Just a 40-odd minute drive north of Wollongong will get you to the doorstep of some of the most beautiful spots in the Royal National Park. And you don't have to be the hiking type to enjoy them. If perfect picnic spots, wide open spaces with plenty of shade, a wonderfully swimmable (and kayakable) river and a cafe sounds like your idea of a good time, look no further than Audley, in the Royal.

Audley is almost deceptively beautiful. When you first grab a park (and you'll either need a National Parks Pass or to pay $12 for the day), the place seems, well, noisy. There are lots of cars on their way through the national park and the traffic noise is a little disconcerting. But fear not, only a few steps out onto the grassed area at Iron Flat and the quiet descends. In front of you is the beautiful Hacking River and just across the water is the Audley Boat Shed, where you can hire paddle boats, kayaks and row boats. 

Iron Flat itself has been used since the mid 1800s, when people would gather to picnic, play cricket, and tennis and to get out onto the water in a row boat. It was all very civilised. And it still is, especially as I was able to grab a pretty good soy latte from the Audley Dance Hall cafe. The hall was built in the 1940s and has loads of outdoor, covered seating and you can eat in, grab some takeaway or bring something from home. The kookaburras haven't received the 'civilised' memo though, and we saw more than one snatch a chip off the plate of unsuspecting diners. 

You can head off on more than 16 trail heads from Audley, including to the nearby Winifred Falls and Kangaroo Creek. 

And you can find more information, including how to get to Audley, here.

Just watch out for the kookaburras.