A New Fence Is Being Built Around Wedding Cake Rock in a Bid to Deter Climbers
The rock could collapse at any time, but people are still flocking to take photos on it.
Three years ago, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) discovered that Wedding Cake Rock — a brilliant white sandstone ledge suspended 25 metres above the Tasman Sea in the Royal National Park that's become famous (and infamous) on Instagram — could collapse at any time. There's a high chance it'll go within the next decade.
But, the organisation's public warnings haven't stopped people risking their lives to grab a snap. Neither has a 1.6-metre high fence, stacks of warning signs and loads of on-the-spot fines. Just look up the geolocation on Instagram and you'll see hundreds of locals and tourists taking precarious pics on the rock.
The warnings aren't without reason, either — the landmark has already claimed a life when part of it crumbled. In June 2014, French engineering student Fabien Ardoin fell to his death, while standing on a sandstone ledge nearby. In November 2015, two men fell onto a ledge below and were winched to safety. One sustained a spinal injury.
"Unfortunately, there is a small minority of people who are choosing to disobey the warning signs and blatantly scale the 1.6-metre-high fence, usually for one purpose only, to take a photograph on Wedding Cake Rock," a spokesperson for the NPWS told Concrete Playground.
Consequently, the NPWS has hatched plans to replace the fence with one of the same height, but made of tougher, more climb-resistant materials.
"Nobody wants a national park filled with obtrusive fences and signs, but the irresponsible behaviour of those putting many at risk has left the NPWS with little choice," said the spokesperson.
Not everyone thinks the fence will be successful, however, with one climber, who's previously taken pictures on the rock, telling The Guardian, "I don't think building a fence is a good idea. It will not stop people from climbing on it."
Wedding Cake Rock lies along the Coast track, around one hour's walk south of Bundeena, NSW. The new climb-resistant fence will be erected in 2019.
Top image: David Molloy Photography, Flickr.
