by Gary Williams

On the weekend of May 20th & 21st, Paul Ellis and I left my place at Minto for the Royal National Park. It was there we would make the 26km journey from Bundeena to Otford known as the Royal Coast Walk. This trek, with fantastic coastal views, is one of the most beautiful and popular coastal walks in Australia. It is a must do trip for all bushwalkers.

We left my place at 7.10am Saturday and walked down to the railway station. It was a clear sunny day. Although there was still quite a chill in the air. Fleece jackets were required. We boarded the 7.41am train bound for the City. We arrived at Central at 8.30am and quickly headed for the platform for Cronulla bound trains. We caught the 9.10am train to Cronulla which arrived there at 9.50am and then headed down to the wharf where we would catch the 10.30 ferry to Bundeena.

We arrived at Bundeena at 11.00am. At the local park we checked our rucksacks and had a quick smoke before walking through this small hamlet to the park entrance. The walk was mostly uphill along bitumen streets and quite tiring, but we arrived at the trackhead at 11.40. After following a narrow gravel road for about 200 metres we took off down a side track. It was a very sandy and narrow track and we plodded through the thick loose sand until 20 minutes later we arrived at a spectacular cliff edge. We continued, following the clifftops, then descended a steep track to a place known as the 'Water Run', a narrow flowing creek where Paul decided to try out his new PUR 'Scout' water filter. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out the way we had intended. The Acorn Pre-filter did not seem to be allowing the water to flow through the tube. Closer inspection revealed the intake hose was split. Repairs were made, but in the process of putting it back together, the prongs broke, making the Acorn Pre-filter totally useless. Paul wasn't very impressed and shoved the unit back into his pack. We had managed just one cup of water each. We would have to be very careful with water usage from now on. We had a quick smoke, a handful of trail snacks and headed off. It was now 12.40pm.

We followed a difficult sandy track that ascended to Marley Head. Along the top we had magnificent views for some distance, the best being across the Marley Beaches to Providential Head. We descended to Marley Beach where we found a nice shady secluded spot out of the midday sun for lunch and happily munched on pizza rolls, twiggy sticks and cheese. We moved on again at 1.55pm knowing that we had almost 90 minutes of walking (thanks to last year's notes) before arriving at our next destination of Wattamolla.

We crossed Marley Beach and Little Marley before the easier than expected ascent onto Providential Head. Along here we made our way across numerous metal walking grids and spectacularly eroded clifftop rock formations until we started following a well-defined trail through the bush. A small descent brought us out next to a small waterfall. It was here last year that we had set up camp with the Shoalhaven Bushwalkers. The natural rock swimming hole looked too cold for us to consider taking a dip. Paul had another try at the water filter, this time getting it to work by removing the intake hose completely and immersing the lower part of the main body in the creek while I held the outflow hose. We enjoyed a refreshing mug of clean and tasty water before we refilled our waterbags. After that we decided to relax and enjoy the serenity of this area. We moved on to Wattamolla at 3.40pm.

When we reached Wattamolla several minutes later we were most disappointed to find the Kiosk closed. For the previous hour or so we had been thinking about indulging in a nice ice cream, bottle of Gatorade or can of Coke - something a little different to plain water while we had the chance. So much for that. We decided to immediately set off for Curracurrang so we could get in early for a decent campsite. We walked through the carparks until we found the track. A signpost told us it was 1.2km to Curracurrang. Well, it turned out to be a long 1.2km. It felt more like 5.2! We ascended a hill where there were a number of water tanks, then descended to a rock platform that used posts as a guide for walkers, we crossed a small creek, then followed a trail through thick bush until we came to a large creek flowing into a small narrow bay. This was the Curracurrang camping area and we were not the first to set up camp, there were tents everywhere, all set up on little grassy open areas in the bush. We quickly found ourselves a nice cozy tent site at the back of the camping area and took note of the time, it was 4.20pm.

We dropped our packs, lit a smoke and had a little look around, then, as it was quickly getting dark, wasted no time in getting the tent erected and dinner prepared. Dinner was satay rice and Italian sausages, very nice indeed. By the time we had cooked our meal it was dark and our torches came into play. We cleaned up our utensils, donned fleece jackets, gloves and beanies and then went down to the inlet and found a small cave to sit in just above the waterline. The rising full moon gave the ocean a silvery look about it and made for a truly wonderful sight, and, with the sound of lapping waves giving us a relaxing backdrop, it was a wonderful place to be.

Planes continually flew overhead, either taking off or landing at Mascot in the distance. Out to sea we could make out the lights of a cargo ship. A few clouds arrived, but quickly dispersed to gather again on the horizon. It was fairly chilly, but still too early to hit the tent. One of the groups of campers lit a fire, it looked so inviting, but due to the ban on campfires here we decided not to follow suit. They also had several bottles of alcoholic beverages and Paul and I quickly regretted not bringing our own supply along. Instead we warmed ourselves up by singing Monty Python's Lumberjack Song. This drew howls of laughter from those nearby who could hear us, perhaps it was the wonderful acoustics of the cave we were sitting in. (However, I felt especially nervous singing about someone who dresses up in women's clothing and hangs around in bars - though it didn't seem to bother Paul that much - Strange).

At 7.40pm we returned to the campsite to brew up a nice hot cup of 'Blackadder' Tea, this warmed us up nicely. We then returned to the cave for more relaxing sounds of the ocean, interrupted by our strained singing voices. Eventually the cold and the fatigue of the day's walking got the better of us and we called it a night at 10.15pm.

