Audley to Gibraltar Rock

Download & Print Map and Notes

45 mins

2.2 km Return

55 m

Easy track

This walk starts at the historical and beautiful Audley picnic area and dance hall. Have a picnic or enjoy a coffee from the cafe, before wandering along the quiet public road alongside Hacking River. After heading around the locked gate, you walk along the old Lady Carrington Drive trail for about 450m to the Gibraltar Rock and lovely views over the Hacking River. Retrace your steps to enjoy another coffee and get back to the car.

Audley

Audley in the Royal National Park is where you will find the visitor information center, toilets, kiosk, boat shed (row boat hire), weir, water, BBQ's and plenty of picnic facilities. Take a step back in time and explore some of the preserved building like the old dance hall, enjoy wandering the grounds or grab an ice cream.

(0km) Audley Village car park → Audley Cafe

110 m

2 mins

0m Very easy

From the Audley Village car park

[Parking Accessible]

(north of the buildings located at 2 Lady Carrington Dr, Royal National Park), this walk follows the 'Audley Dancehall' arrow on the 'Ironbark Flat' sign[1] along the concrete path[2] (toward picnic area and buildings). This walk continues along the path for about 70m, passing a series of seats

[Seat]

and a picnic area with 2 picnic tables

[Picnic Table]

and 2 BBQs[3][4] to come to the signpost intersection[5] with another concrete path (leading toward the male and female toilets

[Toilet Accessible]

up the stairs[6]). From the intersection this walk continues straight following the 'Audley Dancehall' sign[7] towards the building with accessible toilets

[Toilet Accessible]

, 'Royal National Park Visitor Centre'[8] with a shop[9] and the 'Weir Cafe'[10], beside the path.

Audley Picnic area

Audley Picnic area is a large grassy area[11] with beautiful views across the Hacking River. There are 2 picnic tables

[Picnic Table]

with 2 sheltered double gas BBQs[12][13]. A few benches[14] are scattered around the area. Closer to the 'Audley Dancehall' building[15] there's a signposted toilet block

[Toilet Accessible]

(just up the short staircase)[16].

Audley Cafe

'Weir Cafe'[17] is located at the 'Audley Dancehall' building[18]. The building is separated into two areas, one is the cafe[19] and the other one is the 'Royal National Park Visitor Centre'[20] with a gift shop[21]. Hot and cold food as well as drinks are available. Lunch meals range from about $15-25.

(0km) Audley Cafe → Commonwealth Pavilion car park

80 m

1 mins

-4m Very easy

Continue straight: From the cafe[22], this walk follows the concrete path (keeping the river on your right). This walk continues along the path for about 90m, passing 2 seats

[Seat]

, the 'Currawong Flat and Varneys Bridge' sign[23] and the large sheltered 'Commonwealth Pavilion' picnic area

[Picnic Table]

[24] to come to a small parking lot

[Parking Accessible]

(just past the 'Currawong Flat and Varneys Bridge' postsign[25] and timber bollards).

Commonwealth Pavilion

The large sheltered 'Commonwealth Pavilion' picnic area[26] offers 19 picnic tables

[Picnic Table]

and 4 single gas bbqs (high 90cm, grill area 43cm wide). From the picnic area there are beautiful views over the Hacking River and the picnic area. This is a great spot to see Cockatoos[27]. There is a cafe, information center, toilets and other facilities nearby.

(0km) Commonwealth Pavilion car park → Lady Carrington Drive gate (Willow Tree)

470 m

9 mins

18m

-11m Very easy

Continue straight: From the car park[28], this walk follows the 'Currawong Flat and Varneys Bridge' sign along the asphalt road (away from the sheltered 'Commonwealth Pavilion' picnic area) toward[29] the timber 'Varneys Bridge'[30] (with handrails) over the Hacking River.
Continue straight: From the bridge, this walk follows the 'Willow Tree & Fig Tree Flat' sign[31] along 'Lady Carrington Drive'[32], keeping the river to the right. This walk continues along the road for about 290m past the 'Willow Tree Flat' sign[33] to come to a toilet block

[Toilet]

(on the right). From the toilets this walk continues along the road for about 60m to come to a 'Y' intersection[34] with a 'Lady Carrington Drive' signpost[35] and locked gate[36].

Willow Tree

Willow Tree is a picnic area[37] in the Royal National Park. It is found on the south side of Audley, between the old Lady Carrington Drive and the Hacking River. The picnic area has a large shelter[38] with 4 picnic tables

[Picnic Table]

, an open grassy area[39], parking[40], BBQ's, tap water, garbage bins[41], recycling and toilets

[Toilet]

. The picnic area stretches along the river bank and provides a lovely spot to stop and enjoy the park[42] .

