Walk 39 C At A Glance
Engadine to Bundeena via Audley, Mount Bass and Marley Beach
Route Summary:- This walk traverses the whole Royal National Park from west to east. It follows the Engadine Track from Engadine to Audley via a crossing of Kangaroo Creek and over Robertsons Roundabout. From Audley it follows the Winifred falls Track to Winifred Falls and on the Mount Bass Track to Bundeena Drive with a short section along Bundeena Drive to Mount Bass , then along the Mowlee Ridge Fire Trail to the Coast Track at Marley Beach. The walk then follows the Coast Track north to Bundeena via the Wedding Cake Rocks
RQI:- 78
Highlights:- Kangaroo Creek at its tidal limit; Audley Recreation Area; Winifred Falls; Marley Beach and dune hinterland; Wedding Cake Rocks
Negatives :- 38% of walk is on road or fire trail
Length:- 24.1 km
Grade:- Hard
Weather:_All weather except when creek crossings flooded;
Continuous walking time with a few 3-4 min. stops:- around 5 hrs 45 mins.
Train Time from Central to Start :-. 52 mins.; every 30 mins.
Train Time from finish to Central:-. Ferry Bundeena to Cronulla every hour on the hour then train to Central 48 mins., every 15 mins
Total Climb :- 445 m.
Total Descent :- 625 m.
Water:- Engadine; Audley; Bundeena; Cronulla
Toilets:- Engadine Station (probably locked); Audley; Bundeena; Cronulla
Café/Kiosk :- Engadine, Bundeena, Cronulla shops and Audley
Published 1:25,000 Map :- Port Hacking
Walk 39 C Track Notes
Engadine to Bundeena via Audley, Mt Bass and Marley
4th August 2015
Km./Hrs.min. Kilometers in bold are shown on Maps
0.00/0.00 Leave Engadine Station on the National Park side and take the walking track directly opposite the short steps down from the platform across the service road; follow this for about 60 meters to an intersection with a wider cycle track; turn right and follow the cycle track for about 80 m. to a 3-way track junction ahead; take the middle narrow walking pad with timber signage:- ‘Audley 5.8 km’ ; follow this track gently uphill; note laterite on track
0.74/0.11 Track T junction with service road; go right for about 5 m. along service road, then resume on walking pad on left, gently downhill
0.59/0.13 Track junction with cycle track; turn right and follow cycle track for about 20 m. to the continuation on left of walking track; signage:- ‘Engadine 0.7 km’ backtrack and ‘Audley 5.3 km’ straight on
0.77/0.15 Minor creek crossing.
1.08/0.19 Track T junction with service road; cross this at right angles.
1.65/0.27 Crossing of Forest Creek on massive sandstone outcrop; track then more steeply up on boulders and sandstone ledges
1.94/0.31 Track junction with service road and signage:- ‘Engadine’ backtrack ‘Audley’ straight on and ‘Heathcote’ on right along service road
2.14/0.35 Track junction with service road and small clearing; signage:- ‘Heathcote’ backtrack and ‘Audley’ straight on wider walking track
2.34/0.38 Pristine area with multiple Gymea Lillie; continue along this constructed but poorly maintained Engadine Track down to Kangaroo Creek with Engadine Creek in valley on left.
3.78/1.03 Track T junction; clearer track on left goes down to Engadine Creek but less distinct Engadine Track goes straight on over rock outcrop for about 10m. where clear track resumes.
3.83/1.05 Engadine Track emerges at wide sandstone bed of Kangaroo Creek; turn right and go upstream along Kangaroo Creek for about 20 m. to an easy Creek crossing on boulders; after crossing, go straight on over boulders for about 20 m. to a T junction with walking track and metal steps up visible about 20 m. on right; go right and take metal steps up
4.60/1.20 Track T junction with old timber signage on lest and metal map on tight:- ‘Robertsons Roundabout’ and ‘Audley 500 m.’ straight on; continue straight
4.91/1.26 Track T junction and metal signage:- ‘Robertsons Roundabout’ and ‘Uloola Falls’ track uphill on right; ‘Audley 200 m.’ straight on; go straight
5.06/1.29 Track emerges at Audley Recreation Area; veer right and cross Hacking River on timber bridge, then veer left to Audley Dancehall Café
5.32/1.31 Start of Winifred Falls Track opposite Audley Café next to Bertram Stevens Drive; signboard and map:- ‘Winifred Falls 3.6 km’; ‘Mt Bass Trail 4.5 km’; take this track up, initially on stone steps
5.46/1.35 At sandstone retaining wall for old road; turn left and walk along wall for about 15 m., then moderately steeply up on cobbles and sandstone ledges; track easy to follow.
