Eight-character Lake, also known as eight-character pool, photo I accidentally saw on Weibo, and then made up my mind to find out. I`ve heard of tofu stone (Wedding Cake Rock), for a long time, but I didn`t expect the eight-character pool and it to be in the Royal National Park (Royal National Park). That`s great. It happened to take care of it. But the premise is to have a good physical strength, and to go to the eight-character pool must be fully prepared!
The eight-character pool is naturally formed on granite by the sea, lamenting the ingenuity of nature. This is a photo found online overlooking the eight-character pool. As you can see, the outer edge of the rock is the boundless sea.
I called visitor centre before I went to the eight-character pool. The reason is what the official website describes there:
Hard. The track to access Figure Eight Pools can take up to 3 hours return, and is steep, rocky and slippery in parts. Suitable for experienced walkers with a good level of fitness.
And the first Access to Figure Eight Pools is only safe at low tide and when surf conditions are flat and calm, in the note means to pass only when the low tide and the sea are calm.
Introduction to the eight-character Pool in National Park http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/Lookouts/figure-eight-pools
I have been to countless national parks in Australia, and I think it`s all right physically. But I don`t know much about the tide. Fortunately, the manager of our company is a navigator and has learned a lot from him. And when consulting visitor center, I was told to go to a website to check the height and tide of the sea.
This site is WillyWeather.. The beach you want to see is called Garie Beach, near the eight-character pool. The following is a link to facilitate everyone to query.
- http://www.willyweather.com.au/nsw/sydney/garie-beach.html
This site also has its own APP, can be downloaded to the mobile phone, anytime to view. The height of the sea is predicted five days in advance, but this is not accurate. It would be better to reconfirm it a day or two ago.
Here is a detailed description of what needs to be paid attention to when going to the eight-character pool. There are two main conditions:
- It has to be a low tide.
- The height of the sea water should not exceed 1.5 meters.
This is the low tide schedule I found on WillyWeather. That is to say, the low tide on April 24 is 3: 19 p. M. and 3: 53 p. M. on the 25th. Judging from the low tide, the 24th is a little better than the 25th, because the low tide is earlier, which gives you enough time to come up from the eight-character pool. It`s getting dark early. If you go back and forth for three hours and come back, it`s best to set aside a budget of at least two hours so you won`t catch up with dark before you arrive. But the sea will not change much for an hour before and after the low tide.
Let`s take a look at the height of the sea. The tide at 4: 00 p.m. on April 24 is 1.8 meters, more than 1.5 meters. For the sake of safety, you can`t go on this day. In addition, it will not be possible if it rains on the 24th.
The height of the sea water at 4: 00 p.m. on April 25 is 1.3 meters, perfect! I chose this day.
In fact, for the eight-character pool, if you call Visitor centre, it is not their fault that the staff can scare you half to death, because in the event of a danger, you need to send a helicopter to rescue you. But if you are physically fit and, as I said, bullish on the tide, there should be no big problem.
Pay attention to bringing water, dry food and comfortable shoes. There is no toilet. Remember to take the garbage away. If you have slippers, you can carry them in your bag. But don`t wear it on the road.
Before I went, I also referred to the following websites:
- http://www.sydneycoastwalks.com.au/how-to-get-to-figure-8-pools/
- http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/royal-national-park/garawarra-farm-carpark-to-figure-eight-pools.html
On the way back, I saw parents holding their children. I don`t know if they would go to the eight-character pool or just go to the beach below, but I really remind you that this walkway is not suitable for children!
The most recent way is to park in Garrawarra Farm Car Park.
My husband and I arrived at the parking lot just over 11:00. My plan was to wait on the beach for the tide to fall. Be sure to wait until there is no danger.
This is the first half of the trail, rainforest.
Because it rained the day before, plus the woods were deep, the road was covered with mud. The pure white superstar, I`m wearing is ruined. Coming out of here, my superstar can no longer be the color of my departure. In fact, I wear superstar for a reason, because it is leather, even if I touch the beach with a little sea water will not wet my shoes. But thousands of thousands of people didn`t count the mud. Oh, come on, for the sacrifice of going out to play, it`s a big deal to buy another pair.
Out of the rainforest is this kind of shrubs, there will still be silt, my husband almost slipped. In short, let`s be careful, be careful, and be more careful.
I remember there was only one fork in the road, just go all the way to Burning Palms Beach. Far away, I saw the Burning Palms Beach, eight-character pool in the second protruding place on the right side of photo.
When we arrived at the beach at about 12:00, the eight-character pool still needed to go along the right hand side. I saw someone going that way, but the waves were still big and felt dangerous. We just sat on the beach and waited, after all, the low tide was going to be 4: 00 in the afternoon.
After half an hour, my husband felt that more and more people were walking past, and no one came back, so he suggested going over first to see how far he could go. On the way, we met a man who came back from the eight-character pool. He said the tide had fallen and could arrive smoothly.
OK, go!
This is to go to the second half of the eight-character pool, full of such rocks, slowly jump over, one after another. Rocks are sometimes unstable, slippery, and particularly sharp. I don`t know when my hand was cut, but it`s not very serious.
Some waves are still big, and be careful when neither the camera nor the Iphone has a waterproof shell. Try to walk inside as much as possible.
It is most appropriate to use the word trek to wade here. After a fearful journey, it finally reached the legendary eight-character pool.
You look forward to quietly enjoying the beauty of the world here, but in fact, the rocks are full of people. People often soak in the eight-character pool.
I always wanted to take a photo when no one was there, but sometimes I met the waves, the rocks under my feet were pointed and slippery, and a big wave came over. If I slipped, I would definitely hang up. So I gave up. This is the eight-character pool I took. It`s a pity on the journey.
I don`t think there can be too few people going because the national park is close to Sydney and 8 words is so unique. If you want to get a good photo, it`s best to come at a low tide in the morning. I leave the eight-character pool at 01:30 at about 2: 00 in the afternoon, the sun has bypassed the top of the mountain, and the lake is already in the shadows. The effect of photography is bound to be affected.
This is the appearance around the eight-character pool, and there are many small pools. The green part is moss, which is extremely slippery.
Outside the rock, there is an endless sea.
On the way back to the parking lot, the people who went to the eight-character pool were connected like ants. When I went, I looked forward to it, and now my wish has come true, feeling like a deflated leather ball. But the road is still that way, but it is harder to go back, because it is going uphill along the way. I walked through the rocks and the grass. I walked through the grass and through the woods. I`m just tired like a dog!
