I remember I use to go to the Royal National Park in Sydney regularly for boat rowing with my aunts, uncles, parents and brother around the Christmas school holidays. I remember I always looked forward to our trips there and loved rowing down the Hacking River. There was no café when we visited back then and we always brought our own picnic basket. Our visits to the Royal National Park for some reason stopped after I left school, which was why I was excited to return to the Royal National Park after all these years and visit Audley Dance Hall Café. I was curious too to see where the café was located as the food looked delicious on Instagram.
The café is set amidst native bushland with views over the Hacking River in the Royal National Park and there is no point looking at your ipads and iphones as there is internet reception so you truly connect with family and friends. Audley is a relaxed family friendly café where on a warm winters day like today you can sit in the outdoor seating area, soak in the sun whilst overlooking riverviews and people having picnics in the park.
There is a park entry fee of $12 you pay to enter the Royal National Park so you might as well make a day of it when you visit Audley but go for a walk around the park, or go boat rowing down the Hacking River. The café is casual dining so if you want to go bushwalking or boat rowing, go wearing suitable attire.
The Audley Dance Hall was built in 1949 and refurbished by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in 2010. The Audley Dance Hall, upstairs from the café, is available for weddings up to 200 seated guests, parties, celebrations and has full conference facilities.
The food is modern Australian cuisine that is simple, seasonal, fresh and delicious and mains for lunch available from 11.30am are around the $27-$30 mark. Breakfast is also available until 11.30am. There is a good variety of drinks too and if you feel like coffee and cakes, I recommend that too as my latte was good coffee, polished in presentation and the cakes are made in house. I have a lot of respect for cafes that make their own cakes in-house as there is obviously a lot of care and thought that goes into food preparation for customers.
We tried their recommended signature dishes including: 5-hour braised lamb shoulder with Israeli couscous, smoked eggplant yoghurt and saffron butter, walnut, pomegranate and mint salsa ($26.50). The flavours fused together nicely and the lamb was very tender; Dancehall roast chook with one quarter free range chicken, citrus brined and chargrilled, crispy potato galette, sweet pepper sauce, fennel salad and olive crumb ($27) and my mother chose this dish and loved it. The chicken was fresh and tender; Audley cheeseburger with a double patty, double cheese, house pickles and cos with their own tomato sauce and mayonnaise on a soft milk bun ($18) with sides of fries ($8) and side salad of pear, fennel, parmesan and balsamic ($8).
The Audley Dance Hall Cafe is open 7 days 8:30am-4:30pm (8am on weekends) and a wonderful spot to enjoy delicious coffee, share a meal, watch the kids run around the park or just enjoy the peace and serenity. Audley Dance Hall Cafe isn’t just a place to have breakfast or lunch. It’s a place for citydwellers to seek sanctuary in the bliss, beauty and quietness of the native bushland and to become a part of it. Don’t forget to leave your ipads and iphones at home.
Audley Dance Hall Cafe
2 Lady Carrington Drive
Royal National Park NSW 2233
https://audleydancehall.com.au/cafe/
See.Taste.Do dined as a guest of Audley Dance Hall Cafe