Kamay Botany Bay National Park
Kamay Botany Bay National Park (sometimes spelt Kamay-Botany Bay National Park or known as Botany Bay National Park) is in Sydney, Australia, in two separate sections, one being in the French town of La Perouse in the Eastern Suburbs, and the other being in Kurnell, being south of Botany Bay and east of the famous well known Cronulla.
Understand
Get in
Northern section
The northern section is approximately 14 km southeast of Sydney CBD and five minutes south of Maroubra, a popular beachfront area. It's at the southern end of Anzac Parade; about 30 mins drive from Randwick and also 10 mins from Maroubra via Anzac Parade.
The park is also served by the 394 bus from Central Station around every 1/2 hour. Additionally, you can take the L94 limited express service from Circular Quay. Bus timetables are always written at the bus stop where you are, only in 24 hour time though.
Southern section
From Cronulla, just head east until Kurnell and then you'll hit the park. Then you'll have to pay a park fee of $8.
Fees and permits
$8 for the southern section, and the northern section is free.
Get around
Between each of the individual sections, it's quite easy to walk or take the car is some parts of the park. However, the main issue is, just like Sydney Harbour National Park, there is no form of public transportation between the two. While the north is accessible by bus, the south is not, and buses only go as far east as Cronulla.
See
Northern section
- See also: La Perouse
- 🌍 Bare Island Fort, Bare Island Rd. 7AM-7PM. The fortified Bare Island is linked by a footbridge. Containing former fortification facilities, Bare Island was a war veterans' home and museum, and is now a historic site that is significant as an almost completely intact example of late 19th-century coastal defence technology.
- 🌍 Old Macquarie Watchtower. La Perouse's 19th-century Customs tower, used to combat smugglers.
- 🌍 La Perouse Museum. A museum with a mixture of Aboriginal and French artefacts. The La Perouse Museum contains maps, scientific instruments and relics recovered from French explorers. A walking trail from the museum to the Endeavour Lighthouse has views across the bay to the site of Captain Cook's Landing Place. The museum was built as cable station to house the operation of the first submarine telegraph communications cable laid between Australia and Nelson in New Zealand. This cable also served as the first link in telegraph communications between New Zealand and the rest of the world. After the cessation of telegraph communications, the building served as a home for orphans run by the Salvation Army, with the children attending La Perouse Public School when this first opened in the early 1950s. Free.
- 🌍 La Perouse Monument. The large Lapérouse Monument is an obelisk erected in 1825 by the French and is close to the museum.
- 🌍 Henry Head Lighthouse. A nice spot to sit and watch the sunset. Although a nice spot to sit and watch the sunset, the place is heavily touched by graffiti and can be easily called the Australian headquarters of graffiti.
- 🌍 Browns Rock.
- Cruwee Cove Beach.
- La Perouse Congwong Bay Beach. Little Congwong Beach is an unofficial and secluded clothing-optional beach at La Perouse, which is reached only by walking through the Botany Bay national park. Little Congwong Beach has been used peacefully by naturists since at least the early 1980s. Make your way to La Perouse on Botany Bay and park in the car park just north of Bare Island. Walk down the steps to Congwong Beach then left across the rocks to Little Congwong Beach, the second bay. This beach is very popular on summer weekends. Little Congwong is small, and has been described as the most beautiful beach oasis in Sydney. If you're a Victorian, make the most of it in New South Wales as this is illegal in Victoria.
- Little Congwong Beach. as above.
- Cape Bank Beach.
- Visitors can learn about the indigenous significance of the area from the Aboriginal people of the area, with boomerang-throwing demonstrations often held on weekends and Aboriginal guided tours operating from Yarra Bay House during the week. Aboriginal artefacts are produced and sold by locals or can be bought at the Eora shop.
- The 🌍 Snake Man of La Perouse. has an outdoor reptile show is also a tourist attraction in the pit, at The Loop, on Sunday afternoons and public holidays at 1:30PM. The reptile shows were begun by the legendary Professor Fox in the late 19th century and resumed by George Cann just after the Great War in 1918. The tradition was continued by members of the Cann family, and other snake handlers since.
- Frenchmans Beach at La Perouse. This is a swimming spot on Botany Bay. It is a fairly average beach, but has an interesting westerly outlook which allows you see the sun setting over the bay, which is very unusual in Sydney, where looking over the water usually means you are facing east. Accessible by car or bus.
Southern section
- 🌍 Captain Cook Memorial Obelisk, Monument Track, Kurnell. Free, but park fees apply.
Eat
Northern section
- 🌍 The Boatshed La Perouse. Like the seaview? Like ships? Like eating? This is the place. On the weekend, you will want to go early though as it does get crowded after 12:30PM, and especially on public holidays.
- Battered at the Bay.
- Danny's Seafood La Perouse. 11AM-9PM.
- 🌍 Geovanni La Pizza. The only French pizza shop in the area.
- Bear Grill and cafe. The one and only café in La Perouse. You have no choice but to come for your coffee. But it served in a French way
Sleep
There is NO accommodation in the park. The nearest ones in the north are in Maroubra or Malabar and the nearest in the south are either in Cronulla or Kurnell.