Would you imagine me if I instructed you, an hour away from Sydney, there’s a spot the place a waterfall plunges into an emerald lagoon, which then spills out onto golden sand, which then opens out onto ocean?
Spoiler alert: there’s. And it’s known as Wattamolla Seaside.
Positioned within the Royal Nationwide Park south of Sydney, Wattamolla is a kind of particular locations you hear about, however hardly ever get to go to.
I’ve needed to go there ever since I used to be a child. However regardless of visiting the Royal Nationwide Park a number of occasions, till not too long ago, I’ve by no means made it to Wattamolla, regardless of making an attempt thrice.
The primary try I cancelled on account of unhealthy climate. The second and third had been cancelled due to good climate.
Certainly one of them, I obtained midway there earlier than getting a Nationwide Parks alert on Twitter that the carpark was full, the opposite I drove all the way in which to the Nationwide Park solely to see the enormous queue of vehicles earlier than deciding to go some place else.
This could most likely be no shock, contemplating how in style Wattamolla has grow to be on social media (Wattamolla Falls and Wattamolla Seaside have a mixed 10,465 hashtagged posts to their names), with Instagram customers likening it to a “land earlier than time” and a “paradise on earth.”
Taking a look at all of the rave opinions of the place, I went half anticipating it to really feel like Fiji.
TikTok customers, for example, can’t recover from the very fact there’s a “waterfall subsequent to an ocean,” with the feedback on most of the Wattamolla movies that includes mates imploring one another “we have to go.”
As for me, on a latest hike from Bundeena, I ditched the automotive and determined to stroll to Wattamolla, and my persistence was rewarded.
I began out by getting the practice to Cronulla. Then I obtained a ferry to Bundeena. There, I stocked up on drinks and snacks on the nook retailer and set off.
Ten kilometres later, after passing Marriage ceremony Cake Rock, in addition to Marley and Little Marley seashores (in addition to what felt like a number of thousand path runners …), I made it to Wattamolla.
Although I went on a cloudy day, after rain, so the water was murkier than within the images I’d seen on Instagram, I used to be rewarded (early within the morning at the very least) by (comparatively) small crowds and a peaceable expertise.
There’s a in style rock soar spot at Wattamolla Falls (harking back to rock jumps I’ve seen in Samoa and Fiji), however it has been fenced off for security causes (there have been quite a few accidents and drownings right here). So as an alternative of leaping down, I walked down the trail to succeed in the underside. As I dove within the water (from the sand) I noticed a water dragon.
I then obtained out, feeling refreshed, and made myself a espresso with my mountaineering range.
Trying over Wattamolla because the solar got here out, I made a decision it wasn’t fairly the love baby of Fiji, the Philippines, Koh Samui and Samoa that I had hoped for, however nonetheless: it’s a particular place (and for those who go very early within the morning, you may definitely think about your self to be on some castaway island).
As I saved on strolling I observed a bunch of individuals SCUBA diving within the water, apparently round a submerged shipwreck. I then completed my hike, realising that in the case of the Royal Nationwide Park, I’ve solely seen the tip of the iceberg (there’s additionally the Infinity Swimming pools, Wattamolla Dam and Curracurrong Falls).