We were woken up at 2.00am by the sounds of heavy rain falling on the tent. Although relaxing, it gave us concern for the walk out - leeches were foremost on our minds, but also it had rained heavily on the 2nd day of this walk last year. We had nothing to worry about in the end, for as we emerged from the tent at 7.15am that morning, not only had the rain gone, the tent was bone dry. The sky was clearing and it looked like it was going to be a bright sunny day. We had a quick breakfast, then packed up our gear and moved out at 8.30am.

We headed south, it was going to be a long day. We needed to get to Otford in time to catch the 4.21pm train and we knew we had some seriously demanding walking ahead of us. We ascended a small ridge past several vacant campsites and negotiated the scrub covered ridges using the now familiar metal walking grids. It was again quite chilly, and very windy, luckily we had our beanies, gloves and were wearing our thermals. (Embarrassing but warm). It was tough going with the wind blowing right through us but we reached Eagle Rock in quick time and stopped to admire the views. The wind was so strong that the many waterfalls that drop from the clifftops into the sea were actually going up.

After a short rest we moved on to tackle Curra Moors. One of the worst sections from last year's walk due to the severe erosion along the track. This year it didn't seem so bad, but there were new sections of track cut into the bush that steered us away from the worst sections. Obviously the NPWS are presently working on this section. It was 10.00am when we came out of Curra Moors onto Garie North Head. Before we tackled the descent to Garie Beach we had a little break and sat down to admire the beautiful scenery, the blue ocean, cloudless sky and golden beaches looked fantastic. It's a wonderful place to take a rest.

We made our way down carefully to the beach, it took us less than 10 minutes for the descent - I'm sure it would take a lot longer going the other way - then struggled our way through the sand. This was very tiring, our feet were moving but the rest of us seemed to be going nowhere, or so it felt. This is a long beach. Eventually we had the chance to step off the sand and walk along a rock platform behind the dunes. Not far away we caught sight of a cute deer feeding itself on the grass there. We then headed around the headlands following a rocky path with the high cliffs above you, we prayed there wasn't going to be a rock slide today.

Just before reaching North Era, we had to negotiate two very narrow rock ledges well above the rock platforms. The second one was the worst, very bad for the nerves, you had to bend down so your pack would not get caught on the protruding rock above you, then grab hold of a small bush and pull yourself across a one metre gap onto another ledge sitting at a 90 degree angle to the one you're standing on. I could have murdered Paul when we had crossed and he told me we could have easily dropped to the platform to get around it. (He's getting more like what Craig used to be every year).

It was 11.30am when we left the beach at South Era. After again struggling through the sand to reach the surf club. We found ourselves on firm grassy ground for the first time since we left the campsite this morning. We stopped for a quick break and noticed a large herd of deer in the field behind us. They kept their distance, perhaps they were wary of Paul, who is known to enjoy the occasional meal of venison from time to time. How anyone can get a kick out of shooting these beautiful creatures is beyond me. Give each deer an Owen gun I say. Anyway, after sighting Bambi and Co we saw another sight which was not good, a tremendous hill we had to walk up. This should be an Olympic event. We were stuffed by the time we reached the top. We had another rest, this was needed very badly, but aside from feeling tired from the ascent we also felt quite exhilarated due to the excellent coastal views in front of us. We then followed a narrow track to Burning Palms, the track followed a hill just above the ocean and as there were few trees, we had an uninterrupted view for quite some distance.

We then descended to Burning Palms along a track that we remembered last year was nothing but thick mud. Either side of the track were huge palms that sheltered many of the private huts in this area, many in bad disrepair. We arrived at the Beach at 12.30am. We decided we weren't really that hungry, so lunch was postponed until we finished the walk. Perhaps it was our eagerness to get the ascent out of the way.

Now was the time we had been dreading, the ascent to Otford through the Palm Jungle. The steps, oh the steps. Steps steps steps bloody steps. Why couldnít we have done South to north? There were hundreds of them and the climb out was lung-busting.

Climbing Climbing Climbing, you feel as though you'll never reach the top, you seem to be climbing forever. Then, finally, you come out to a rock platform lookout that gives magnificent views down the coast towards Wollongong. We had a well-earned rest break to catch our breaths and light up a smoke. It was here that we met up with a group of four lovely young women we had noticed several times since the ferry at Bundeena. Paul got talking to them and discovered they were all English backpackers who hailed from Coventry, not far from where Paul came from - it sure is a small world. They questioned us about other walking locations in NSW and asked us if we knew how far we had to go to Otford. We spent several minutes talking to them before they moved on.

For us, we relaxed a few more minutes before putting the packs back on and moving out again, then it happens, just around the bend, more bloody steps. You start getting strange thoughts, you imagine yourself as a teapot, with handle and spout, but you struggle on. Suddenly you reach an old gate and join up with a wide open track. You know youíre only 30 minutes from civilisation and a certain hamburger shop on the main street in Otford. The track heads inland for about 1km before turning to join up with the coast again and the well-fenced route gives you magnificent views of the ocean. You hear cars in the distance then see people in the park below, you know your trip is just about finished. You feel so relieved, so happy, but then at the same time you know that the walk is over. The two days of peace and tranquillity, of wonderful scenery, of magnificent flora & fauna and of forgetting about all of life's little problems, albeit only briefly. We arrived at Otford at 2.20pm and we immediately headed to the corner shop for a well-earned hamburger and Coke before the easy descent to Otford station to catch the train. We had plenty of time to relax and mull over the previous two days. Sure it was cold, windy and exhausting at times but this walk is truly amazing and most enjoyable. The tremendous beauty of the surrounding scenery more than make up for any hardship along the way. Well worth the effort. Out of 10? At least 9 1/2 I'd say. You really must do this walk.