Just an hour drive away from the city lies Bundeena, a lovely little coastal village that leads to Sydney’s Royal National Park. I guess that’s one of the many reasons why I love Sydney. The mountains are near and the beaches are nearer.
Having lived in Sydney years ago, this city has always held a special place in my heart and having made lifelong friends there, going back always feels a little bit like coming back home. Walking down Maroubra Junction to catch the bus to the city is always a familiar feeling. It feels just like those uni days and it definitely feels like an oxymoron, like everything but nothing’s changed. In a good way. In a cozy and heartwarming way.
So when I went back a few weeks ago, everything felt like home. I wanted to be close to nature and explore a new place I’ve never been when I was living in Sydney all those years ago. One of my friends suggested Royal National Park, which surprisingly I’ve never visited. Having only touched down the night before, we didn’t think we were prepared enough to do a 4-hour Figure Eight trail hike so we decided on the 1-hour Wedding Cake Rock trail.
40 minutes into the drive, it felt like we were submerged into the wilderness lightyears away from the city. When we reached the coastal town of Bundeena, we started our hiking trail that led us to the cliffs overlooking the gorgeous blue ocean anyone and everyone would fall in love with. The light to moderate walk took us about an hour as we stopped from time to time to simply capture the moment and take in all the raw beauty that nature provided us to indulge.
When we finally reached the Wedding Cake Rock, the barricades were set due to the fragility of the eroding rock but we were still able to view it from a distance. Granted it was our main destination but the view of it all was more than enough. The sound of the waves crashing, trees whispering and birds chirping, the feel of the cool crisp air and warm sun. What a breathtaking moment still.
For those considering this walk, I highly suggest to wear proper walking/hiking shoes or sneakers as the trail can get rocky and muddy at times. You might not even get phone reception so yeah, always tell people where you’re heading to prevent a case of 127 hours. It’s a short walk sure, but believe me you’ll be there much longer to capture this simplicity and beauty of nature that Royal National Park has to offer.
Maybe the Figure 8 Pools walk next time? I sure hope so. 🙂
Yours Naturely 