The Royal National Park was one of the only local winners from the 2016 state budget.
In an announcement released today the iconic Royal Coast Track will receive $3.6 million in the next 12 months and $9 million over four years for upgrades.
The project will include the installation of a viewing platform at Wedding Cake Rock.
The rock, on the park’s popular 26km Bundeena-to-Otford coast walk, has become a social media phenomenon with more than a thousand people visiting it every weekend, lured by images on Instagram and Facebook.
Minister for Heritage and Environment Mark Speakman said the viewing platform was designed to discourage people from walking on the rock to get their money shot.
“We want people to adventure into our national parks to enjoy them but we want people to do it safely,” he said.
“Search for some of the most popular spots within Royal National Park’s Royal Coast Track on Instagram and you will find countless reasons to visit the nation’s oldest national park and this year’s state budget will give people even more reason to visit.
“These track and park improvements really give people a taste of how wedded we are to are national parks.”
This year’s investment will go towards the construction of an 800 metre sandstone staircase at Garie North Headland and track upgrades from Marley Beach to Wattamolla including stone steps and a reinforced boardwalk.
The stairway down Garie Headland is also being prioritised.
Over the next three years the Wattamolla car park will be expanded, the viewing platform will be installed and further track work will be completed.
Further upgrades from Marley Beach south to Wattamolla will be completed next year as part of the Bundeena south to Marley Beach section upgrade that’s already finished.