Honeymoon Track

Overview

About Honeymoon Track

Why go

A distinctive stairway descent to the Hacking River
A riverside picnic area makes a useful destination at the bottom

Heads up

The return climb is steep and uneven
Reids Flat requires a paved access-road walk beyond the steps

Map & elevation

The route

Loading the Royal map

Full map

Elevation11–124 m

TrailheadRoyal National Park Environmental Education Centre-34.06411, 151.05754

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

For the upper start, use the car park 250 m past the Farnell Avenue toll booth and follow signs to the Environmental Education Centre. Reids Flat is the lower end, so return the same way if your car is at the upper car park. Public toilets and drinking water are available at both ends.

Safety

More than 600 uneven, rocky steps, a small exposed cliff, water close to the lower track, and traffic beside the paved Riverside Drive access. The route is not accessible.

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

See all 4 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Royal Tour Guide

Your drive to Honeymoon Track, 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 area

Bungoona Lookout and River View

0:00 / 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 on the road 0.2 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Royal Tour Guide.

Hiking Honeymoon Track

The walkHoneymoon Track is a short out-and-back from the Royal National Park Environmental Education…

Honeymoon Track is a short out-and-back from the Royal National Park Environmental Education Centre to Reids Flat. The named track drops about 1 km down more than 600 steps to the Hacking River; the final 0.5 km follows the edge of paved Riverside Drive to the picnic area. From the EEC to Reids Flat and back, expect about 3.2 km (2 miles). Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. Your return uses the same line, so the steep stair climb comes at the end.

At Reids FlatReids Flat is a shady picnic area beside the Hacking River.

Reids Flat is a shady picnic area beside the Hacking River. The still water is used for swimming and paddling, and there are picnic tables and free gas barbecues. Public toilets and drinking water are available at the EEC and at Reids Flat, so the river stop can be a picnic rather than only a turnaround.

What the steps demandExpect a moderate hike: the rough stone steps are uneven, and more than 600 of them make the…

Expect a moderate hike: the rough stone steps are uneven, and more than 600 of them make the return a sustained climb. There is a small exposed cliff and water close to the lower track, then a stretch beside traffic on Riverside Drive. The route is not accessible, and domestic pets are not permitted in NSW national parks.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Royal

All Royal wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Royal. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.