Historically, recreation within the Royal and Heathcote National Parks has been an important part of the lives of millions of Australians and overseas visitors, however, and tragically, these National Parks have their darker sides with 128 drownings having been recorded within the boundaries of the current borders of these two Park’s.
In the case of drownings two particular locations stand out:- The general vicinity of Audley, where 32 persons are known to have drowned, and at Wattamolla where records show that that 38 persons have drowned in that precinct, 15 of them in the Lagoon.
Other danger areas include the winding roads within the Royal National Park, particularly nowadays for motorcyclists but also for occupants of motor cars.
Cliff edges on the coast have a sorry record of fatal accidents and care is urged when nearing any of the drop-offs within the Park.
The simple message is: don’t take risks and watch your children at all times, particularly when near water.
The link below is to a list of all reported drownings in the Royal National Park and surrounds: