Whale-watching in Royal National Park
Northern Coastal Track

Following reports from a Bushwalking Club trip the previous weekend, we set out to Royal National Park to look for whales. In midwinter there isn't time to do the full Coastal Track - it's nearly 30km from Bundeena to Otford, which doesn't leave much time for sightseeing even in summer - so we just walked out from Bundeena to Marley Head and Big Marley beach (maybe 7km return).

We saw three groups of whales, including one pair maybe a kilometre away, which could be seen with the naked eye and were very clear through binoculars. There were also lots of birds: honeyeaters and swallows were everywhere in the bushes, and seagulls offshore and on the beach, but we also saw two sea eagles and a pair of nankeen kestrels, and many gannets diving.

My photographs, however, are of the dramatic cliff views and the variety of rock patterns and formations, with a bit of vegetation.