Coastal walking trails will reward you with secret beaches, beautiful views and stunning bushland. The only downside, these trails are often huge and if you're fitness isn't great it isn't the best idea to take on a coastal track.
The Royal National Park, South of Sydney is home to some of the best Coastal trails, and the starting point to the Royal Coast Track is where you'll find the perfect beginner Coastal Trail.
Filled with idyllic beaches, amazing lookouts and ancient Indigenous engravings this is one of the best loops in the Royal National Park.
Jibbon Beach Loop:
In the small town of Bundeena in the Royal National Park this trail begins.
Starting at Jibbon Beach you'll walk along this stunning beach.
The waters are still, crystal clear and oh so blue!
Although not the best thing to do on a hike, I liked to take my shoes off to walk through the water.
Now with sandy boots we make our way into the bush at the end of Jibbon Beach.
Following the trail along the next best point of interest is the beautifully preserved Indigenous engravings. The Dharawal people left deep engravings of local sea life in the sandstone that encases this walk.
You can read the history and the dream time stories on the signs that are placed around this area.
Keep following the trail and the next spot to explore along the way is Shelly Beach.
Shelly beach is the perfect spot to set up for your lunch or to have a little pit stop along the way.
After visiting this beach you will know for sure that Shelly Beach is not named after someone called Shelly, but rather a beach where the sand is millions of tiny shells.
It was so satisfying to run your hands through the "sand" and have a handful of little shells to look through.
We spent far too much time at Shelly Beach inspecting every shell that caught our attention.
Continuing along the trail it moves away from the water and into the bush. This is probably the hardest section of the trail as the final part of the walk is on a slight hill, which isn't too bad, but it is when the terrain is loose sand.
It is very easy to take this part slow, as an arch of amazing natives bloom around you.
There were so many flowers to smell, and birds to watch.
The last part of the trail was easily my favourite, it felt like I was walking through a magical garden.
To finish the loop you'll end up on a residential street that you'll need to walk along to complete the trail. This will most likely be Eric St, depending on where you parked.
Getting there:
As with a lot of Aussie spots, a car is always the easiest way, although this spot is accessible with public transport.
If you are planning on taking Public Transport, just be cautious that you catch the last Ferry out of town, otherwise you will be spending the night in Bundeena.
You can find your Public Transport Route here.
Know Before You Go
Plan a lunch before you go, Bundeena is a quiet town and the chances of getting food in town is slim.
Bring plenty of water
The Australian sun is extreme, make sure you have sunscreen on and packed
Acknowledgement to Country. We would like to acknowledge the Dharawal people, the traditional custodians of this land. We would like to pay my respects to Elders past and present.
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