Royal NP at its best! Waterfall to Loftus via Forest Walk, Palona Cave & Audley

Are you looking for a bit of adventure? This might be the walk for you!
We will start at Waterfall Train Station (meet outside the train station in the drop-off area) at 9.15am sharp (a train leaves Central at 8.08am and arrives at Waterfall at 9.09am).
From here we will follow the Couranga Track to reach the Forest Walk, a shady track that makes its way around Forest Island. On our way, there is only one moderate climb and one creek crossing where we might get wet feet if there has been significant recent rain. Forest Island is a sheltered rainforest ecological environment with ferns, palms, mosses, and creek scenery to admire. At the end, we will have a break at the Palona Picnic Area.
From here, we will make our way to Palona Cave by taking a side-track from the main thoroughfare, Lady Carrington Drive. We will explore the cave, a large limestone overhang featuring columns, stalactites and a little waterfall (a bit of scrambling will probably be required if you’d like to explore the waterfall). We will have lunch here.
Then we'll return to Lady Carrington Drive, which is the first scenic route to be built through the National Park. It follows the Hacking River and took 3 years to build, opening in 1886.
This will take us to Audley, where there are toilets and a café. We will have another break here.
There is no opportunity to exit the walk until we reach Audley.
From Audley, we ascend the Honeymoon Track up to Rawson Parade Track then on to finish at Loftus Train Station.
We will aim to finish by 4.00pm, from where we can catch a train back to Sydney.
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DISTANCE: 22 km.
GRADE: Medium/Hard, Grade 3.
NOTE: Only get-out point is at Audley by Uber. Please let the Host know if you leave the walk.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
· Be Prepared: Wear comfortable hiking shoes, bring 2L of water (first refill at Audley) and dress for the weather. I would recommend hydralyte tablets, snacks, lunch and sun protection.
· Follow Instructions: Please follow the instructions of the Host at all times and keep the Host within sight.
RSVP Responsibly and Be Ontime at the Designated Meeting Point: Update your RSVP if you can’t make it.
GRATUITY: $10 applies to this event which can be paid in cash on the day or PayID is 0439 344987 Cristian Sylvestre.
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DISCLAIMER: Your health and safety is our priority and we take care to minimize risk and avoid accidents and injuries.
However, Organizers and Hosts are not responsible for your health and safety and do not accept any liability for accidents and injuries that may occur during Meetup activities and events. Please take responsibility for your own safety and belongings.
By RSVPing to this event you and your guests agree to comply with the terms and conditions of the Aussie Explorers Meetup group which can be found in the link below:
https://www.meetup.com/Aussie-Explorers
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Any questions or concerns, please send me a TEXT message (0439 344 987) rather than unnecessary updates on the comments section.