The Figure Eight Pools are located on a coastal rock platform in the Royal National Park in NSW. It’s a 6km walk to get there and back, on a steep track through a beautiful littoral rainforest.
Once you get to about a half way through the track coming out of the forest, you will enter a large grassy plain and a Jurassic Park-like scene overlooking the beach and the mountains.
This location has taught me the importance of the weather forecast. It took me seven visits to find all the elements lined up in my favour, such as the tide, ocean swell, wind, light, etc. But the hardest challenge is avoiding all the tourists who flock in here in great numbers.
I find it impossible to shoot this location in summertime, because of the hundreds of visitors who wait in a queue to get into the pool which also makes its water murky. When I captured this image it was wintertime and despite being only 10 degrees outside, the tourists behaved like if they were bathing in hot springs. I had to wait for hours for the pools to empty before I could start shooting.
This place is quite dangerous. Sometimes, out of the blue, unexpected large waves can crash over the rock ledge and knock you over. Many people have been injured here. You must be always aware of the ocean when you visit this place.
It’s definitely a must see location decorated with high cliffs, a sandy beach, and many interesting rock formations. I highly recommend it.