| Royal National Park New South Wales | |
|---|---|
 A view of the Era beaches on the Royal National Park Coast Track, looking south from Thelma Head[note 1] | |
 Royal National Park | |
| Nearest town or city | Sydney |
| Population | 42 (SAL 2021)[1] |
| Established | 26 April 1879[2] |
| Area | 150.91 km2 (58.3 sq mi)[2] |
| Managing authorities | NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service |
| Website | Royal National Park |
| See also | Protected areas of New South Wales |
The Royal National Park is a protected national park that is located in Sutherland Shire local government area in the southern portion of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The 151-square-kilometre (58 sq mi) national park[3] is about 29 kilometres (18 mi) south of the Sydney central business district near the localities of Loftus, Otford and Waterfall.
It was founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales,[4] and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, a mere 7 years after Yellowstone National Park (1872) and 11 years before Yosemite National Park in the United States. Although Yosemite had been federally protected land since 1864, it did not become a 'National Park' until 1890.[5] It was the first national park to be declared in Australia.[6] Its original name was just National Park, but it was renamed in 1955 after Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia passed by in the train during her 1954 tour.[7]
The park was added to the Australian National Heritage List in December 2006.[4]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Royal National Park (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Royal National Park: Park management". Office of Environment & Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ Wales, Geographical Name Board of New South. "Extract - Geographical Names Board of NSW". www.gnb.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Royal National Park and State Conservation Area, Sir Bertram Stevens Dr, Audley, NSW, Australia (Place ID 105893)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
- ^ Kim Allen Scott, 2011 "Robertson’s Echo The Conservation Ethic in the Establishment of Yellowstone and Royal National Parks" Yellowstone Science 19:3
- ^ "First national park". The National Museum of Australia. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ "National parks". Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. 31 July 2007. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
