridge. The track winds up the long hill to the treeline, where it continues up through the forest, climbing to the top of the long hill where it gradually flattens out and comes to the intersection of the 'Squeeze Way' service trail at the end of the Garrawarra Farm car park.
(3.8 km)
The Squeeze Way and Burgh Ridge track
to
The Squeeze Way and Burning Palms Tracks Track: Moderate - servicetrail
Length = 3.03 km
Time = 57 mins
Climb = 90 m
Descent = -71 m
Turn left: From the intersection, this walk follows 'The Coast Track - Lilyvale' sign[1] to head south along the wide management trail. Approximately 150m along, the track passes a small sign saying 'Cliff Track' and 'Burg Track'[2]. The management trail continues to undulate to an intersection with a bush track heading off to the left (approximately halfway down). This is a small side trip which has fantastic views of the ocean and the cliffs. Back on the main service trail, the track continues along the flat until coming to an intersection with a track signposted as the 'Lilyvale Track'. Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk follows the 'Burning Palms' arrow along the sandy service trail, winding through the bush for a short while before coming to the signposted intersection of the 'Coast Track'.
(6.82 km)
The Squeeze Way and Burning Palms Tracks
to
Int. Fig 8 Pool Trk and Coastal Trk Track: Hard - bushtrack
Length = 2.12 km
Time = 1 Hr
Climb = 66 m
Descent = -252 m
Turn left : From the intersection, the walk follows the 'North Era' arrow along the bush track, winding through the thick bushland and down a long hill for several hundred metres, gradually steepening before sharply turning left. After the change in direction, the track heads through the 'Palm Jungle' along the narrow bush track. At this point, the track is largely clear but in some places there are obstacles like fallen trees and branches. The track continues in this manner for some time before emerging into grasslands.
(8.94 km)
Int. Fig 8 Pool Trk and Coastal Trk
to
Burning Palms Beach (southern end) Track: Hard - bushtrack
Length = 879 m
Time = 20 mins
Climb = 17 m
Descent = -55 m
Continue straight: From the end of the palm jungle and the start of the grasslands, the walk heads through the grasslands and along the coast for a while before winding down to the signposted intersection with the Burning Palms track, near the rangers' hut.
(9.82 km)
Burning Palms Beach (southern end)
to
Int of Coast Track and Burgh Ridge Track (Sth) Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 939 m
Time = 18 mins
Climb = 79 m
Descent = -4 m
Veer left: From the intersection near the rangers' hut, this walk follows the Burning Palms arrow along the bush track winding around the back of the beach (which is to the right), until it joins onto a metal walkway. This continues until the trail passes several small cabins and begins to head steeply up the long hill, until the track reaches an signposted intersection at the top of the hill.
(10.76 km)
Int of Coast Track and Burgh Ridge Track (Sth)
to
North Era Bush Campground Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 1.12 km
Time = 27 mins
Climb = 20 m
Descent = -96 m
Turn right: From the intersection, this walk follows the 'North Era' arrow along the bush track heading down the hill, keeping the ocean to the right as it winds down to the intersection with the faint bush track in the large grassy clearing on the side of the hill, above some of the cabins at Era. Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk heads down the hill past the cabins to the bottom where it comes to South Era beach. From here, the walk continues around the back of the beach, keeping the ocean to the right as it continues up the other side to the top of the ridgeline where it comes to the intersection with a faint bush track (heading off to the left). Continue straight: From the top of the ridge, the walk crosses the headland and open grassy area, down towards the beach (keeping the ocean to the right), coming to a 'North Era Bush Campground' sign just before the beach.
(11.88 km)
North Era Bush Campground
to
Garie Beach Car Park Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 1.6 km
Time = 43 mins
Climb = 121 m
Descent = -121 m
Continue straight: Keeping the ocean and the coast to the right, the walk heads north across the North Era Bush Campground to the base of the large grassy hill, which it climbs steeply to the top. Upon reaching the top, the walk continues down the other side of the hill, winding down the bush track and wooden steps, until reaching the Little Garie Community Hall at the base of the hill. Continue straight: From the Little Garie Community Hall, the walk heads down the hill, keeping the sea to the right of the track as it leads into the gully. The walk passes several old cabins as it approaches the bottom, where the track passes a 'Coast Walk' sign, providing information on erosion issues in this area. From here, the walk heads between the ocean on the right and the base of the large grassy hill on the left as the track narrows. This continues until arriving in the Garie Beach car park.
Fire Danger This walk passes Greater Sydney Region fire area which currently has a LOW MODERATE rating and No fire ban in place. (Tomorrow the Fire Danger Rating is LOW MODERATE, No fire ban.) (Downloaded 7 years ago) This walk passes Illawarra/Shoalhaven fire area which currently has a LOW MODERATE rating and No fire ban in place. (Tomorrow the Fire Danger Rating is LOW MODERATE, No fire ban.) (Downloaded 7 years ago) Please Note: Each park may have its own fire ban, this rating is only valid for today and is based on information from the RFS Please check the RFS Website for more information.
Region: Sydney & Surrounds Park feesCampingFacilities Current Park Closure information for Royal National Park Closure information last downloaded Sunday 27th of September 2015 07:00 AM Closed areas: The Coast track upgrade The Coast track will be undergoing construction works between Beachcomber Ave and Marley Beach over a 9 month period. Works include resurfacing, installation of raised board walk and stairs and will be undertaken between October 2015 and May 2016. During the works it will be necessary, at times, to close the Coast Track for visitor safety. Please be aware that during closures the full coast track walk will not be possible and you may need to plan your route to start and finish at a different location. The Royal National Park alerts page will be updated regularly so please check it before you leave home. Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, please contact Royal National Park area office on (02) 9542 0632 or visit the NSW National Parks safety page for park safety guidelines.
Closed areas: Wedding Cake Rock Access to Wedding Cake Rock is prohibited. National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken a geotechnical assessment of the rock, which found that there is high chance that it could collapse at any time. Safety fencing has been erected to protect the public while a more permanent solution is developed. This is a really beautiful location and a spectacular rock formation to look at, but the key is doing it at a safe distance from the edge.
Safety alerts: Audley precinct in wet weather Access across the Audley Weir may be closed due to river flooding during times of wet weather. During wet weather, NPWS advise park visitors to visit Live Traffic NSW to ascertain the status of the Weir crossing before commencing their travel to the park. During times of closure, access to Bundeena, Maianbar residential areas, Royal National Park Visitor Centre, including the Audley Dance hall and cafe, is via McKell Ave Waterfall.
Your pic "looking down on Burning Palms beach"is in fact North Era beach
Regards Helen
Lance Carden - Great walk
IP:58.171.232.xxx | 2010-06-27 10:11:51
Hi Matt
this is a fantastic walk. I did it yesterday taking around 4.5 hours to complete with a few small stops.
The scenery is spectacular and ever changing, and the history of the cabin villages really interesting.
The signage is a very poor,especially at the beginning, but with the help of the trek notes and some help from the locals we found our way.
Be aware that at the start of the walk, just a bit further on from Garie beach, there are a number of signs saying "Track Closed". advice - ignore these.
many people walking this track and there was no problem with the track at all. have no idea why the signs are there.
Hiking near Sydney 
Track: Hard
1 km
A park entry fee is required for driving into the park.
not too much longer now :)