Palona Cave Walk

Palona Cave Walk is a 5.1 km out-and-back from the southern end of Lady Carrington Drive by Sir Bertram Stevens Drive. Follow the old drive north, take the cave spur, then return the way you came. Allow about two to two and a half hours. This is a good way to see the rainforest and a natural cave without walking all of Lady Carrington Drive, which runs 10 km one way.

The opening stretch follows a broad dirt-and-gravel drive, gently downhill past cabbage-tree palms and mossy rocks. At about 750 m you reach Forest Path; stay on Lady Carrington Drive. Around 1.8 km from the start, look right for the small cave marker. It is easy to miss when you approach from the south, so keep an eye out as you get closer.

The cave spur is a different walk from the wide drive: it narrows and climbs through bush, with rough rock and roots underfoot and shrubs sometimes crowding the track. The overhang beside Palona Brook is the payoff. A small waterfall sits just beyond it, but its flow depends on rain, so treat it as a bonus rather than a sure thing.

There is one geology wrinkle: descriptions disagree about whether the cave is sandstone or limestone. Come for the shaded overhang and brook, not a particular rock label.

Lady Carrington Drive is a historic carriage route, and its broad, forested approach is part of the outing. Start at the small parking area at the southern access near Sir Bertram Stevens Drive; the approach is via McKell Avenue. Pets are not allowed in NSW national parks, though trained assistance animals are permitted.