Marley Beach, Coastal beach in Royal National Park, Australia

Marley Beach is a southeast-facing beach about 360 m long in the upper Royal National Park, one of eleven beaches in the park. Rock platforms occupy its southern end, and behind the sand lies a dune system covering over 130,000 square metres, with lagoons and channels running through it.

A steam-powered collier vessel capsized near the beach during a storm, creating what became a diving site over time. This shipwreck remains a notable feature of the underwater area that visitors and divers can explore.

The southern rock platforms are used as a fishing spot, a practice noted for the beach. The name Marley is shared with Little Marley Beach, both remnants of a larger chain of beaches that ran along this coast about 7000 years ago. The dunes behind the sand are still forming and shifting with water flowing through them.

Marley Beach is unpatrolled, and Surf Life Saving Australia and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service advise against swimming and surfing because of topographical rips, bluebottles and shark sightings. The southern rock platforms are used for fishing. The dunes and Marley Lagoon channels shift over time, though water usually lies about 150 m from the shore.

Beyond the sand lies a freshwater lagoon system with channels flowing through the dune landscape. This hidden water feature shapes the local ecosystem in ways that might not be immediately obvious when you first arrive.