Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave

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Safer Bushwalks Tips on staying safe on track
Before you start any bushwalk ensure you;
• Tell someone you trust where you are going and what to do if you are overdue
• Have adequate equipment, supplies, skills & knowledge for the whole journey
• Consider the impact of weather forecasts, park/track closures & fire dangers
• Can respond to emergencies & call for help at any point
• Are healthy and fit enough for this journey
If not, change plans and stay safe. It is okay to delay and ask people for help.

Getting There Transport options and directions

Start	At the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive & Sir Bertram Stevens Drive (-34.1488024,151.0301973)
Mode	Car (A park entry fee is required for driving into the park.)
Directions	From , Sutherland Shire.

Track Notes Turn by turn instructions & maps

Getting started
From the car park on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive (500m north of the intersection with McKell Ave), this walk heads between the boulders (on the western edge of the car park) then leads downhill to get around to the back of the locked gate (56cm high) and sandstone wall. From here the walk follows the wide dirt Lady Carrington Drive trail downhill past the 'Forest Path' information sign and continues mostly downhill for just over 600m through the forest to come to a three-way intersection signposted with the 'Walumarra Track'.....

Turn map	Directions & comments
	At the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive & Sir Bertram Stevens Drive Start heading along Lady Carrington Drive (a vehicle track). After 45 m head through/around the gate. At the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive & Forest Path continue straight, to head along Lady Carrington Drive.
	After another 640 m (at the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive & Walumarra Track) continue straight, to head along Lady Carrington Drive. After another 120 m find the "Bola Picnic Area" (20 m on your left). Bola Picnic Area Bola Picnic Area, in the Royal National Park, is at the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive and Forest Island Track, beside Bola Creek. You will find a small clearing with a picnic table in a gorgeous rainforest setting, surrounded by tall trees and ferns scattered through the area. There is no car access to the picnic area, making this a lovely quiet area. Then find the "Picnic Table" (30 m on your left). Picnic Table A timber slat picnic table and bench seat. The table is 76cm high, 91cm deep and 2.12m wide. The seats are 44cm high, 30cm deep and 2.12m wide (no backrest).
	At the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive & Forest Path continue straight, to head along Lady Carrington Drive.
	The starting point of an optional sidetrip. An optional side trip to Palona Brook Picnic Area. To start this optional side trip continue straight here. On returning from this side trip turn left when you get back to this intersection. Details below. After another 1.1 km (at the intersection of Palona Cave (Limestone Caves) Track & Lady Carrington Drive) turn right, to head along Palona Cave (Limestone Caves) Track (a walking track).
	After another 730 m come to "Palona Cave". About 60 m past the end is "Palona Brook Falls". 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. Turn around here and retrace the main route for 2.6 km to get back to the start.

An optional side trip to Palona Brook Picnic Area.

Turn map	Directions & comments
	At the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive & Palona Cave (Limestone Caves) Track Start heading along Lady Carrington Drive (a vehicle track). After another 75 m come to "Palona Brook Picnic Area". Palona Brook Picnic Area Palona Brook Picnic Area is found on the north side of Palona Brook along side the old Lady Carrington Drive. The picnic area is home to a couple of wooden picnic tables and is next to the steep gully and culvert that Palona Brook flows through. A pleasant spot to rest when visiting the nearby sandstone cove or exploring the old road. About 25 m past the end is "Picnic Table". Picnic Table A timber slat picnic table and bench seat. The table is 76cm high, 91cm deep and 2.12m wide. The seats are 44cm high, 30cm deep and 2.12m wide (no backrest).
	Continue another 0 m to find from the Lady Carrington Drive at the end. Turn around and retrace your steps back the 75 m to the main route.

Turn map

Directions & comments

At the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive & Palona Cave (Limestone Caves) Track Start heading along Lady Carrington Drive (a vehicle track).

After another 75 m come to "Palona Brook Picnic Area".

