Audley Dance Hall Cafe

Audley Dance Hall Cafe is a casual cafe and takeaway inside the old Dance Hall in Royal National Park’s Audley precinct. The 1949 hall sits across the weir from Audley Boatshed, with a broad lawn running down to the Hacking River. It makes an easy breakfast or lunch stop after a walk, or a place to pick up food for a picnic. The old setting and river outlook are the sure reasons to stop; the food can be more hit-or-miss.

The cafe serves breakfast and lunch, takeaway sandwiches, coffee, pastries and baked cakes, biscuits and slices. Marvell Street coffee is its named coffee offering. Choose indoor seating or the long outdoor veranda, which has heating; the lawn and a covered public pavilion with picnic tables are close by if you want more room.

The hall was built in 1949 for community gatherings, dancing and shared meals, then refurbished in 2010. It still works as an events venue as well as a cafe. Audley had been a recreation hub since the mid-1800s, with people coming to the river for activities such as paddling, bowls, cricket and tennis.

From the veranda or lawn, look across the Hacking River toward Audley Boatshed on the other side of the weir. For a photo, include both the river and the boatshed instead of filling the frame with the building; it shows how the cafe sits in the wider Audley precinct. Birds forage on the lawn, and rowboats pass on the river.