I have spent quite a few years of my life in Sydney and it is here that my great passion for travel and photography was born. Sydney is an incredible city: a huge metropolis located in an extremely privileged natural environment. This large city overlooks a magnificent bay and is framed by beautiful natural parks. The entire coast of New South Wales is characterized by an almost uninterrupted sequence of golden beaches and beautiful cliffs and not far from the outskirts of Sydney rise the beautiful Blue Mountains, covered in eucalyptus forests, and even further west extends the arid Australian outback. Every weekend I therefore did not miss the opportunity to discover new natural landscapes without having to travel far from the city.

I have already described the Blue Mountains at length but today I would like to present to you - and compare - two natural parks around Sydney called Royal Park and Palm Beach.
These are two very different places, framed by an incredible natural landscape and located on the outskirts of the city: Palm Beach in the far north and the Royal National Park in the far south.

PALM BEACH
Even if it seems like you are inside a pristine natural park, Palm Beach is in all respects part of the city, with its suburbs that extend almost to touch the ocean waters. You can easily reach this location by bus: the journey takes almost two hours, but you won't even notice it, since you won't know which way to look anymore: the road crosses the bay in two places and runs along the beautiful eastern beaches until you reach the suburb of Palm Beach, giving you breathtaking views.
Palm Beach extends on a long peninsula that separates the ocean waters from the quieter Pittwater Bay.
First of all, I would recommend you to tackle the walk to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse, a 19th century lighthouse located on the northern tip of the promontory: from the top you will enjoy a magnificent view over the entire bay.
Then treat yourself to lunch at the Boat House, a very nice place, with a beautiful view of the waters of the bay. Here you can also rent a small motor boat for a few hours, with which you can enter the inlets of the national park: it is an experience that I highly recommend; you will be free to explore the beautiful uncontaminated beaches of the park and enter the dense forest in complete autonomy and without anyone around.

THE ROYAL NATIONAL PARK
The southern coast boasts even wilder views, with high cliffs overlooking the sea and boundless natural parks. One of these is the Royal National Park, a coastal reserve that extends from the coast towards the hinterland for about 30km. It is the second oldest national park, established in 1897: the landscape is characterized by majestic cliffs, interrupted here and there by deserted beaches, surrounded by shrubs and the rainforest where it is not uncommon to spot small wallabies.
Just as Palm Beach, the entrance to the Royal National Park is also easily accessible from central Sydney: take a train and then a ferry to reach it from downtown. From here you can access the park via various paths. The route I recommend is the Wedding Cake Rock Trail, which winds along the edge of imposing cliffs, surrounded by moorland. The roar of the gigantic waves crashing against the rocks will accompany you throughout the journey. If you have time available you can go as far as the southern beach or even further south. On the way back, head towards Shelley Beach and then further up to the northern end of the promontory: from here you can admire the Sydney skyline in the distance. You can even try to catch the sunset over the bay before taking the last return ferry back to the city.
Magnificent.