The ugly aspect of Botany Bay National Park can be seen from afar. It even has flaming beacons that attract the eye away from the wild beauty and monumental history that surrounds it. Kurnell Oil Refinery is indeed an eyesore, but escape into the bush, behind the dunes and along the rugged sandstone coast that neighbour this industrial atrocity and you enter another world.

And that is literally what Captain James Cook discovered when he landed here at 3pm on 29 April, 1770. Over the next eight days the known world changed as Cook's botanists, Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, picked their way through the area's heath and woodlands, eucalyptus forests, bogs and swamps collecting specimens unique to what was then known as the Great South Land.

Before venturing along the walking trails that penetrate this windswept buffer between Botany Bay and the Pacific Ocean, visit the Discovery Centre where displays and relics (including Aboriginal weapons and a cannon from Cook's ship, the Endeavour) will enrich your understanding of the fascinating history, cultural heritage and natural environment that awaits outside.

Monument Track - 1.5km, 45minutes, easy.
This track starts at the end of Captain Cook Drive and parallels the sands of Silver Beach before arriving at the Cook Obelisk, opposite the cluster of rocks where Cook and his men came ashore.

The dramatic inscription on the plaque here comes from Banks' diary and details a fiery encounter with two Aboriginals - members of the local Gweagal people. Attempts to placate the locals with gifts - and a shot fired over their heads - apparently failed to subdue the hostile reception and a second shot was needed before they fled into the bush.

Further along this track the Sir Joseph Banks Memorial enjoys a pine tree-framed vista of the northern headland at the entrance to Botany Bay. This is a great spot to have a picnic while watching giant container ships and oil tankers passing by.

The trail then rounds the Solander Monument, in view of Sutherland Point, and loops back to the Discovery Centre.

Banks Solander Track - 1km, 30 minutes, easy.
This nature trail identifies the species that Banks and Solander collected during their forays into this area, including Banksia. Look for the start branching off the Yena trail a short distance from the Discovery Centre.

Muru and Yena Tracks - 2.5km, 1 hour, easy.
A great choice if you hope to have a 'Captain Cook' for whales during the migration season between May and November. From the Discovery Centre, take these two tracks in turn to walk out to the coastal cliffs to spot whales before returning. The vegetation is typical of Sydney's coastal scrub and the Banks Solander Track can be added as a detour.

Cape Bailey Coastwalk - 8km, 2.5 hours, medium difficulty.
If you'd like to tackle Botany Bay National Park's most spectacular walk, head to the end of Cape Solander Drive. But before you set off towards Tabbigai Gap, take some time to enjoy the view from the whale-watching pavilion near the end of the road. Looking south you can see the wave-gouged sandstone cliffs that stand sentinel over the entrance to Botany Bay. This is a majestic stretch of coast popular with experienced fishermen.

But there is more to this walk than sandstone cliffs and whale watching lookouts. Other features include sand dunes, heathlands, hanging swamps, wildflowers, birdlife and the Cape Baily Lighthouse. Keep your eyes out for terns, kestrels and sea eagles riding the turbulent sea breezes as you skirt the rocky ocean front on your way to Tabbigai Gap.

The first leg of this walk should take about 20 minutes while Cape Baily Lighthouse lies about one hour along the trail and Potter Point, about 80 minutes. If the surf is up just past Potter Point pause to watch the show at Voodoo Reef, one of Sydney's most challenging waves.

If you don't want to retrace your footsteps you can continue on to the beach and walk around Bate Bay past Wanda and Eloura Surf Clubs to North Cronulla. From here its only five minutes to Cronulla Railway Station.

The location of the Cape Baily Walk at the end of the Kurnell Peninsula, beyond the ugly oil refinery, seems to insulate it from the hordes of city dwellers who flock to other recreational hotspots like the Bondi to Coogee Walk. This a good thing, particularly with regard to the area's incredibly rich history. It is easy to imagine, in isolation at various points along this coast - where Banks and Solander ventured where no white man ever had before - coming across members of the Gweagal people fishing and hunting... as they had for thousands of years before the Endeavour dropped anchor in Botany Bay.