Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave walking track

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Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave

Bushwalking track notes, photographs, maps and more for Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave are found in each of the tabs below

Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave

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Time:	2 hrs Walking time Includes the time for the return leg Please allow extra time to rest and to explore	7.4 km S of Heathcote
Length:	5.1 km Walk Length As this is a return style walk, the 5.1 km includes the return leg of this walk (ie back to the start)	Royal National Park
Climb:	171 m Total Climbing This walk has a total cumulative climb of 171 m, this is the total of the elevation gains made in each of the walks uphill sections
Style:	Return

Following the historic Lady Carrington Drive much of the way, this walk heads north until turning off the wide trail. Here the heads along a narrow track to a beautiful limestone cave. In typical sandstone country, Palona Cave's different geology makes it well worth the visit. There is a beautiful cascading waterfall just near the cave to add even more variety. Just a bit north of the turnoff this walk describes a side trip to an old picnic area, a nice cool and shaded spot to rest. (open in app)

There are closures in Royal National Park
Today's Fire rating
LOW MODERATE (No fire ban)

Sponsor of Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave bushwalking tracknotes

Map of Walk

Location

Map of Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave
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Map Controls - Show Contours | Hide Path | Hide Distances | Hide Names
Map Scale

1 km

Base maps are used under licence and is © Department of lands Panorama Avenue Bathurst 2795 www.lands.nsw.gov.au

Maps that cover the walk area (please always carry maps of the area)

Print a map and track notes here

Otford

1:25 000 Map Series

NSW-91294S

Port Hacking

1:100 000 Map Series

9129

Photo Gallery




	Lady Carrington Drive gate, Sir Bertram Stevens Dr end +




	Sign beside Lady Carrington Drive +




	Southern end of Lady Carrington Drive +




	Lady Carrington Dr near the Wallumarra Track +




	The old Lady Carrington Dr +




	At Int of Lady Carrington Drive and Walllamarra Bushtrack +




	Sign near Bola Creek Picnic area +




	Lady Carrington Drive north of Forest Path intersection +




	Lady Carrington Dr +




	Palona Caves Int +




	Track to Palona Cave as it leaves Lady Carrington Dr +




	Palona Brook +




	Palona Brook Picnic Area +




	Track to Palona Cave +




	Rock Formation en route Palona Caves +




	The track to Palona Cave +




	Narrow Section of track +




	Palona Cave +




	Palona Waterfall +




	Palona Waterfall +




	Palona Cave +




	Inside Palona Cave +




	Inside Palona Cave +




	Limestone formations +

Terrain

Please note: This is a 'return' style walk and therefore these graphs only show the terrain for the first half of the walk (until the turn around point.)

Cross sectional view of the Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave bushwalking track

Cross Section of the Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave bushwalking track

Summary of the gradients over the the lenght of the Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave 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	5km
		Time	2 hrs
		.
Grade 4/6 Track: Hard	AS 2156.1	Gradient	Short steep hills (3/6)
		Quality of track	Rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely (4/6)
		Signs	Minimal directional signs (4/6)
		Experience Required	Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
		Weather	Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)
		Infrastructure	Limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged) (4/6)

*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
Around 2.5km of this walk has short steep hills, whilst the remaining 75m has gentle hills with occasional steps.

Quality of track
1km of this walk follows a smooth and hardened path and another 780m follows a rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely. The remaining (730m) follows a clear and well formed track or trail.

Signs
Around 1.8km of this walk is clearly signposted, whilst the remaining 780m has minimal directional signs.

Experience Required
Around 1.8km of this walk requires no previous bushwalking experience, whilst the remaining 780m requires some bushwalking experience.

Weather
This whole walk, 2.6km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).

Infrastructure
Around 1.8km of this walk is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats), whilst the remaining 780m has limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged).

Track Notes

Since this is a 'return' style walk once you have had enough of the walk, turn around and retrace your steps back to the start.

