Wattamolla Beach and Picnic Area

Wattamolla is a coastal beach and picnic area in Royal National Park, where a small ocean beach fronts a lagoon and Cootes Creek tumbles over a waterfall into the water behind it. The sandy beach is about 150 metres long; the visit also spreads across the lagoon, waterfall lookout and picnic grounds. Wattamolla Creek feeds the lagoon from the northwest, so there is more to the place than a strip of sand.

The lagoon is the sheltered swimming and snorkelling option; the beach opens to the ocean. There are no lifeguards, and strong rips can occur at park beaches. Keep to the water you can judge safely, and do not jump from the waterfall: jumping is prohibited.

Wattamolla Road leaves Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and runs to the picnic area on sealed roads suitable for 2WD vehicles. A track and stairs lead from the picnic grounds down to the beach. The facilities include flush toilets, picnic tables and free gas or electric barbecues. Bring drinking and cooking water, as well as food for your visit.

On hot weekends the car park often fills before midday, so arriving early or choosing a weekday makes the stop easier. Pets and domestic animals are not allowed, except certified assistance animals.

Creek flow and tides shift the lagoon's size and its openings to the sea. That changes the shape of the sandbar and the line between lagoon and ocean, so the view can look different from one visit to the next. The cove's changing water is part of its character, not a fixed pool behind a permanent beach.

A fenced lookout above the falls looks across the lagoon, sandy spit and Tasman Sea. For a photo that explains the whole place, include the waterfall or its rocky edge in the foreground, then let the sand and ocean carry the eye out of the frame.

Wattamolla is reported to be an Aboriginal place name meaning “place near running water.” On 29 March 1796, Matthew Flinders, George Bass and William Martin were driven into the cove by a southerly gale while returning in the small boat Tom Thumb from exploring the south coast. Flinders called it Providential Cove; the southern headland is now Providential Point. In 1797, three survivors of the Sydney Cove shipwreck were reportedly seen on the beach after walking north from Victoria in search of help for their shipmates.