We are blown away by how beautiful guest Adrian’s photos are of the Australian birds and animals he spotted while out on a full-day Marley walking tour with us in Sydney’s Royal National Park.

Adrian’s images include a very cute Echidna and Swamp Wallaby. Given more than 300 species of birds can be found within Royal National Park’s boundaries, there are stunning photos of Sea-Eagles, Kestrels, Wattlebirds and Honeyeaters.

All photos by (the very talented) Adrian van der Stel. Give him a round of applause and share with us in giving Adrian a big thank you!

Australian birds and animals in Royal National Park

Once a year the Royal National Park cabins open their doors to the public to celebrate Heritage Week. We’re usually walking through Era on day two of the Wattamolla Tour, so it was a pleasure to take the camera and spend time hearing stories of the people who make this cabin community so special.

From the most basic and rudimentary shacks, to the elaborate multi-roomed stone cabin of “Fairyland”, Era is the largest of Royal National Park’s cabin communities. Everything – I mean, everything – you see in these photos was carried in by hand down a bush track. This is why you’ll spot many kerosene fridges despite the technology becoming redundant.

Cabin number 88 deserves a special mention as it’s generally accepted to be original shack dating back to 1910. Originally built for an Aboriginal stockman, known as Old Tom, the basic shack earned it’s “88″ in 1953 when numbering was introduced.

Royal National Park cabins: Era

It’s Royal Coast Walks’ third birthday today, which means it’s three years since founder Ian Wells first pulled on his hiking boots to guide enthusiastic guests through his backyard, Royal National Park.

Ian’s on to his third pair of boots in that time and it’s no wonder when you think about the distance he’s walked… more than 2200km (or 1400 miles). That’s like walking from Sydney to Townsville in Far North Queensland, or like walking to Pasadena in Texas to grab a burger when your stomach started rumbling in Los Angeles. Or from London to Morrocco, although he’s probably not talented enough to walk across water. Oh, that doesn’t include what our other guides have walked!

The First Pair

These trusty boots had already taken Ian around the world many times, through the Andes, up and over the European Alps and zig-zagging around the Himalaya. As deserving of the most faithful, worn-in boots, they were pulled out again to start the business and witnessed the first steps by guests.

The Second Pair

Up to knees in mud after a mistaken "short cut" in 2010.

Like the inaugural pair, these boots were worn to death trekking back and forth along Royal’s coast track. In sun and rain, through sand, earth and mud, across flat and up hills, they just kept going and going. The only time these boots were left behind was for award presentation nights. Sorry mate, dusty boots don’t cut it at Sydney and NSW tourism award galas.

The Third Pair

Sturdier and more robust, could this be the perfect pair? Royal Coast Walks has big plans for 2012. The new boots are itching to break new ground, so expect more adventures soon!

You can see the new hiking boots starring role in the “number 3” picture. That’s Ian’s boots leading the way, Tara’s much smaller blue pair (currently in need of repair) and various family members old boots that were lying around just waiting for a photo opportunity.

Sending a big, big thank you to all our enthusiastic guests and amazing team who continue to make this possible. We couldn’t do it without your ongoing support. Here’s to many more pairs of well-worn boots in the future!

Three years old; three pairs of boots

Thanks to all the volunteers who gave up a beautiful Sydney autumn day to help us clean up Wattamolla. We collected 21 bags of plastic, glass, dirty nappies, clothes and sun shades that won’t be polluting this gorgeous stretch of coastline any longer.

The most unusual thing we collected was hundreds of golf balls. Come on people, why would you practice your golf swing in a National Park then leave all the balls there? There’s always a sense of sadness when you realise how uncaring some people can be but then we’re doing Clean Up Day with a bunch of people who give up a Sunday to put in the most amazing effort. Truly inspiring and quickly restores our faith in humanity.

Clean Up Australia Day is an annual event to collect and remove rubbish from local environments. Since Royal Coast Walks was founded three years ago, we’ve made it our commitment to host the Wattamolla site. We love the park for it’s natural beauty and we’ll do everything we can to make sure it stays that way.

It wouldn’t happen without the hardworking volunteers who turn up to help. Another big thank you to you! We’ll be back next year to do it all again so see you then on the first Sunday in March.

Clean Up Australia Day 2012

Age is absolutely no excuse to stop enjoying life outdoors. To encourage seniors to lead an active lifestyle, we’re supporting Step Out and Get Active this Seniors Week with free half day or full day bush walks on Friday 23rd March 2012 in Royal National Park.

