04 November 2012
After living in Sydney for three months, and still not really knowing many people, I decided it was time to take the initiative and go do something. A while back, I'd come across a Facebook group called, Gay Camping New South Wales. It had over 1,000 members, so I figured it must be a legitimate organization but hadn't been able to attend any of their events. Finally, an event was posted advertising a 28 kilometer (17 mile) hike through Royal National Park, just south of Sydney. It was free, all access was by public transportation, and it was just one day, so without further delay, I signed myself up.
Royal National Park is the world's second oldest National Park - only second to Yellowstone National park in the US - and covers nearly 60 square miles (or half the land area of Rhode Island). National Parks in Australia are a bit different than those in the US. While the parks in each country protect large tracts of land, preserve the cultural and historical history, and support populations of rare plants and animals, the US National Parks seem to be much more restrictive in terms of what land is permitted to be administered at the National Park level. In Australia, there are a vast number of National Parks that seemingly protect nothing more than a swath of land similar to that in nearby parks. In many cases, it seems that many Australian parks were designated more for recreation than protection of a specific site, history, or environment. I am by no means belittling the National Park system in Australia because each one I've been to (and I've been to 13) offers something special - though admittedly, some offer more than others!
The plan was to meet anyone going at Central Station in a specific train car, and sure enough there ended up being about 20 guys who decided to do the hike as well! Most of the guys who showed up clearly knew each other from previous hikes, events, camp-outs, and whatnot so it was fun getting to know them a little bit on the train and hear about where they came from - which was really all over the world! I'd never really actively participated in any sort of gay social group before, so to me, it was really exciting to see that all these guys, living in Sydney from all over the world, actively got together to go on hikes, 4WD adventures, road trips, rock climbing, day walks, and just do the things guys like to do without any pretense or social activism motive.
We took the train down to Cronulla and got on a small passenger ferry that took us across Gunnamatta Bay and Port Hacking to the town of Bundeena where, after a short stroll through a neighborhood, our real walk began.
I've reiterated this time and time again, but I really cannot get over how rugged the Australian coast is. And Royal National Park is no exception - the huge, sturdy, sandstone cliffs rise up out of the ocean in a mixture of vibrant of colors and shapes, each uniquely shaped by the wind and waves. The northern end of the walk took us right over top of these cliffs, sometimes where you could just look over the edge and peer down more than 100 feet, and through shrubby bush country. In 2001, over 740,000 acres burned across the greater Sydney region - most in Lane Cove, Blue Mountains, and Royal National Park. It was part of the worst drought in 100 years and the landscape here was blackened. Though you can barely see any trace of the fires now, the trunks of many of the trees still bear those charred black marks.
Eventually, we descended on to some beautiful, sandy, wide, wind-swept beaches where fisherman were doing their best to catch a few fish and surfers were warned not to enter the waters. The trail went back up into the hills above the cliffs, and over a few creeks which were dammed at some point to create a little pool of water, almost like an infinity pool. We stopped for quick water break at Wattmolla Beach, where I was able to snap a photo of a kookaburra on a Coastal Walk sign that just begs to be in a tourist advertisement!
We kept going over the cliffs and through the bush until we walked down the big hill to Garie Beach, a long, narrow beach pinched between towering cliffs and the ocean. We stopped for a bit of lunch and some of the guys took a swim in the ocean, which I decided to opt out of since it still scares me some! But then we carried on and changed environments to kind of an open grassy section of the walk. I get the feeling it felt more open because all throughout this region of the park are these little cabins. Privately owned, for now, these cabins were the homes of families who could not afford any other lifestyle during the Great Depression. They moved out to the coast where they sustained themselves off of fish they caught and food they grew. The cabins are still used, and what better place to spend a day at the beach, though the deeds are apparently being transferred to the National Park Service if not passed down to a direct descendant of the current owners.
The last leg of the walk was through an expansive palm tree jungle that steeply angles down into the water below. The path at times takes you through a tangled knot of vines and walls of palm fronts you have to duck past, climb through, and push into if you want to keep going. Not dangerous by any means - unless you forgot your water! Finally, one last climb and a walk along a wide two-track brought us to the Otford train station where we perfectly timed a train back into the city. Everyone was tired and a bit sore, but it was a great day that a few of us then celebrated over a few beers and dinner back in Sydney.
I will definitely be revisiting Royal NP again because even though our trek was intense, we barely scratched the surface of all the things there are to do at the park, and we only saw a fraction of the rest of the park. Until then!
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