Get driving directions

To get to La Perouse area in Kamay Botany Bay National Park from Sydney:

• The park is about 17km from Circular Quay
• Vehicle entry into the park is via Henry Head Lane off Anzac Parade
• La Perouse Museum is located on the headland at the end of Anzac Parade.

Parking

• Cape Banks walking track See on map
• Congwong Beach See on map
• Dharawal Resting Place track See on map

Parking

• Parking is available at Cape Banks including designated disabled spots
• Street parking is available nearby on Anzac Parade, La Perouse (spaces limited on weekends)

By public transport

La Perouse is accessible by bus. Visit Transport for NSW for details.

With its picturesque beaches and bays, this coastal park is unmissable in summer but its countless historic attractions, wildlife and walking tracks make it a joy to visit any time of year.

Spring

Take Jennifer Street boardwalk or Henry Head walking track to see the beautiful flowers and birdwatch - and if you're lucky, spot humpback whales returning south. Visit in November when daylight saving begins in NSW - it's lighter for longer and the area is open until 8.30pm.

Summer

Bring your snorkel or scuba gear and explore the rocky reefs around Bare Island and Congwong Bay to meet some of the bay’s diverse sea life and maybe glimpse a weedy sea dragon. Or just cool off with a quiet saltwater swim at Congwong Beach which overlooks Bare Island and Botany Bay.

Winter

Set off on the extended Henry Head walk to photograph the SS Minmi shipwreck, just off Cape Banks (low tide only). From Cape Banks you might see migrating humpback whales swimming close to the coast as they migrate north. Parking is available nearby.

Toilets

• La Perouse Museum

Drinking water

• Henry Head walking track

• La Perouse area factsheet
• La Perouse area map (2.6MB pdf)

There are no park entry fees in La Perouse area but you'll need to pay to tour Bare Island. Park entry fees apply in the Kurnell area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park, only.

• Blak Markets at Bare Island Visit Blak Markets at La Perouse, to discover the best of Aboriginal culture. There'll be traditional dance performances, arts and craft stalls, weaving and bush tucker.
• Dharawal Resting Place track Walk the short track to Dharawal Resting Place to discover this important La Perouse Aboriginal site, that’s also steeped in Sydney’s colonial history.

• Bare Island and Cape Banks ultimate day tour Uncover the wealth of history along the shores of La Perouse, Kamay Botany Bay National Park. From a shipwreck to the Henry Head fortifications, there's plenty to delve into on this guided tour.
• Bare Island Fort guided tour Join this guided tour to hear about the unpredictable history of Bare Island Fort at La Perouse. We'll cross a 130-year-old wooden bridge and enter a world of fine engineering and great deception.
• Bound for Botany Bay In 1770, James Cook and his crew aboard the Endeavour were bound for Botany Bay. Their 8-day stay would have a dramatic impact on the future of Australia. This Stage 2 (Years 3-4) History excursion explores the first British landing on Australian soil.
• Cape Banks walking track Cape Banks walking track is a beautiful coastal walk in La Perouse with views across Sydney’s Botany Bay. Start at Congwong Beach and take a swim along the way before passing Henry Head. Continue to Cape Banks, a fantastic spot for whale watching.
• Dharawal Resting Place track Walk the short track to Dharawal Resting Place to discover this important La Perouse Aboriginal site, that’s also steeped in Sydney’s colonial history.
• Junior ranger: Bound for Botany Bay Want to discover what life was like for a convict in Sydney? These school holidays, come to Bare Island at La Perouse, and find out more in this fun junior ranger event for kids aged 6 to 12 years.
• La Perouse Museum Housed in a heritage building at La Perouse in Sydney's south, the La Perouse Museum documents the expedition of French explorer the Comte de Laperouse.
• Stories of a different time at La Perouse Stories from a different time is a fascinating Stage 1 (Years 1-2) history excursion at La Perouse. Students will learn about the first contact between the Aboriginal people, traditional custodians of the land, and the new British arrivals.

• Cape Banks walking track Cape Banks walking track is a beautiful coastal walk in La Perouse with views across Sydney’s Botany Bay. Start at Congwong Beach and take a swim along the way before passing Henry Head. Continue to Cape Banks, a fantastic spot for whale watching.
• Jennifer Street boardwalk Jennifer Street boardwalk is a short, wheelchair-accessible walking track in La Perouse. The smooth, boarded path is popular with all ages looking for an easy weekend walk in Sydney.

Animals

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  White-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)

  White-bellied sea eagles can be easily identified by their white tail and dark grey wings. These raptors are often spotted cruising the coastal breezes throughout Australia, and make for some scenic bird watching. Powerful Australian birds of prey, they are known to mate for life, and return each year to the same nest to breed.

Plants

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  Blueberry ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)

  The blueberry ash is a rainforest shrub which produces blue olive-shaped berries and spectacular bell-shaped flowers, which often appear on the plant together. It is a tall slender shrub or small tree found in rainforest, tall eucalypt forest and coastal bushland in eastern NSW, south-east Queensland and Victoria.

• 

  Flannel flower (Actinotus helianthi)

  The delicate flannel flower is so named because of the soft woolly feel of the plant. Growing in the NSW south coast region, extending to Narrabri in the Central West and up to south-east Queensland, its white or pink flowers bloom all year long, with an extra burst of colour in the spring.

• 

  Old man banksia (Banksia serrata)

  Hardy Australian native plants, old man banksias can be found along the coast, and in the dry sclerophyll forests and sandstone mountain ranges of NSW. With roughened bark and gnarled limbs, they produce a distinctive cylindrical yellow-green banksia flower which blossoms from summer to early autumn.

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  Smooth-barked apple (Angophora costata)

  Smooth-barked apple gums, also known as Sydney red gum or rusty gum trees, are Australian native plants found along the NSW coast, and in the Sydney basin and parts of Queensland. Growing to heights of 15-30m, the russet-coloured angophoras shed their bark in spring to reveal spectacular new salmon-coloured bark.