Sight · Royal National Park
A short Coast Track detour reaches a sheltered creek swimming hole.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Royal Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Royal National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Wattamolla Beach and Lagoon“You're coming up on Wattamolla, where a waterfall drops into a lagoon just behind the ocean beach.”
Plays as you drive up to Wattamolla Dam in the Parkwolf Royal Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Wattamolla Dam is a small freshwater pool on Wattamolla Creek, upstream from the main lagoon. Treat it as an add-on to a Wattamolla visit: a short bush walk leads to a more sheltered swimming spot, separate from the beach and main falls. Visitors use the pool for a dip, though the rocks at the water's edge can be slippery.
Start at Wattamolla Picnic Area car park and follow the Coast Track north. The return walk is about 1.7 km and 45 minutes, on a mix of formed path and natural ground. The picnic area has parking, toilets and tables; there is no potable drinking water there, so bring what you need.
A low sandstone lip and small cascade feed the pool. The flow can be slight after a dry spell and stronger after rain, so the water may look different from one visit to the next.
The most useful photo includes the narrow spillway and the water below it, which shows the scale of this small upstream stop. Keep to the established visitor area: slippery rocks and the cliff edge are no reason to scramble for a different angle.
Wildlife
56 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
68 sightingsWhite-bellied Sea-EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
12 sightingsKoalaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
33 sightingsJavan RusaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
69 sightingsShort-beaked EchidnaMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
11 sightingsRed FoxMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Royal. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyProvidential Point Walk1.7 km · 45 min · 0.6 km awayA short coastal walk to a fenced lookout above the surf.
ModerateWattamolla to Eagle Rock and Curracurrong Falls8.5 km · 3.5 hr · 0.6 km awayA coastal walk to falls that drop straight into the sea.
ModerateWattamolla to Big Marley Beach Loop10.4 km · 4 hr · 0.6 km awayA boardwalk and sandstone coast walk to two wild beaches.
ModerateWattamolla Dam Walk1.7 km · 45 min · 0.7 km awayA short bush walk to a quiet creek pool above the lagoon.
ChallengingWattamolla to Garie Beach16 km · 7 hr · 0.7 km awayA hard 16 km return to Garie Beach, via Eagle Rock.
EasyCurracurrang Falls Walk3.5 km · 1.5 hr · 0.8 km awayA short coastal walk to a rough, creekside waterfall pool.
ModerateWattamolla to Curracurrang Cove3.4 km · 1.5 hr · 0.8 km awayA rough coastal track to a sheltered creek-mouth cove.
ModerateDeer Pools Walk4 km · 1.5 hr · 3.3 km awayA short heath walk to a shaded cascade and rock pool
Sight · 0.5 km awayWattamolla FallsA high lagoon view of a waterfall that changes with rain.
Beach · 0.6 km awayWattamolla Beach and Picnic AreaA waterfall, calm lagoon, and surf beach share one cove.
Sight · 1 km awayProvidential Point LookoutLayered cliffs and Pacific surf make the short walk pay off.
Sight · 1.8 km awayCurracurrang FallsA low waterfall and deep pool reward an unmarked side trip.
Sight · 2.2 km awayDeer PoolA small cascade and freshwater pool along the Marley walk.
Beach · 2.2 km awayLittle Marley BeachA quiet beach that takes a real walk to reach.
Sight · 2.8 km awayEagle RockA sandstone overhang on the Coast Track with an eagle's profile.
Sight · 2.8 km awayCurracurrong FallsA coastal waterfall drops straight into the Pacific.Parkwolf’s Royal ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
