Parking
Use the NPWS Regional Office carpark in Audley. The path starts a short distance across the sloping asphalt carpark; two accessible parking spaces, accessible toilets and picnic tables are at the start. Royal National Park entry fees apply.
Overview
About Bungoona Lookout and Path
Why go
- A wide, mostly concrete path to a river lookout
- Benches on the way and at the platform
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
4 active Royal alerts
- ClosureOvernight closures for deer-control operationsSpecified areas of Royal National Park are closed between sunset and sunrise from Monday to Thursday, excluding school holidays, through 18 December 2026 so NPWS can carry out deer-control operations.Official details
- ClosureUnauthorised trail between East Heathcote and Waterfall closedThe unauthorised trail between East Heathcote and Waterfall is formally and physically closed; access is not permitted.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Royal Tour Guide
Your drive to Bungoona Lookout and Path, 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
Bungoona Lookout and River View0:00 / 0:25
“You're coming up on the path to Bungoona Lookout, an easy way to see the Hacking River from above. Allow about half an hour return on a smooth concrete path designed for wheelchairs and prams.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Royal Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Reids Flat and Pool Flat Picnics
- Audley Boats, Lunch and the Dance Hall
- A Railway’s Second Life
- Willow Tree Walk to Jersey Spring
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bungoona Lookout and Path
A short lookout walkBungoona Lookout and Path is a 0.
Bungoona Lookout and Path is a 0.92 km out-and-back from the NPWS Regional Office carpark in Audley; allow about 30 minutes. A wide, mostly concrete path crosses native bushland to a platform above the Hacking River. The river and wooded valley are the payoff. It is a Grade 1 walk with no steps, best thought of as an easy pause on a park visit rather than a long hike.
The route and accessThe path is about 1.
The path is about 1.5 m wide and mostly flat or gently sloping, with a mild downhill over the final 100 m to the lookout; the return climbs that stretch. Four benches sit along the path and two more are at the platform. From the NPWS Regional Office carpark, cross the sloping asphalt area and follow the clear signs. The route is a return walk on the same path. Accessible parking, toilets and picnic tables are at the start, and Royal National Park entry fees apply.
Banksias and the viewLook among the banksias for lorikeets and yellow-tailed cockatoos feeding.
Look among the banksias for lorikeets and yellow-tailed cockatoos feeding. At the lookout platform, include the Hacking River low in the frame to show the depth of the wooded valley. If you want to make a longer stop, Reids Flat is a separate riverside picnic area with tables and free gas barbecues; Weir Cafe is another separate stop in Audley.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Royal
56 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
68 sightingsWhite-bellied Sea-EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
12 sightingsKoalaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
33 sightingsJavan RusaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
69 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.
