Cape Solander
Kurnell area in Kamay Botany Bay National Park
Overview
Head to one of Sydney's best whale watching spots. Cape Solander, located in the Kurnell section of Kamay Botany Bay National Park is an unbeatable lookout during whale watching season.
- Type
- Lookouts
- Accessibility
- Easy
- Entry fees
- Park entry fees apply
- Opening times
If you're driving into the Kurnell area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park please note that gates are open:
- 7am-7.30pm (August to May)
- 7am-5.30pm (June to July)
- What to
bring - Drinking water, hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes
- Please note
- There are no toilets at this location. The nearest toilets are all located 2 km away: outside Kurnell Visitor Centre, at Commemoration Flat car park, or, at Cricket Pitch car park.
- There are unfenced cliffs at this location. Don't walk close to cliff edges because the overhanging rocks may be very thin. Please stick to the marked walking tracks and supervise children closely.
Want to go whale watching in Sydney? Cape Solander is undoubtedly one of Sydney's best whale watching spots.
June and July are the best times to see humpback whales as they migrate north to warmer waters, but they can also be spotted between May and October. If you’re lucky you won’t even need to look far – whales have been known to swim as close as 200m from the coast.
Named after botanist Daniel Solander, Cape Solander features a lookout with a special viewing platform – the perfect vantage point – along with information on whales seen in Sydney waters. If you plan on a coastal walk through the park, then Cape Solander is a good starting point. It’s also a great spot for birdwatching or simply gazing at the clear horizon.
You can also learn more about the significance of the whale in local Aboriginal culture in this State Library video interview with Wallangang Elder, Glen Timbery .
Take a virtual tour of Cape Solander captured with Google Street View Trekker.
Also see
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Cape Baily walking track
If you love the panoramic ocean views from the sandstone cliffs of Kamay Botany Bay National Park, Cape Baily walking track is for you. Close to Cronulla, it's a great place to spot whales, dolphins and native birds.
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Cape Baily Lighthouse
Cape Baily Lighthouse is a scenic stop along Cape Baily track in the Kurnell area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park, near Cape Solander.
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Muru and Yena tracks
Mura and Yena tracks form a short loop walk from Kurnell Visitor Centre to clifftop Yena picnic area, in Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Enjoy dramatic coastal views, spot whales, birdlife and wildflowers.
Map
Map legend
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/lookouts/cape-solander/local-alerts
General enquiries
- National Parks Contact Centre
- 7am to 7pm daily
- 1300 072 757 (13000 PARKS) for the cost of a local call within Australia excluding mobiles
- parks.info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Park info
- in the Kurnell area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park in the Sydney and surrounds region
7am–7.30pm August to May. 7am–5.30pm June to July.
Areas may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
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Park entry fees:
$8 per vehicle per day applies in the Kurnell area only. The park has coin-operated pay and display machines - please bring correct coins. The park also has credit card accepting payment facilities.
Buy annual pass.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Cape Solander.
Getting there and parking
Cape Solander is in the Kurnell precinct of Kamay Botany Bay National Park. To get there:
- Follow Captain Cook Drive towards Kurnell
- At the T intersection turn left and take the next right in to Cape Solander Drive
- Continue past the visitor centre and follow to the end.
Road quality
- Sealed roads
Vehicle access
- 2WD vehicles
Weather restrictions
- All weather
Parking
- Parking is available at Cape Solander lookout.
- There are several accessible parking spaces available.
- This area can be very busy on weekends and during whale watching season.
By public transport
You can travel to the Kurnell area on public transport. Plan your trip using Transport NSW's Trip Planner.
Facilities
Seats and resting points
There are stone slab seats at various points along the lookout.
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - easy
- There are several accessible parking spaces at Cape Solander
- There are stone slab benches where you can rest and enjoy the view
Easy access is free of obstacles such as steps, rough terrain or significant slopes, and may have ramps or boardwalks.
Prohibited
Pets
Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.
Smoking
NSW national parks are no smoking areas.
Visitor centre
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Kurnell Visitor Centre
21 Cape Solander Drive, Kurnell NSW 2231 - CLOSED TO VISITORS. Email and phone contact only. Monday to Friday, 10am to 3.30pm. Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, 9.30am to 4pm. Closed Christmas holiday.
