Audley

Audley is a historic hamlet and visitor precinct located on the Hacking River within the Royal National Park in the Sutherland Shire, New South Wales. Established in the 1860s and incorporated into Australia's first national park in 1879, it serves as the main northern gateway to the park. It is notable for its heritage buildings including the Audley Dance Hall, Audley Weir, picnic grounds and boat hire facilities.

Visitors can expect a riverside heritage precinct set within bushland on the Hacking River. The area features historic weatherboard buildings including the Audley Dance Hall Cafe and Audley Boatshed, grassy picnic areas with barbecues, the low Audley Weir crossing the river, and the Royal National Park Visitor Centre. Surroundings are forested with walking and cycling trails such as Wattle Forest and Lady Carrington Drive, with opportunities for rowboat and kayak hire on the river.

Audley developed from the 1860s as a riverside settlement on the Hacking River and was named after Audley in Staffordshire, England. It became the administrative and recreational centre of the Royal National Park when the park was gazetted in 1879 as Australia's first national park and the second oldest national park in the world. Historic structures include Audley Weir, the Audley Boatshed and the Audley Dance Hall built in the early 1940s.

Audley is the principal heritage and visitor precinct of the Royal National Park, reflecting over 140 years of public recreation in Australia. The area lies within Dharawal Country and retains cultural significance for its long association with nature-based recreation, community gatherings and heritage architecture within a protected natural landscape.