Palona Cave — Royal National Park's Hidden Sandstone Cave

Most people who visit the Royal National Park head for the coast. Palona Cave is for the ones who want to go further.

Located in the creek country of the park's interior, Palona Cave is a sandstone rock formation with an unusual secret — inside a cave that formed in sandstone, limestone stalactites and stalagmites have developed. This doesn't happen in the usual way. It shouldn't really happen at all.

Getting There

Start from the gate at the southern end of Lady Carrington Drive. Head north along the drive until you reach a sign on your left indicating limestone cave — allow at least 30 minutes to walk from the gate to this point. The sign is easy to miss so pay attention.

From the sign, follow a narrow fern-enclosed track on a gradual ascent. The track is quiet, shaded and feels genuinely remote. At the top of the valley the track opens onto a series of sandstone rock formations — Palona Cave is among them.

The Cave

Palona Cave is not a cave in the Jenolan Caves sense. There are no grand chambers, no dramatic lighting, no tour groups. It's a sandstone overhang and cave formation in the bush, reached on foot and visited on your own terms.

What makes it unusual is what's inside. Stalactites and stalagmites — formations normally found only in limestone caves — have developed here in sandstone. The process is the same: groundwater seeps along the bedding plane of the cliff above, absorbs small amounts of lime, drips into the cave and deposits residual limestone after evaporation over a very long period of time. The difference is that here the cave itself is sandstone rather than limestone.

The formations don't have the classic polished beauty of Jenolan — they're rougher, dirtier, more obviously ancient. That's part of the point. This is geology happening slowly in the bush rather than geology on display in a show cave.

A waterfall sits close to the cave. The view from the creek above the waterfall is spectacular but the climb to reach it is difficult and not worth the effort for most visitors. The view from below is fine.

A small nearby cave provides shade from the summer sun — useful if you want to stop for lunch.

Combining with the Forest Track

Palona Cave works well combined with the Forest Track loop for a more serious half-day walk of three hours or more. The Forest Track takes you through the eucalypt forest and rainforest along Bola Creek, while the Palona Cave section adds the creek country and sandstone formations of the upper Hacking River valley.

Visiting with Sydney Nimble Tours

Palona Cave is one of the less-visited corners of the Royal National Park that Greg includes on our private tour for guests who want to go beyond the standard stops. It combines well with the Forest Track, Karloo Pool and the coastal walks depending on how much walking you want to do.

At the entrance to Palona Cave — the sandstone overhang dwarfs the surrounding bush

The creek country of the upper Hacking River valley — part of the walk to Palona Cave

Limestone forming on sandstone — the slow result of groundwater seeping through the cliff above over thousands of years.

Inside Palona Cave — rough, ancient formations that bear no resemblance to a show cave, and are better for it.

A limestone stalagmite inside a sandstone cave — the geological oddity that makes Palona Cave worth finding