Back to previous page

Audley boatshed

Royal National Park

Open, check current alerts 

Overview

Hire a kayak and spend a few relaxed hours paddling up Kangaroo Creek from Audley Boatshed in Royal National Park, near Loftus.

Accessibility
Medium
Distance
4km return
Grade
Easy
Entry fees
Park entry fees apply
Opening times
  • 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday
  • Closed Monday (unless a public holiday)
Equipment
provided
Yes
What to
bring
Hat, sunscreen, bottled water, suitable clothing, raincoat
Please note

For safety reasons, all visitors are required to wear a life jacket. This is included in the hire cost.

Choose the pace of your own adventure when you hire a canoe, kayak or rowboat from Audley Boatshed, just 1 hour from Sydney. Take the family out in a rowboat with the ducks and enjoy the tranquil waters of the Hacking River. Take a break from paddling and enjoy lunch at one of the many picnic areas or Audley Dance Hall Cafe nearby.

If you're up for a longer paddle, you can spend several hours kayaking 2km up Kangaroo Creek and then returning the same way. As you glide between sandstone cliffs lined with eucalypts, and rainforest you might spot kingfishers diving into the water, turtles, lace monitors, and maybe even a koala up high. This area is also home to possums, sugar gliders, bats, wallabies, and many different parrots and rosellas.

Operating since 1893, historic Audley Boatshed has been a place for families to enjoy nature for generations.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Also see

  • NPWS staff and visitors using the computers at Royal National Park Visitor Centre, Royal National Park. Photo: Simone Cottrell © OEH

    Royal National Park Visitor Centre

    Make a beeline for Royal National Park Visitor Centre at Audley on your trip to Sydney's Royal National Park. It offers excellent tourist information and walking track maps.

  • Audley Dance Hall Cafe, Royal National Park. Photo: Simone Cottrell © DPIE

    Audley Dance Hall Cafe

    Visit Audley Dance Hall Cafe for a coffee or a meal after bushwalking in Sydney's Royal National Park. The cafe also sells takeaway food and drinks, so you can organise your own picnic.

  • A wide shot of Ironbark Flat picnic area in Royal National Park with trees and people in the distance. Photo: Nick Cubbin © OEH

    Ironbark Flat picnic area

    Ironbark Flat is a popular, family-friendly riverside picnic area near Audley. Just a short drive from Sydney, it offers easy access for prams and wheelchairs, plus scenic views of Hacking River.

  • Picnic shelter and barbecue at Currawong Flat picnic area in Royal National Park. Photo: Nick Cubbin © OEH

    Currawong Flat picnic area

    Family-friendly riverside Currawong Flat picnic area offers fishing, paddling and picnicking along the banks of Hacking River in Royal National Park, near Sydney.

Park info

  • in Royal National Park in the Sydney and surrounds and South Coast regions
  • Royal National Park is open 7am to 8.30pm but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.

  • Park entry fees:

    $12 per vehicle per day. Payment options include Audley Visitor Centre, vehicle entry stations, pay machines and the Park’nPay app.

    Vehicles over 8 seats: $4.40 per adult, $2.20 per child (per day). Students on educational programs: $1.10 per student. Teachers/educational supervisors: free (1 adult per 10 students).

    Buy annual pass
See more visitor info

Why create an account?

  • Create lists of your next adventures
  • Get closure alerts by email
  • Save your personal info to make it fast and easy to fill in trip intention forms
  • And more features coming soon