Lady Carrington Drive

Opened in 1886 by Lady Carrington, this road was formally named 'Lady Carrington Road' (later changed to 'drive'), and started on the southern side of the then newly constructed Audley weir. The road became popular among people exploring the region. The road follows the Hacking River's east bank and then Bola Creek to Sir Bertram Stevens Drive. Much history has been preserved, with several drinking troughs still filling with water and many sandstone retaining walls still standing. The brooks that the old road crosses have been named using the traditional names of birds, the following is a list with the English name in brackets. Mullion (Eagle), Wurrul (Bee Eater), Burowa (Bustard), Karonga (White Crane), Gorra Worra (Laughing Jackass), Buralga (Native Companion), Kobardo (Parrot), Birumba (Plover), Dirijiri (Wagtail), Murrindum (Quail), Dumbal (Crow), Tamur (Bronze winged Pigeon), Burunda (Swan), Karani (Duck), Palona (Hawk) Brooks.

(1km) Lady Carrington Drive gate (Willow Tree) → Gibraltar Rock

430 m

8 mins

-11m Easy track

Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk follows the 'Lady Carrington Drive' sign[43] around the locked gate[44] and along the management trail[45] (keeping the picnic area and river to the right). This walk winds along the trail gently uphill for about 400m to step onto the cobblestone section

[Trip Hazard]

below the overhanging Gibraltar Rocks[46] beside the picnic table

[Picnic Table]

Gibraltar Rock

Gibraltar Rock[47], Royal National Park, is a sandstone overhang found near the northern end of Lady Carrington Drive. The old road passes under the rocks and is home to a small section of sandstone cobblestone[48]. At this point, the old road offers great views of the Hacking River[49] and across to Wattle Forest picnic area. These and many other sandstone formations, together with the history, make this old road quite interesting to explore. There is a picnic table

[Picnic Table]

under the overhang.

Maps for the Audley to Gibraltar Rock walk

You can download the PDF for this walk to print a map.
These maps below cover the walk and the wider area around the walk, they are worth carrying for safety reasons.

Port Hacking	1:25 000 Map Series	91294N PORT HACKING	NSW-91294N
Port Hacking	1:100 000 Map Series	9129 PORT HACKING	9129

Cross sectional view of the Audley to Gibraltar Rock bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Audley to Gibraltar Rock

Altitude analysis for Audley to Gibraltar Rock

Overview of this walks grade – based on the AS 2156.1 – 2001

Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.

		Length	2.2 km
		Time	45 mins
		.
Grade 2/6 Easy track	AS 2156.1	Gradient	Flat, no steps (1/6)
		Quality of track	Clear and well formed track or trail (2/6)
		Signs	Clearly signposted (1/6)
		Experience Required	No experience required (1/6)
		Weather	Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)
		Infrastructure	Generally useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats) (1/6)

Some more details of this walks Grading

Here is a bit more details explaining grading looking at sections of the walk

Gradient

This whole walk, 1.1km is flat with no steps.

Quality of track

Around 650m of this walk follows a smooth and hardened path, whilst the remaining 430m follows a clear and well formed track or trail.

Signs

This whole walk, 1.1km is clearly signposted.

Experience Required

This whole walk, 1.1km requires no previous bushwalking experience.

weather

This whole walk, 1.1km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).

Infrastructure

This whole walk, 1.1km is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats).

Similar walks

A list of walks that share part of the track with the Audley to Gibraltar Rock walk.

Gibraltar Rock

858 m Return, 20 mins

This short walk starts near the Willow Tree Picnic Area (near Audley). The walk follows a short section of the historic Lady Carrington Drive to a large sandstone overhang called Gibraltar Rock. At the base of the overhang is a rare sandstone cobble section of road. At Gibraltar Rock, there are also

Total climbing: 17m

Easy track

Jersey Spring

5 km Return, 1 hr 45 mins

Starting near the Willow Tree Picnic Area (near Audley), this walk follows the northern section of the historic Lady Carrington Drive to Jersey Spring. Past the sandstone overhang of Gibraltar Rock, this walk follows the old road and the Hacking River, enjoying the palms and tall gums along the way.

Total climbing: 118m

Easy track

Lady Carrington Drive

9.7 km One way, 3 hrs 45 mins

This walk follows the historic Lady Carrington Drive alongside the Hacking River. The old road is closed to traffic and provides a great way for walkers (and mountain bikers) to explore the richness of Royal National Park. You can explore the fantastic natural sandstone rock formations, historical

Total climbing: 266m

Moderate track

Willow Tree to Calala

10.5 km Return, 4 hrs

On this walk you follow the historic Lady Carrington Drive from Willow tree picnic area to Calala before returning the same way. The walk passes two icons on the old road, Gibraltar Rock and Jersey Spring whilst crossing several small brooks. At Calala you will find a large clearing and natural sh

Total climbing: 282m

Moderate track

Other Nearby walks

A list of walks that start near the Audley to Gibraltar Rock walk.

