Warriewood Blowhole - Secret Spots in Sydney

The Warriewood Blowhole is one of Sydney’s secret spots mostly known by the locals only. It is however quite a dangerous place so it is not recommended to visit – read on to find out why, as well as all you need to know about the Blowhole.

Where is the Warriewood Blowhole?

Warriewood Blowhole is located next to Turimetta Head, close to Warriewood Beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches peninsula. It is about 30km north of Sydney CBD.

Why you should not visit Warriewood Blowhole

The Warriewood Blowhole is notoriously known as a place where youngsters and thrill seekers cliff jump off the cliff and into the sea. The cliff overhangs the blowhole and the drop is about 40 metres to the sea. Alternatively people can go down the path on the side of the cliff and climb down using the ropes nailed into the ground so they will jump about 13 metres into the water. Sadly however this adrenaline-fuelled activity of jumping into the blowhole has cost several people their lives and many have been left with permanent damage from injuries. Since 1992 at least 6 people have died here.

Some people choose to go down the path just to look at Warriewood Blowhole but not jump into the water. Either way you must exercise extreme caution if you do decide to go as it is on the edge of a cliff and is very dangerous and you can easily slip, or rockfall could unexpectedly happen. Even if you don’t jump into the blowhole you could still seriously injure yourself going down the path – it is definitely not a quick and easy path to take. Warriewood Surf Lifesaving Club rescues dozens of people from here each year, and at least one person a week, bringing them back to shore. And the number just gets greater each year.

Why is the Warriewood Blowhole dangerous?

The waves are very rough, which means even if you don’t hurt yourself on the fall, you can easily get washed away or pushed over by the big waves as you’re trying to get back on the rocks. And if someone injures themselves from the impact of the fall, they may not be able to get back up due to the strong waves and may effectively drown. They could also get thrown into the rocks by the powerful waves. There are too many things that can go wrong, even for strong swimmers.

It is also dangerous as the blowhole is not within sight of a patrolled beach. It is hidden around the corner from the lifesavers at Warriewood Beach so they can’t see or hear when anything goes wrong. It will take somebody a good 5 minutes to run to the SLSC for assistance, then the lifeguards would get across to the blowhole via jetski and wait for medical assistance to come by helicopter. Emergency services can really struggle to get victims here and it can take a long time for them to arrive.

What to expect if you do decide to visit Warriewood Blowhole

Despite the risks and warnings, there will always be some people will still decide to visit the blowhole. For this reason I include the following information to at least help them know what to expect and to get down as safely as possible. I am in no way promoting people jumping into the blowhole.

How to get to the Warriewood Blowhole

Public Transport:
If coming by public transport take the B line bus (yellow double decker B1 bus from Wynyard) and get off at Warriewood.There are other buses that also go this way (such as the 190 to Palm Beach), but the yellow B line bus is much faster as it is an express service so stops at a lot less stops compared to the regular buses, so you will reach your destination a lot quicker. They run every few minutes and the journey should take around 40 minutes.

The walk from the bus stop to the start of the track that goes down to Warriewood Blowhole will take around 20 minutes. The start of the track starts in Warriewood Park on the Turimetta Headland Reserve – click here to see it’s location on Google maps.

Once you get off the bus at Warriewood cross over the dual carriageway at the nearest lights. There are a few different roads you can go down to reach Warriewood Park (Walsh Street, Arnott Crescent or Warriewood Road – click here to see the alternative routes from the bus stop to the start of the walk). As long as you head east you will get there – you can either continue walking north along the dual carriageway first (in the direction the bus was going) for several hundred metres then turn right, or go south for about 100 metres and turn down Walsh Street, then turning left at the end. All three alternative routes will eventually take you on to Narrabeen Park Parade. Walk up here for a couple of minutes and then you’ll see Warriewood Park – an open grassy area with a few benches.

Car:
If driving, park your car on Narrabeen Park Parade – there is a small parking area with space for several cars. Then make your way on foot to Warriewood Park.

The Fisherman’s Track to Warriewood Blowhole

When you are in Warriewood Park if you walk straight to the end you will reach the Turimetta Head Lookout where the metal railings are (the steps up to your right go around the headland towards Narrabeen if you fancy walking there afterwards). From this viewpoint you will see a little headland sticking out in front of you (see below left picture): the blowhole is below here and this is the headland people go down.

If you want to walk down to the blowhole, walk back into the park and down to your right you’ll see the Fisherman’s Track – it is opposite the middle bench. The path looks a bit overgrown and a low wooden stile has been placed at the entrance to the path – clearly in an attempt to discourage people from going down there. You will also see a warning sign (above right) advising you not to go down as several people have died and many have been injured here. It is very clear there is a risk going down here, it is dangerous and accidents can easily happen. There are also flowers and memorials in the park to remember those who have lost their lives here, which also serves as a reminder of just how easily things can go wrong.

Follow the path down – after a minute or so you’ll see a metal bollard by your left. You’ll see the path splits into two here – if you go to the right you’ll be directly above the blow hole (this is the drop that is about 40 metres). This path stops here – do not attempt to scale the cliff here.

If you follow the path to your left, past the wooden stile and follow it down it goes around the little headland to the right. There are nice views overlooking Warriewood Beach and Mona Vale Beach from here. Be very careful on this path as the cliff edge is on your left hand side. The path is well worn but still be very careful here, especially if it is windy.

You go around the headland just for a few metres, then you’ll see ropes that have been attached into the ground with a metal post (see above right picture). It looks like a big cliff and very scary but there is actually a ledge below. Face the cliff and hold onto the rope with both hands and lean out like you are abseiling. From here you will be able to lower yourself down onto the ledge (it is about a 9 feet drop and there are footholes to help you down). Then follow the path along on the rocks to your right until you find another abseil rope. Go down this about 6 feet and then you’ll be about 12 metres above the blowhole. Many people jump into the blowhole from here, although many do also jump from higher up. Note your feet will get wet from water if you walk across to the blowhole.

Of course if you feel like going down the rope is too scary, don’t force yourself. That was actually the point at which I turned back as I was too scared to go down. Also note you will need both hands to get down on the rope, so make sure all your belongings are in a backpack so both hands are free.

Walking around the Rock Shelf

If the tide is low and the surf is calm you can walk across from North Turimetta on the exposed rocks around to the blowhole. However unexpected waves can happen so I don’t recommend this, plus there are many potholes where you can fall into suddenly if you aren’t constantly looking where you are going. It will take around 20 minutes and there is a lot of scrambling over boulders involved.

Other information about Warriewood Blowhole

Warriewood Blowhole was used several times during filming for the popular TV series Home And Away – where it was referred to as Jump Rock. Some people also refer to Warriewood Blowhole as Canyon X.

The Warriewood Blowhole is on the route that makes up The Bloody Long Walk – the 35km walk from Palm Beach to Manly.

If you do decide to visit Warriewood Blowhole PLEASE be safe. Don’t go alone, don’t be here before or after sunlight hours. And always have a phone incase you need to call for help.