What is Royal National Park?
The '''Royal National Park''' is a [[national park]] in [[New South Wales]] of [[Australia]]. It is located 29 kilometres south of [[Sydney]] and is part of the Sydney [[metropolitan area]]. == History == [[File:WattamollaLiss.jpg|left|thumb| Wattamolla Beach]] The national park was founded in 1879 by Sir John Robertson, then premier of New South Wales, making it the second oldest national park in the world after [[Yellowstone National Park]] in the [[United States]]. Sir John Robertson cared for and supported him all the rest of his life. After coal was discovered on the terrain, it was founded out of economic interests to keep competition away from the gates of Sydney. Its original name was ''The National Park'' . In 1955 it was renamed after a visit from Queen [[Elizabeth II]]. The park is repeatedly ravaged by [[bushfire]]s, which contribute to the constant change and regeneration of the [[vegetation]]. Plants like the native Waratah are adapted to the [[Fire ecology|environmental factor fire]] and need the fires to bloom in subsequent years. == Location == [[File:Bushland,_Royal_National_Park,_The_Coast_Walk-Australia.jpg|thumb|Hiking trail in the Royal National Park]] The park is partly in the Sydney and [[Wollongong, New South Wales|Wollongong]] administrative districts and forms a jewel with unspoiled nature between these two major cities. It is bounded to the north by the [[Port hacking|Port Hacking]] fjord, to the west by the motorway between the cities and to the south to Otford. The Heathcote National Park connects across the freeway and continues the [[green belt]] around Sydney. The Royal National Park offers very different landscapes and vegetation. It lies on [[Sandstone|sandstone hills]] that break off a few hundred meters down to the coast. They are mostly covered by [[Eucalyptus|eucalyptus forests]] with a wealth of species. Centrally, deeply cut, the Hacking River runs through the park, which flows into the seawater of Port Hacking at Audley. This rugged bay offers protection from the open