- 02 9668 2010
Learn more
Cape Solander is in Kurnell area. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
Whale watching
June/July is the best time to see humpback whales in this area as they migrate to warmer waters, and Cape Solander is a terrific lookout to get a glimpse of these majestic ocean giants.
- Cape Solander Head to one of Sydney's best whale watching spots. Cape Solander, located in the Kurnell section of Kamay Botany Bay National Park is an unbeatable lookout during whale watching season.
- Kurnell Visitor Centre Kurnell Visitor Centre is closed while a new visitor centre is being built. You can still contact our staff for maps, history and advice by email or phone.
- Muru and Yena tracks Mura and Yena tracks form a short loop walk from Kurnell Visitor Centre to clifftop Yena picnic area, in Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Enjoy dramatic coastal views, spot whales, birdlife and wildflowers.
Aboriginal culture to discover
At the time of the first encounters with Europeans, Aboriginal people of 2 different nations – the Goorawal People and the Gweagal People – were living in the area which now includes Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Significant Aboriginal sites have been recorded in the park, including middens and engravings.
- Burrawang walk Take a short stroll along Burrawang walk in the Kurnell area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Enjoy historic sites and 3 bronze sculptures that mark the 250th anniversary of the encounter between Aboriginal Australians and the HMB Endeavour crew. Most of this walk is wheelchair-accessible.
Sharing traditional knowledge
The Gamay Rangers have been appointed as ‘honorary rangers’ for Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Part of the Commonwealth Indigenous Ranger Program, which is designed to support Indigenous Australians to protect and conserve land and sea Country, the Gamay Rangers work alongside the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The Gamay team share traditional knowledge and techniques, and are involved in the management of natural and cultural resources, protection of marine wildlife, and operation of the national parks on their cultural areas.
- Burrawang walk Take a short stroll along Burrawang walk in the Kurnell area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Enjoy historic sites and 3 bronze sculptures that mark the 250th anniversary of the encounter between Aboriginal Australians and the HMB Endeavour crew. Most of this walk is wheelchair-accessible.
Historic heritage
Kurnell is Captain Cook's Landing Place and the point of first contact between Aboriginal people and the Endeavour crew. The Kurnell area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park is rich in both Aboriginal and European history and is certainly a cornerstone of the country's colonial history. One of Australia's earliest European explorers, James Cook, landed here in 1770. Cook's botanists, Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, first explored Australia's natural world here. After the reports of Cook and Banks, Botany Bay was recommended as a suitable site for settlement but upon inspection by Captain Arthur Phillip it was found unsuitable as it had no secure fresh water or suitable anchorage – so Sydney Cove was set up as the penal colony instead
- Captain Cooks landing place Visit Kurnell to see Captain Cooks landing place and the place of encounter between Aboriginal Australians and the crew of the HMB Endeavour in 1770. This heritage-listed site is an important place in Australia's history.
Plants and animals protected in this park
Animals
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White-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
White-bellied sea eagles can be easily identified by their white tail and dark grey wings. These raptors are often spotted cruising the coastal breezes throughout Australia, and make for some scenic bird watching. Powerful Australian birds of prey, they are known to mate for life, and return each year to the same nest to breed.
Plants
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Blueberry ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)
The blueberry ash is a rainforest shrub which produces blue olive-shaped berries and spectacular bell-shaped flowers, which often appear on the plant together. It is a tall slender shrub or small tree found in rainforest, tall eucalypt forest and coastal bushland in eastern NSW, south-east Queensland and Victoria.
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Flannel flower (Actinotus helianthi)
The delicate flannel flower is so named because of the soft woolly feel of the plant. Growing in the NSW south coast region, extending to Narrabri in the Central West and up to south-east Queensland, its white or pink flowers bloom all year long, with an extra burst of colour in the spring.
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Old man banksia (Banksia serrata)
Hardy Australian native plants, old man banksias can be found along the coast, and in the dry sclerophyll forests and sandstone mountain ranges of NSW. With roughened bark and gnarled limbs, they produce a distinctive cylindrical yellow-green banksia flower which blossoms from summer to early autumn.
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Smooth-barked apple (Angophora costata)
Smooth-barked apple gums, also known as Sydney red gum or rusty gum trees, are Australian native plants found along the NSW coast, and in the Sydney basin and parts of Queensland. Growing to heights of 15-30m, the russet-coloured angophoras shed their bark in spring to reveal spectacular new salmon-coloured bark.