“Named after a woman known for her generosity.” Does that not immediately spark your interest in Lady Carrington Lookout?
Lady Carrington Drive is a scenic bicycle trail. It is located in the Royal National Park. The trail runs from Audley to the southern precinct of the park near Waterfall. It runs alongside the Hacking River. Opened in 1886, the 10-kilometer-long trail was the first scenic route completed in the Royal National Park. This happened seven years after the park was officially declared.
Initially, it served as a carriageway. Today, traffic is closed, and the trail serves as a bike and walking path. The route bypasses many scenic points along the Hacking River. These include Gibraltar Rock and Palona Cave.
Originally named Lady Carrington Road, construction of the trail took three years. Work started in 1880 and finished in 1883. However, it didn’t open to traffic until 1886. It was the first scenic route built through the Royal National Park. The park was officially proclaimed the year before. The route was first a carriageway from Audley to the park’s southern precinct, east of Waterfall. It was described as a “pleasure drive through beautiful sylvan scenery.”
The trail is named after Lady Cecilia Carrington. She was the wife of the former Governor of New South Wales, Lord Charles Carrington. The Carringtons were held in high esteem by the public at the time. They were known for their generosity, popularity, and appeal. Lady Carrington herself was noted for her charitable works. She established a Jubilee Fund to help distressed women. Lady Carrington Drive is one of many places named in honor of the Carringtons. Others include the Carrington Hotel in Katoomba. Also, there are the Carrington Falls in Budderoo National Park. Lady Carrington opened the road in 1886, a year after her husband became Governor of New South Wales.
While the road initially boosted the Royal National Park’s popularity, traffic waned. Popularity shifted toward the coastal regions of the park. Later, the road closed to traffic. It now serves as a bike and walking track.
Lady Carrington Drive starts at Audley, at its north end. It splits off from Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, just south of Audley Weir. Almost the entire route is on the eastern bank of the Hacking River. This is the longest river in the Royal National Park. Traffic from Sir Bertram Stevens Drive is allowed up to 200m into the route. The Royal National Park Visitor Centre is at the very start of Lady Carrington Drive. Vehicle access is available to the Willow Tree Flat and Fig Tree Flat picnic grounds.
Past Fig Tree Flat, the road is closed to traffic. It continues as a bike and foot-only track. The trail crosses many brooks. This required building many small bridges for the trail. The brooks are named after traditional bird names. From north to south, the brooks are Mullion, Wurrul, Burowa, Karonga, Gorra Worra, Buralga, Kobardo, Birumba, Dirijiri, Murrindum, Dumbal, Tamur, Burunda, Karani, and Palona.
The first section of the trail follows a long series of sandstone faces. It goes up to Gibraltar Rock. The formation is named after the Rock of Gibraltar. Jersey Spring is 2.5 kilometers into the trail. The spring feeds into two sandstone watering troughs. These were built in 1892 to provide water for horses and people traveling along Lady Carrington Road. The troughs are still fed by the same spring today. The spring is named after Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, the then-Governor of New South Wales.
Immediately after, the first of four rest areas can be found. It is named the Jersey Spring Clearing. It is an open grass field. 5.2 kilometers into the trail, the Calala rest area can be found. It features a picnic table and a small trail leading to the banks of the Hacking. Here, minor beaches can be found. Between Calala and the Palona Brook Picnic Area, there is a plaque dedicated to Alan Rendell, who died fighting bushfires in 1988.
An offshoot of the track from the Palona Brook Picnic Area leads to Palona Cave. It is a large limestone overhang featuring columns and stalactites. 8.7 kilometers in, the Bola Picnic Area can be found at the intersection of Lady Carrington Drive and the Forest Track. The trail ends at 9.7 kilometers, where it connects to Lady Wakehurst Drive.
So, as you stand here at Lady Carrington Lookout, remember the history. Think of the Carringtons and their impact on this beautiful park.