South of Sydney, where the city's suburbs run out of road, there is a great block of heath, forest and cliff that has been protected since 1879. Royal National Park is often described as the second oldest national park in the world, after Yellowstone, and it still feels like a surprising piece of wilderness to find on the edge of a metropolis of five million people. Sandstone ridges drop to the sea in ragged cliffs, with deep gullies full of cabbage tree palms and rainforest between them.
The road through the park, which carries a vehicle entry fee, winds from the Princes Highway down to the coast and through the middle of the reserve. It is a handsome road, with bends that follow the ridges and dips into creek valleys, and in spring the heath is bright with wildflowers, banksias and waratahs. The speed limits are lower than a rider might wish, and the park is busy at weekends with cyclists, walkers and families, so the best time to ride it is a weekday morning, when the light is soft and traffic is thin.
The coast here is spectacular. Wattamolla, a small lagoon and beach reached by a short walk from the car park, has a waterfall that drops straight into the sea, and the cliffs along the coastal track give a long view down the shore toward the Illawarra. Further inland, the Hacking River runs through the park to Audley, where a weir, boat sheds and a picnic ground form a Sunday-afternoon scene that has not changed much in a century. Look for lyrebirds in the scrub, wallabies at dusk and sea eagles over the cliffs.
The Royal National Park is also the gateway to the Grand Pacific Drive, which follows the coast south to Wollongong, via the Sea Cliff Bridge. This makes it the best place to start a day's ride, with the city behind and the open coast ahead. Fire is a real risk in the park, and parts of the bush burned in 2001 and again in later years, so check conditions in summer.
For fuel, do not rely on the park, which has none. Heathcote, about six kilometres from the entry, is a town with stations, shops and cafes, and Sutherland is the larger centre not far to the north. Take water, because it gets hot on the exposed ridges, and be prepared for a pie and a coffee from a village bakery before you start.