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Drive to Int of Lady Carrington Drive and Sir Bertam Stevens Drive

A park entry fee is required for driving into the park. You can drive or ride to the start of this walk Use these links to plan your trip to the start of this walk. Plan your trip from --> Castle Hill\|Chatswood\|Dural\|Epping\|Gosford\|Hornsby\|Katoomba\|Manly\|Parramatta\|Penrith\|Strathfield\|Sutherland\|Sydney\|

(0 km) Int of Lady Carrington Drive and Sir Bertam Stevens Drive to Int of Lady Carrington Drive and Walumarra track Track: Moderate - servicetrail	Length = 654 m	Time = 12 mins
	Climb = 1 m	Descent = -22 m
From the car park on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive (500m north of the intersection with McKell Ave), this walk heads between the boulders[fac=8405] (on the western edge of the car park) then leads downhill^[1] to get around to the back of the locked gate (56cm high) and sandstone wall^[2]. From here the walk follows the wide dirt Lady Carrington Drive trail downhill past the 'Forest Path' information sign^[3] and continues mostly downhill for just over 600m through the forest to come to a three-way intersection signposted with the 'Walumarra Track'^[4]^[5].

(0.65 km) Int of Lady Carrington Drive and Walumarra track to Bola Picnic Area intersection Walk: Easy - bushtrack	Length = 74 m	Time = 1 mins
	Climb = 0 m	Descent = -3 m
Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk heads downhill along the main wide dirt trail^[6], keeping the valley to the right. The trail bends right and leads down into the valley for about 60m passing the 'red cedar' information sign^[7]^[8] to come to the signposted three-way intersection with 'The Forest Path'^[9] beside the the Bola Creek picnic area[fac=8407]^[10], just before the creek.

Bola Picnic Area	Alt = 35 m
Bola Picnic Area
Bola Picnic Area, in the Royal National Park, is at the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive and Forest Island Track^[11], beside Bola Creek^[12]. You will find a small clearing^[13] with a picnic table^[14][fac=8407] in a gorgeous rainforest setting, surrounded by tall trees^[15] and ferns scattered through the area. There is no car access to the picnic area, making this a lovely quiet area.

(0.73 km) Bola Picnic Area to Int Palona Cave Trk and Lady Carrington Drive Track: Moderate - servicetrail	Length = 1.04 km	Time = 21 mins
	Climb = 25 m	Descent = -42 m
Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk follows the 'Audley 9km' arrow^[16] gently downhill along the wide trail to cross the culverted Bola Creek^[17]. The trail then bends left and leads steeply up for about 200m where the trail then gently undulates through the forest^[18]^[19] for about 800m before coming to the faint intersection, with the signposted 'Limestone Cave' bush track^[20] (the timber sign is behind a tree on the left, before the signposted 'Palona Brook'^[21]).

(1.77 km) Int Palona Cave Trk and Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Brook Picnic Area Optional sidetrip: Track: Moderate - servicetrail	Length = 108 m	Time = 2 mins
	Climb = 1 m	Descent = -4 m
Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk heads downhill along the main wide trail as it soon bends to the right. After about 50m the trail crosses the signposted and culverted^[22] 'Palona Brook'^[23] to come to a picnic area^[24] (on the right-hand side). (Retrace your steps back to the main track, then turn left to continue along this walk.)

Palona Brook Picnic Area	Alt = 19 m
Palona Brook Picnic Area
Palona Brook Picnic Area is found on the north side of Palona Brook along side the old Lady Carrington Drive^[25]. The picnic area is home to a couple of wooden picnic tables[fac=8408]^[26]^[27] and is next to the steep gully and culvert that Palona Brook flows through^[28]^[29]. A pleasant spot to rest when visiting the nearby sandstone cove or exploring the old road.

