Wedding Cake Rock

Coordinates: 34°06′34.8″S 151°09′08.7″E / 34.109667°S 151.152417°E / -34.109667; 151.152417

A group of visitors sitting on Wedding Cake Rock, pictured in December 2014.
View of the adjacent cliffs. The pure white limestone composition of Wedding Cake Rock allows it to stand out from the surrounding darker cliff faces.

Wedding Cake Rock, also known as White Rock, is a limestone rock formation located in the Royal National Park near Bundeena, New South Wales, Australia, accessible via the Royal National Park Coast Track. The rock is one of many limestone formations that appear north of Marley Beach, and is suspended 25 metres (82 ft) above sea level. Wedding Cake Rock is noted for its scenic location and popularity with bushwalkers and tourists, as an attractive location for photography. Its reputation, however, was damaged after the landmark saw a sudden spike in popularity in 2015, and subsequently fell victim to vandalism. The rock was closed off from public access in May 2015 by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, citing the dangerous behavior of recent visitors, and later, safety concerns, after a survey conducted the following month determined that the rock was unstable, and that it would collapse into the Tasman Sea within the next decade.

Summary

Wedding Cake Rock earned its name from its resemblance to a slice of a wedding cake; the feature shows layers and is unusually eroded into a perfectly cuboid shape, in addition to being white, similar to a wedding cake. The feature is one of many limestone formations between Bundeena and Marley Beach, including The Balcony (Bundeena Lookout) and the adjacent "White Cliffs" of Marley.[1] Before its closure from the public, travellers to Wedding Cake Rock are often advised not to stand near the edge of the cliff, mainly due to regularly strong winds.[2] The rock can be reached by the Royal National Park Coast Track, a walking trail through the park that spans the entire length of the park's coastline, from Bundeena to Otford. Wedding Cake Rock is situated 5.1 kilometres (3.2 mi) from the start of the trail at Bundeena.[3]

Contemporary history

While deaths from falling at Wedding Cake Rock are rare, the landmark made news headlines after a French student fell to his death in June 2014 when a sandstone cliff edge nearby, which he was standing on, collapsed.[4] Media outlets initially misreported that the man was either taking a selfie or posing for a photograph on the rock itself.[5]

In early 2015, Wedding Cake Rock saw a sudden spike in popularity. The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) reported the number of visitors per month on the Royal National Park Coast Track had sharply risen from the average of 2,000 per month to over 10,000.[6] The social media photo sharing service Instagram has been cited as the cause for the growth in patronage, with users going to the landmark to take pictures on top of it, often while performing a stunt. The spike in popularity became concerning for the NPWS, whose regional manager, Gary Dunnett, questioned, "whether having 30 or 40 people standing on that area has the potential to tip it one way or the other".[6][7] The site was eventually closed off in May 2015, citing the aforementioned safety concerns, in addition to the rock being vandalised by visitors, who had covered the otherwise perfectly white formation with various writings and drawings in chalk.[8][9]

After the closure, a geotechnical assessment and evaluation of Wedding Cake Rock was conducted to determine the stability of the landmark. The study found, to the NWPS' surprise, that the formation was not only unstable, but was certain to collapse at any time within the next ten years, with the entire structure being described as "precariously balancing on the edge of the cliff, and severely undercut", seeming to be only upheld by very few pieces of debris from a recent major fracture below the rock.[10][11][12] The closure of the landmark, however, did not deter visitors from jumping the safety fence established nearby and continuing to take photographs atop the unstable formation, prompting the NPWS to issue a $300 fine for visitors who do so, effective in late March 2016.[13][14][15] The rock will remain closed to the public until its eventual demise, though there are plans to establish a permanent viewing platform near the landmark.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Murphy, Kara (16 April 2010). "The Royal National Park is the perfect nature escape...right on Sydney's doorstep". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Jones, Lucy (18 December 2014). "A Guide to The Royal National Park". Broadsheet. Broadsheet Media. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Ly, May (14 April 2014). "The Wedding Cake Rock, The Royal National Park". Weekend Notes. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Michael, Sarah (10 June 2014). "Police investigate cliff fall victim's death as tributes flow". Daily Mail. Daily Mail and General Trust. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Levy, Megan; Koziol, Michael (9 June 2014). "French student in fatal Royal National Park fall 'may have been taking photos'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  6. 1 2 Galvin, Nick (31 May 2015). "Wedding Cake Rock Instagram craze: hashtag visitors on edge of danger". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Bogle, Ariel (31 May 2015). "Lives are at risk because of this cliff's extreme popularity on Instagram". Mashable. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Gainsford, Jim (30 May 2015). "Wedding Cake Rock in the Royal attracting risky behaviour". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Fairfax Regional Media. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  9. ↑ King, Brendan (3 June 2015). "Authorities fence off Wedding Cake Rock amidst dangerous photos craze". ABC News Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  10. ↑ Wong, Maggie Hiufu (26 June 2015). "Australia's Wedding Cake Rock may collapse into the sea". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System / Time Warner. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  11. ↑ ABC News staff (24 June 2015). "Wedding Cake Rock could collapse any time, National Parks and Wildlife Service says". ABC News Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Cheer, Louise (24 June 2015). "Cliff edge known as 'Instagram Rock' which is popular with tourists taking risky photos could collapse into the sea any moment". Daily Mail. Daily Mail and General Trust. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Levy, Megan (29 March 2016). "#sorrynotsorry: Thrillseekers to be fined for jumping safety fence at Wedding Cake Rock". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Brown, Venessa (30 March 2016). "Cop a fine if you take a selfie at Wedding Cake Rock". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  15. ↑ Morris, Hugh (31 March 2016). "Wedding Cake Rock selfie takers to be fined $300". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Australian Associated Press (24 June 2015). "Wedding Cake Rock 'likely to collapse into the sea in next 10 years'". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  17. ↑ Levy, Megan (24 June 2015). "Wedding Cake Rock 'at risk of collapsing into the sea'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 November 2015.

External links

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