If you choose the half day, you’ll enjoy the picturesque two hour (3km) Coast Walk around Jibbon headland. Discover the traditional country of the Dharawal Aboriginal people. Hear their stories of arrival in Australia 50,000 years before Europeans, taste traditional bush tucker and learn about a bygone way of life as we visit one of Sydney’s biggest Aboriginal rock engraving sites located by the coast.

If you’ve joined us for previous year’s activities, you’ll know we’re slowly making our way along the length of the Coast track. This year, our full day walk is a scenic four hour (10km) walk through heath land, enjoying great views along the coast out to the Pacific Ocean. Marvel at Eagle Rock and admire Curracurrong Creek as it falls 50m into the ocean from towering sandstone cliffs.

To finish off the afternoon, you can join in with other activities including bocce, chess, cards or massages.

And the best bit? It’s free for Seniors, with tea and coffee provided. BYO lunch or grab a bite at the Weir Cafe. Take advantage of the free shuttle from Sutherland Station to Audley. Limited places are available. Bookings are made on a first in, first served basis, so be quick! Any questions? Contact the organiser on 02 9548 6760.

Free Seniors Week Bushwalk

We’re proud to be finalists in the prestigious NSW Tourism Awards 2011 in the ‘Tour Operator’ category.

At just two years old, we were competing against finalists that have an average 13 years trading experience. You could say we’re punching above our weight but as the park was our extended backyard growing up, we know how best to share the experience for those wanting more from their Sydney visit than just the Harbour Bridge.

The NSW Tourism Award nomination follows an extraordinary year. Royal Coast Walks received Highly Commended in the Greater Sydney Tourism Awards for Adventure Tourism, completed its first trade mission to the US and was granted a 10 year Premium Eco Pass Licence by National Parks and Wildlife Service, giving certainty that we’ll be a force in the tourism industry for many years to come.

Here’s what one of the judges had to say, “A growing business that is headed for big things in the future!” Of course, we think the future is now…

NSW Tourism Awards 2011

The Greater Sydney Tourism Awards 2011 recognised Royal Coast Walks with Highly Commended in the Adventure Tourism category at last weeks gala dinner. It is welcome recognition of a year of hard work and enthusiasm, and is awarded via a rigorous assessment and judging process.

Along with Royal Coast Walks, the Sutherland Shire was well represented at the awards, with Highly Commended awards going to Cronulla and National Park Ferry Cruises (Transport Operators category and Champions Award) and Bundeena/ Maianbar Art Trail (Champions Award). Further congratulations go to Shire finalists Bundeena Beachshack, Canons Shuttles, and Oyster Bay Bed & Breakfast.

Greater Sydney Tourism Awards 2011

Popular Channel 7 TV show, Sydney Weekender, came out with us on the Coast Track for our 2 day Wattamolla Hiking Tour. We were delighted to show them the beauty of Royal National Park (and stoked some playful migrating whales made a special appearance).

This was first shot and aired in October 2009 and was broadcast again in November 2010. Since then, we’ve made many improvements to our camping gear and dining set-up to make it as comfortable as possible. But what never changes is the stunningly timeless scenery of the craggy coastline and our enthusiasm to show you the best the Park has to offer.

Sydney Weekender visits

We’re really proud of our 5-Star rating on TripAdvisor for our Sydney tours because it means we consistently receive excellent ratings from our guests. This Certificate of Excellence is recognition of the hard work we put in to making every tour an amazing experience for our guests and in maintaining our perfect rating.

The Certificate of Excellence is awarded to qualifying accommodations, attractions and restaurants listed on TripAdvisor that maintain a high overall user rating and a high volume of recent and quality reviews.

Thanks for all your support, we literally couldn’t do it without you. If you’ve been on a Royal Coast Walks experience and would like to leave a review for other travellers, write a TripAdvisor review.

2011 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

If you know that caring for the environment means more than showering with a friend, then you’ll appreciate that we’re now an Eco Certified business. This means that you are guaranteed to experience a genuine and authentic tour that looks after the environment.

Our most popular tours have also been awarded Advanced Ecotourism Accreditation by Ecotourism Australia. This is given to Australia’s leading and most innovative ecotourism products, providing an opportunity to learn about the environment with an operator who is committed to achieving best practice when using resources wisely, contributing to the conservation of the environment and helping local communities.

Advanced Ecotourism Accreditation