A French model has died after falling from a cliff high above a beach in Sydney, Australia.

Fabien Ardoin, 23, was hiking with friends in the Royal National Park, when he lost his footing and fell to his death near Little Marley Beach on Sunday morning (08Jun14).

Emergency service crews spent hours trying to retrieve his body, abseiling down the cliff face in heavy winds.

Ardoin was studying at the Wollongong University in Australia at the time of his death.