Robertson's Roundabout

2.3 km Circuit, 1 hr 15 mins

From the Royal National Park Centre, this walk crosses the Hacking River before rising steeply up onto the ridge to fantastic views of the Hacking River. If you look into the distance you can see Cronulla on the horizon at the highest points. Towards the end of the circuit, with good views of the su

Total climbing: 146m

Hard track

Bungoona Path

918 m Return, 20 mins

This is a smooth and mostly flat walk with a fantastic lookout in the Royal National Park. The concrete path starts at the Area Office car park, passes a pleasant and usually quiet picnic area, then winds gently down through the bush. The path leads to the fenced Bungoona Lookout, where you can en

Total climbing: 30m

Very easy

Winifred Falls

4.4 km One way, 2 hrs

Winifred Falls is one of the best waterfalls in Royal National Park. This walk not only goes to the magnificent falls but has the optional side trip down to the beautiful South West Arm Pools. Anice Falls are not as great as Winifred but worth the visit. The walk then continues through the heath to

Total climbing: 179m

Hard track

Engadine to Audley

5.8 km One way, 2 hrs 30 mins

From Engadine Railway Station, this walk ventures into the centre of the Royal National Park, through light scrub. Highlights include Tuckawa Rill Creek, where the cascading water and small rock pools contrast beautifully with the surrounding dry bushland. On from here, there are great views of the

Total climbing: 181m

Hard track

Loftus to Winifred Falls

11 km One way, 4 hrs

Following well-maintained bush tracks and service trails, this walk descends into the Royal National Park, to a spectacular set of pools and cascading falls on South Western Creek. The Royal National Park Information Centre, on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, is approximately in the middle of this walk a

Total climbing: 400m

Hard track

Heathcote to Audley

10 km One way, 4 hrs 15 mins

Passing through scrub and heath, this track goes into the Royal National Park along a well managed bush track, passing great pools and sections of creek at Karloo Pools and Uloola Falls. With some lovely rest spots at both of these places (especially with the toilet at Uloola) this walk is very plea

Total climbing: 327m

Hard track

Heathcote to Engadine via Audley

15 km One way, 6 hrs 30 mins

Covering a large section of central Royal National Park, this walk goes through the heath and scrub along a well managed and signposted track. The walk loops from Heathcote Railway Station around to Engadine Station. With public transport at both ends, toilets and water at both Uloola Falls and Rei

Total climbing: 635m

Hard track

Uloola Track (Heathcote to Waterfall)

11.3 km One way, 4 hrs 30 mins

This pleasant walk takes you from Heathcote to Waterfall Station. This walk ventures into central Royal National Park along a well maintained bush track. The walk goes via a beautiful set of waterholes and rock flats at Karloo Pools. The walk continues to the peaceful campsite at Uloola Falls and t

Total climbing: 388m

Hard track

The Karloo Track

5.6 km Return, 3 hrs

A popular trail for those wanting a well-signposted bush track, and a great place to swim. The Karloo Track follows the bush track from Heathcote Railway Station east, into the Royal National Park, to a great set of waterholes on Kangaroo Creek. This walk offers more than just a set of waterholes at

Total climbing: 312m

Moderate track

Heathcote to Waterfall

10.1 km One way, 5 hrs

Spanning between Heathcote and Waterfall Railway Stations, this walk experiences many of the different environments that Heathcote National Park has to offer. From ridge tops to creek walking, this is a great way to enjoy a day, with a perfect spot for a break at the Heathcote Campsite. If the water

Total climbing: 481m

Hard track

Heathcote to Waterfall Overnight Walk

10.8 km One way, 2 Days

Following Heathcote Creek, this walk is a great overnight walk, often used to introduce new walkers to overnight hikes. A well-signposted and defined track leads you to a campsite with a reasonable level of facilities. There are great views of Heathcote Creek along the way, and many of Heathcote's v

Total climbing: 503m

Hard track

The Goanna Track Circuit

11 km Circuit, 4 hrs

The Goanna Track is a short but pleasant bush track with some good views down over Heathcote Creek. Mostly along management trail, this walk follows the pipeline from Heathcote out to the Goanna Track circuit. Be sure to go down to Lake Eckersley as this is arguably the prettiest part of the walk. I

Total climbing: 484m

Hard track