Palona Brook Picnic Area

Palona Brook Picnic Area is found on the north side of Palona Brook along side the old Lady Carrington Drive. The picnic area is home to a couple of wooden picnic tables and is next to the steep gully and culvert that Palona Brook flows through. A pleasant spot to rest when visiting the nearby sandstone cove or exploring the old road.

About 25 m past the end is "Picnic Table".

Picnic Table

A timber slat picnic table and bench seat. The table is 76cm high, 91cm deep and 2.12m wide. The seats are 44cm high, 30cm deep and 2.12m wide (no backrest).

Continue another 0 m to find from the Lady Carrington Drive at the end.

Turn around and retrace your steps back the 75 m to the main route.

Terrain Know the Hills, grading & facilities

Lady Carrington Drive to Palona Cave

Grading

	Class 4/6 Hard track
Length	5.1 km
Time	2 h to 4 h

Quality of track	Rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely (4/6)
Gradient	Short steep hills (3/6)
Signage	Minimal directional signs (4/6)
Infrastructure	Limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged) (4/6)
Experience Required	Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
Weather	Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)

Articles Discover more details to thrive on track

Bola Picnic Area
Bola Picnic Area, in the Royal National Park, is at the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive and Forest Island Track, beside Bola Creek. You will find a small clearing with a picnic table in a gorgeous rainforest setting, surrounded by tall trees and ferns scattered through the area. There is no car access to the picnic area, making this a lovely quiet area.

Palona Brook Picnic Area
Palona Brook Picnic Area is found on the north side of Palona Brook along side the old Lady Carrington Drive. The picnic area is home to a couple of wooden picnic tables and is next to the steep gully and culvert that Palona Brook flows through. A pleasant spot to rest when visiting the nearby sandstone cove or exploring the old road.

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
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.

Get more information
Wildwalks | Palona Cave & Waterfall Complete Walking Guide - helpful hiking | Palona Cave Walk - Walk my World | Palona Cave Walk In Royal National Park Sydney - Londoner in Sydney | Royal National Park
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Weather & Alerts Check forecasts & closures
Weather Forecast
- Cronulla Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
  
  Monday 28 April
  
  Shower or two.
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers along the coastal fringe, slight chance elsewhere. Winds southerly 15 to 25 km/h becoming light in the evening.
  
  Tuesday 29 April
  
  18°C → 23°C
  Showers.
  80% chance of rain
  1 → 15mm
  
  Partly cloudy. The chance of fog in the outer west in the early morning. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Light winds becoming southerly 15 to 20 km/h in the middle of the day then becoming light in the evening.
  
  Fire Danger Rating: No Rating
  
  UV Alert: Sun protection 9:40am to 1:50pm, UV Index predicted to reach 4 [Moderate]
  
  Wednesday 30 April
  
  17°C → 20°C
  Showers increasing. Windy.
  95% chance of rain
  6 → 30mm
  
  Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely from the late morning. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds south to southwesterly 25 to 35 km/h.
  
  Thursday 1 May
  
  16°C → 19°C
  Showers. Wind easing.
  95% chance of rain
  7 → 40mm
  
  Cloudy. Very high chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds southwesterly 20 to 30 km/h turning southerly 25 to 35 km/h during the morning.
  
  Friday 2 May
  
  15°C → 20°C
  Showers.
  80% chance of rain
  1 → 10mm
  
  Partly cloudy. High chance of showers. Winds south to southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h becoming light during the evening.
  
  Saturday 3 May
  
  17°C → 22°C
  Shower or two.
  70% chance of rain
  0 → 7mm
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Winds southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h turning southeasterly during the day.
  
  Sunday 4 May
  
  17°C → 22°C
  Shower or two.
  50% chance of rain
  0 → 4mm
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Monday 5 May
  
  17°C → 23°C
  Possible shower.
  40% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Forecast data thanks to © Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
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