Jibbon Head & The Balconies

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Route: Bundeena, Jibbon Beach, Jibbon engravings, Jibbon Head, Jibbon Loop Track, The Cobblers, The Balconies, Wedding Cake Rock Track, Bundeena

Date: 22/05/2021
From: Bundeena

Parking: Bundeena
Start Point: Bundeena
Finish Point: Bundeena
Region: Royal National Park

Route length: 5.0 miles (8.1km)
Time taken: 02:50
Average speed: 2.4mph
Ascent: 278m
Descent: 271m

Points of Interest: Jibbon Beach, Jibbon Engravings, The Cobblers, The Balconies

Royal National Park (or 'Nasho' to some) is located just south of Sydney. The 150km2 national park is the oldest in Australia having been founded in 1879. In fact, only Yellowstone in the US is older internationally, having been founded a few years earlier. While most of Royal National Park consists of open areas of bush, the coastal cliffs are spectacular and make for some fine hiking. Being close to the city means the national park can be easily accessed by public transport.

From our parking space close to the Wedding Cake Rock Track, we headed northwards into Bundeena towards Jibbon Beach. The beach, a superlative stretch of sand, derives its name from the indigenous Dharawal word djeebahn, which means ‘sandbar at low tide'. There is a 3,000-year-old midden (essentially a waste tip) that stretches the entire length of the beach.

Jibbon Beach

Jibbon Beach looking across Port Hacking towards Cronulla

Jibbon Beach

The shell midden along the beach

Port Hacking

Jibbon Beach

At the far end of the beach is a rock shelf with some steps carved into it, cut by European settlers who lived in the bush right up until the 1970s. A path leads through the Banksia trees to a clearing marked by some information boards and steel sculptures. This clearing was an ancient Dharawal campsite - the Aboriginal people who call the area home.

The Aboriginal campsite

Heading back into the bush again, we followed a well-signed path to a large exposed slab of rock with a viewing platform. Here you will find some well-preserved Aboriginal carvings which are over 1,000 years old. The engravings include depictions of Daringyan the stingray, Biame the Creator and Marloo the kangaroo - all of which have cultural significance.

The engravings site

Biame the creator

Daringyan the stingray

We returned to the track which took us past Little Jibbon Beach to Jibbon Head and a panoramic view of Port Hacking from Port Hacking Point. It's hard to believe that this slice of nature is geographically part of Sydney - home to some 5 million people.

Port Hacking Point

Little Jibbon Beach

The eastern side of Port Hacking Point

Shelly Beach

A path follows the coast giving intermittent views of the sea through clearings in the bush. At Shelley Beach, an overgrown path leaves the Jibbon Head Track, heading for the cliffs. While there is no path to speak of here, the flat rocks of the clifftops are a delight to walk along with interesting views at every corner. While many of the cliffs here are un-named, Cormorant Rock is marked out on some maps though it is difficult to determine exactly what it is.

The loop track heads inland a short distance

Cliffs of Royal National Park

Royal National Park

Looking south along the coast

The route along the cliff top is largely trackless

Cormorant Rock

Cormorant Rock

Eventually, we found our way to The Cobblers, a flat cove beneath the cliffs accessed by an awkward, eroded path.

Royal National Park

Approaching the Cobblers

The Cobblers

The Cobblers

The flat, sea-worn rocks of The Cobblers

After a short climb back up from the cove, we reached the top of the Balconies, the beginning of a long stretch of bare cliff top, which has created a series of irregular layers of sandstone that jut out over the Tasman Sea. For us, the majority of the Balconies is a trip for another time as we were starting our route back to Bundeena.

Starting back toward Bundeena

We left the clifftop through the bush along an overgrown path. Typically this isn't an issue though the leaves and branches brushing against you always stir thoughts of Australia's wildlife - snakes and spiders to be more precise.

The path leads to one of the many fire tracks that criss-cross the state and we were suddenly faced with large groups of tourists. The fire track is the main hiking route to one of Royal National Parks most-photographed spots - Wedding Cake Rock. Again, one for another time for we were heading in the opposite direction.

A distant Sydney

Looking over Port Hacking

The fire trail back to Bundeena

The wide fire track took us back to a parking area just off the streets of Bundeena where we had left our car earlier in the day. You can extend this hike to Wedding Cake Rock and Big Marley Beach, which are two great additions, however, the best way to see Royal National Park is the full Coast Track - you can read about that here.