Travellers say popular Instagram travel spot Figure Eight Pools, near Sydney, isn’t worth the hype

Australian travelers were heading out on a two-hour, 6km hike to see an Instagrammable rock pool, only to be disappointed to find it’s not all it seemed.

The Figure Eight Pools are located along the shoreline of Sydney’s Royal National Park near Burning Palms Beach, just over an hour south of the city and have drawn adventurers in droves for their unique, natural shapes.

However, travel bloggers are uncovering the reality of the tourist hotspot and many are dismayed at how disappointing and dangerous the pools are in real life.

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Instagram vs reality: Travelers embark on a two-hour hike to see the Instagram-famous Figure Eight Pools, but many have been disappointed by what they found

Figure Eight Pools are located along the shoreline of Sydney’s Royal National Park, near Burning Palms Beach, just over an hour south of the city.

“Whoever told you Figure Eight pools were bucket list worthy is lying to you and let me show you why,” said visitor Jessica Henderson on a TikTok. shorten.

Thanks to the enormous attention on Instagram, Figure Eight Pools have become a huge trend on social media, with tourists from all walks of life traveling far just to capture that ‘perfect’ shot.

In the video, Jessica took viewers along the ‘endless’ hike through the bush, along the beach and over the rocks to the pools.

“Whoever told you Figure Eight pools were bucket list worthy is lying to you and let me show you why,” visitor Jessica Henderson said in a TikTok clip.

Thanks to the enormous attention on Instagram, Figure Eight Pools has become a huge trend on social media, with tourists from all over traveling far and wide just to capture that ‘perfect’ shot.

When Jessica and her boyfriend finally arrived, they found a series of small murky swimming holes, only one of which was in the recognizable figure of eight shape.

Have we come here for that? Jessica’s partner laughed.

“This one’s kind of pretty, but it’s not going in yet and this is probably the highlight of the trip,” he said showing off a larger, clearer rock pool nearby.

Time to go straight back to the car.

The clip was a follow up in response to a previous video in which Jessica showed pictures of what she expected the pools to look like compared to what she received when she made the trip.

After a 6km hike, Jessica and her boyfriend finally made it to the pools and found a series of small murky swimming holes, only one of which was in the shape of an eight.

“Definitely not worth it…I did that a few years ago and that pool was full of people with selfie sticks,” replied one disappointed viewer.

Both videos racked up a combined 2.6 million views, as many in the comments said they had a similar experience, while others thought the ordeal was funny.

“I think the walk there is better than the actual pool,” said one onlooker.

“I walked all the way in SANDALS and when we got there the tide was so high we couldn’t see anything,” recalled another.

“Definitely not worth it… I did that a few years ago and that pool was full of people with selfie sticks,” a third replied.

Another TikTok clip showed a group of women visiting the pool and making fun of their ridiculously bad trip. There were crowds of people and the conditions were very windy.

‘Agreed. Whoever promoted the figure-eight pool, I hope both sides of your pillow are warm,” joked a fourth.

Another Tik Tok shorten it showed a group of women visiting the pool who made fun of their ridiculously bad visit.

They arrived at the location after a long walk to find crowds of people and turbulent conditions that made swimming unpleasant.

Since the pools became an Instagram sensation in 2016, thousands of people have made the trek to swim in the sometimes crystal-clear waters, but it hasn’t been without its consequences.

Since the pools became an Instagram sensation, thousands have made the trek to swim there, but it hasn’t come without consequences with multiple drownings and injuries.

Several drownings and broken bones have been recorded at the site of the pools after inexperienced swimmers visited and were struck by rogue waves on the rocky shelf.

The entire shelf that the pools sit on is underwater at high tide, so tourists are warned to only visit at low tide or risk having a big swell ruin their day trip.

There are no toilets, water stations or cell phone coverage next to the famous pools, so it pays to be prepared.