Burning Palms Beach via Burgh Ridge

Burning Palms Beach via Burgh Ridge is a 3.5 km out-and-back from Garawarra Farm carpark. It starts in tall eucalypt and angophora forest, crosses the open ridge, then follows a short stretch of The Coast Track and a narrow access path down to the sand. The mapped path measures about 3.5 km return; other route descriptions give 3.8 to 4 km, so published totals vary. Allow about two hours, plus your time on the beach. Pick it for a compact but steep coastal walk; the climb back is the price of the beach.

The track descends Burgh Ridge, with boardwalk on much of the slope and open views down to Burning Palms and along the Illawarra coast. At the signed fork, keep toward Burning Palms and The Coast Track; the other branch leads toward Era. The return uses the same route, climbing roughly 200 m back to the carpark. That makes this a more demanding walk than its short distance suggests.

Use Garawarra Farm carpark as the start. The last 1.5 km of Garawarra Farm Road is unsealed and may not suit a low-clearance 2WD after rain. Toilets are at the carpark, so use them before you head down. Carry water and snacks; there is no confirmed drinking-water stop on the route. Pets are not permitted in Royal National Park, except certified assistance animals.

The first stretch runs beneath gums and angophoras. As the route reaches the open grassy ridge, the canopy falls away and Burning Palms appears below, with the coast beyond. The path then rejoins The Coast Track before turning down the beach approach, where metal walkway gives way to a narrower bush track.

The route passes the old shacks above the beach. Accounts place many of the cabins in the 1930s to 1950s and connect the community with coal miners from nearby Helensburgh who lived by fishing and growing food. Some accounts suggest earlier cabins, but their first date is uncertain; the later period is the better-supported story.

The beach is about 500 m of sand, with rocky platforms at both ends. There are no public toilets at the beach; use the carpark toilets before you descend and bring water and snacks for the return. For a photo, stop on the open ridge and frame the crescent of sand below the dark slope, with the headlands beyond.