Parking
Start at the gate at the foot of platform 2 at Engadine Railway Station and follow the Engadine Track and Audley arrows. Finish at the Royal National Park Visitor Centre in Audley; arrange onward transport before starting.
Overview
About Engadine to Audley
Why go
- A point-to-point walk links Engadine train access with Audley.
- Robertson’s Roundabout opens a view over the Hacking River.
Heads up
- Long, steep rocky sections include a creek crossing and metal staircase.
- Branching tracks make the Audley signs important for navigation.
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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 Engadine to Audley, 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.
More stories near here in the app
- A Railway’s Second Life
- Bungoona Lookout and River View
- Audley Boats, Lunch and the Dance Hall
- 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 Engadine to Audley
One way from Engadine to AudleyThis 5.
This 5.8 km point-to-point walk starts at Engadine Railway Station and finishes at the Royal National Park Visitor Centre in Audley. Allow about 2 hours 30 minutes. It moves from scrubby ridges into forested creek valleys, climbs a long rocky slope to Robertson’s Roundabout, then drops to the Hacking River. It is a one-way route, not a return to Engadine, so plan how you will leave Audley.
Stay with the Audley arrowsLeave by the gate at the foot of platform 2, follow the management trail with the railway on…
Leave by the gate at the foot of platform 2, follow the management trail with the railway on your left, then turn right at the Engadine Track sign. The early section crosses several branching service tracks, so keep checking for the Audley arrows at junctions. The broad access gives way to narrower bush track through dry scrub and tall eucalypt forest, past creek beds and a small brook.
Creek crossing and staircaseThe trail descends a long, rocky valley track to Kangaroo Creek.
The trail descends a long, rocky valley track to Kangaroo Creek. The crossing is over rocks; from the creek, a large metal staircase climbs the valley wall. There is another steep, uneven climb around the hillside toward Robertson’s Roundabout. Long rocky slopes and the staircase make the modest distance understate the effort.
Above the river, down to AudleyRobertson’s Roundabout opens a view over the Hacking River.
Robertson’s Roundabout opens a view over the Hacking River. From there the route turns downhill on rocky steps toward Currawong Flat, crosses the river on a footbridge and follows Lady Carrington Drive to the visitor centre. A bus toward Sutherland is a suggested public-transport return; check the current service before setting out.
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.