6.04/1.49 On plateau after steady climb on rubble and sandstone outcrop
6.17/1.51 Track junction; ignorer fainter track on right; continue straight.
7.31/2.05 Shutoff valves and pressure gauge stand left of track.
7.40/2.06 Junction with sealed public vehicular road gated on both sides (Warumbul Road); signage ‘Audley’ backtrack and ‘ Winifred Falls 1 km.’ straight ahead; cross sealed road at right angles and continue on wider fire trail progressively more steeply down.
8.75/2.23 Fire trail at T junction at NPWS faintly arrowed post with walking track on right and creek down low cliff in front; fire trail continues left for about 50 m. to turning circle and Winifred Falls; turn right onto walking track (if going to Falls, come back to this point)
8.77/2.24 Track at edge of creek, then veers right; follow track upstream for about 25 m. to point where creek flows over wide rock ledge; cross creek here, then follow track downstream for about 10 m, then to the right uphill, away from creek.
9.18/2.34 Track crosses tributary creek.
9.40/2.38 Major track junction at top of gentle ridge with signage; ‘Winifred Falls’ backtrack; ‘Bundeena Drive via Mt Bass Trail,’ track on right uphill and ‘Mainbar Drive via Anice Falls’ straight; go right on the Mount Bass Trail, a good clear and wide walking track
9.65/2.43 Track on massive sandstone outcrop, still gently up; after crossing this outcrop track widens to a disused poorly maintained fire trail hence classed here as a walking track.
11.94/3.11 At locked gate at Bundeena Drive with timber signage on left ‘Mt Bass Fire Trail 2.6 km’ backtrack; prominent laterite on track about 100 m. before gate; turn right and walk along the wide cleared strip along Bundeena Drive for about 300 m. to a locked gate and fire trail on left just before a large sign warning about penalties for littering
12.26/3.17 At gate on left with NPWS post; go left and follow this fire trail (The Mowlee Ridge Trail) as it goes continuously downhill, passing the concrete ‘Saddle’ geodetic station on left after about 100 m.
13.61/3.56 Fire trail junction; go left
16.95/4.17 Track T junction with walking track joining on left and signage:- ‘ Deer Pool’ for destination of walking track;continue straight along fire trail
17.86/4.28 Near end of fire trail; ignore first walking track on left but continue for about 50 m. along the fire trail as it veers right and ends at a metal pole with metal sign ‘Walkers Only; No Bicycles’; just before this sign there is a walking track on left marked by a NPWS green arrowed post; go left along this narrow walking track that merges with a wider walking track about 20 m. along and joining at an angle from right; note stone structure on top of hill as you look back on right.
18.03/4.32 Track T junction with Coast Track and metal signage ‘Marley Head 1.1 km’ to the left and Wattamolla 4 km’ to the right; there is no information re backtrack; turn left and walk along the Coast Track for the rest of the walk to Bundeena
18.33/4.36 At Big Marley Beach; walk along the full length of the the beach to its northern end on sand, close to the Ocean; cross creek on rocks and turn left, walk about 50 m upstream to find slightly obscured washed out steps on right and track continuation
19.08/4.45 Track junction with service road turning circle; follow rubbly service road for about 50 m gently uphill to arrowed post and track continuation on right
20.10/4.58 Pure white sandstone cliff; ‘Wedding Cake Rocks’; now fenced off with photos of undercutting and warning signs
20.95/5.08 Creek crossing on short timber bridge; after crossing, track up on poorly maintained steps.
22.02/5.22 Track junction; faint track goes straight, but turn left at ‘ Bundeena’ signpost now gently uphill
22.67/5.30 Track junction with sealed service road; turn right and follow service road; about 50 m on there is another track junction with signage:- ‘ Jibbon Head Trail’ on right; continue along service trail to locked gate
22.84/5.32 At locked gate and signage:- ‘ Wattamolla 8 km’ back track; end of Coast Track; start of Bundeena Urban Area; follow Beachcomber Ave. to its T junction with Scarborough Street past several side streets
23.57/5.40 At T junction of Beachcomber and Scarborough Streets, turn left and follow Scarborough St. downhill to a T junction with Brighton Street
23.98/5.45 At Brighton Street, turn right and follow this to Bundeena Shopping centre and ferry wharf
24.13/5.47 At Bundeena shops; end of walk
Route Quality Index
On vehicular roads:- 1.6 km/ 7%
On fire/service trail:- 7.4 km/ 31%
On walking track:-15.1/ 62%
RQI:- 62+16+0= 78
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