Lady Carrington Drive, Hiking and cycling trail in Royal National Park, Australia.
Lady Carrington Drive is a hiking and cycling trail in Royal National Park that winds for about 10 kilometers through dense woodland along the Hacking River. The route crosses multiple creeks and runs from Audley Weir to Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, offering different sections with varying conditions.
Lady Carrington Road was built from 1880 to 1883 and opened to traffic in 1886, the first scenic route in Royal National Park, proclaimed a year earlier. It is named after Lady Cecilia Carrington, wife of Governor Lord Charles Carrington, who opened the road herself. The carriageway linked Audley to the southern precinct east of Waterfall.
The brooks crossed by the trail bear Aboriginal bird names: Mullion (eagle), Wurrul (bee eater), Burowa (bustard), Karonga (white crane), Gorra Worra (laughing jackass), Buralga (native companion), Kobardo (parrot), Birumba (plover), Dirijiri (wagtail), Murrindum (quail), Dumbal (crow), Tamur (bronze-winged pigeon), Burunda (swan), Karani (duck) and Palona (hawk). Lady Carrington herself opened the road in 1886.
The trail is relatively easy and accessible to people of all fitness levels, with rest areas and facilities spaced along the route for breaks. Visitors should be prepared for changing ground conditions and bring water and proper footwear depending on the season.
Jersey Spring, 2.5 km from Audley, feeds two sandstone troughs built in 1892 for horses and people on Lady Carrington Road. The spring is named after Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, then Governor of New South Wales. The troughs are still supplied by the same spring.
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