Overview
About Little Marley Beach
Why stop
- A quiet, rock-framed cove at the end of a scenic coastal walk.
Heads up
- A 7.8 km return walk makes this a half-day outing, not a quick beach stop.
- Strong currents and no lifeguard patrol make swimming a poor plan.
Little Marley Beach is a small, sandy cove on the Royal National Park coast, south of the larger Marley Beach. It’s the destination on the Bundeena Drive to Marley walk, a 7.8 km return, Grade 3 route that takes about 3–4 hours. This is a proper walk to a remote beach, not a quick stop from the car.
Parkwolf’s verdictA beach worth the walkMap
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Royal Tour Guide
Your drive to Little Marley Beach, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Royal National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Royal audio tourRecorded for this place
Bundeena Drive Walk to Little Marley“Ahead is the Bundeena Drive start for the walk to Little Marley Beach, through heath and past Deer Pool. Allow three to four hours for nearly eight kilometres return, with plenty of steps and short, steep hills.”
Plays as you drive up to Little Marley Beach in the Parkwolf Royal Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wattamolla Beach and Lagoon
- The Spinebill at the Flowers
- Bundeena Coast Track to Wedding Cake Rock
- How Rusa Deer Got Here
- 43 audio storiesacross Royal’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Humpback Whale, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Koala, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 69 trails, 58 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Little Marley Beach
The walk is part of the outingFrom Bundeena Drive, the track crosses ridgetop heath, passes freshwater pools and creeks, goes…
From Bundeena Drive, the track crosses ridgetop heath, passes freshwater pools and creeks, goes by Deer Pool and joins Little Marley Trail before opening onto the shore. You can retrace the route or arrange a pickup and continue north toward Bundeena on The Coast Track. Allow extra time to sit by the water; turning around as soon as you reach the sand would rush the best part.
Treat it as a walk, not a swim stopLittle Marley is remote and unpatrolled.
Little Marley is remote and unpatrolled. The water can be rough, with very strong currents and a steep drop-off, so this isn’t recommended as a safe swimming beach. If you want a swim, choose a patrolled beach and stay between the flags.
Pack for the dayBring drinking water, food, a hat and sun protection for the walk.
Bring drinking water, food, a hat and sun protection for the walk. Parking at the Bundeena Drive start can be limited on busy weekends, so leave room in your plan for a full car park.
Look back at the coveThe view of the beach’s golden curve opens up on the approach.
The view of the beach’s golden curve opens up on the approach. At the shore, dark rock shelves frame the sand; the shallow pool behind the beach can mirror the sky around sunrise. The long walk is part of the appeal if you’re after a quieter, more remote-feeling stop.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Royal
56 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
70 sightingsWhite-bellied Sea-EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
12 sightingsKoalaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
34 sightingsJavan RusaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
70 sightingsShort-beaked EchidnaMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
11 sightingsRed FoxMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Royal. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