(1.77 km) Int Palona Cave Trk and Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave and Waterfall Track: Hard - bushtrack	Length = 781 m	Time = 19 mins
	Climb = 69 m	Descent = -9 m
Turn right: From the intersection, this walk follows the 'Limestone Cave 1.6km' arrow along the track, heading up the hill and away from the road. The walk continues up a long hill, winding through dense forest for a short while before flattening out and continuing along the side of the hill. The walk winds through the bush and passes several rock overhangs and outcrops either side of the track, as the walk make its way along to the Palona Caves at the end of the track.

Palona Cave	Alt = 77 m
Palona Cave
Palona Cave is off Lady Carrington Drive, north of Bola Picnic Area, in the Royal National Park. Palona Cave is a large limestone overhang with a few cave decorations such as columns and stalactites. Being open to the environment, the cave has some green moss and is not reminiscent of other pristine white limestone caves. The cave is a unique feature for the area and is well worth allowing time to explore.

Palona Brook Falls	Alt = 73 m
Palona Brook Falls
The waterfalls on Palona Brook are just beyond Palona Cave. The brook is ephemeral (not permanently running), but when it is running, the waterfalls are a cool place to explore on warm days. The waterfall is made of up two main cascades, with a short landing in between. The water falls into a reasonably small rocky pool.

Drive from Int of Lady Carrington Drive and Sir Bertam Stevens Drive

A park entry fee is required for driving into the park. You can drive or ride from the end of this walk Use these links to plan your trip from the end of this walk. Plan your trip to --> Castle Hill\|Chatswood\|Dural\|Epping\|Gosford\|Hornsby\|Katoomba\|Manly\|Parramatta\|Penrith\|Strathfield\|Sutherland\|Sydney\|

Getting there

Plan your trip to the start of the walk and back from the end of the walk

Public Transport links currently not working, sorry

Driving Directions

	To the start of the walk Drive from:		From the end of the walk Drive to:

Near by

Campsites in the park
Bonnie Vale camping ground
North Era camping ground
Uloola Falls camping ground

Nearest know Outdoor Stores near the start of this walk

Store	Address	Phone	Distance (straight line)
Engadine Disposal & Outdoor Centre Pty Ltd	1042 Old Princes Hwy, Engadine	(02) 9520 3367	9.4 km
Paddy Pallin Adventure Equipment	587 Kingsway, Miranda	(02) 9525 6829	14.4 km
Boots Great Outdoors	23 Koonya Cct, Caringbah	(02) 9542 8988	15.8 km
Onrope	11 Nelson Ave, Padstow	(02) 9709 6299	23.7 km
Dans Caravans	422 Hume Hwy, Yagoona	(02) 9790 7047	26.8 km

A list of the nearest UHF CB repeaters I found to Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave.

Channel	Call sign (more info)	Site	Distance and dir from Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave Click to re-center search
3	VMG3	Mine commsite WESTCLIFF COLLIERY	21 km (to the WSW)
1	SYD01	12/14 Ormonde Parade HURSTVILLE	21 km (to the NNE)
7	SYD07	7 Glamorgan St BLACKTOWN	42 km (to the NNW)
5	SYD05	Sydney Adventist Hospital 185 Fox Valley Rd WAHROONGA Emergency use only	46 km (to the N)
8	ROB08	Communications Site MT MURRAY	58 km (to the SW)

Weather and Park info

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)
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.

Weather and Climate
Weather and Climate summary detailed weather and climate information here

°C (feels like °)

km/h from the

% humidity (as at )

A graph displaying the average daily temperature range for the year

Royal National Park Link to official closures and fire bans page

Region: Sydney & Surrounds
Park fees Camping Facilities
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.

Walker Feedback

Comments

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Dylan

IP:58.172.131.xxx | 2009-11-07 07:37:47

Enjoyed the walk. Very overgrown in the section past the turnoff to the Limestone caves though, and we had a bunch of leeches on our feet and legs by the end of it at the caves.

adam	IP:110.32.241.xxx \| 2011-09-11 07:34:15

took my year old boy to the cave and waterfall, had a great walk. had to carry him out becase he had tired legs but he made 80%. he did get a leech though

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not too much longer now :)