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on that area has the potential to tip it one way or the other". The site was closed off in May 2015, citing the aforementioned safety concerns. After the closure, a geotechnical assessment and evaluation of
Wedding Cake Rock was conducted to determine the stability of the landmark. The study found, to the NPWS' surprise, that the formation was not only unstable, but was certain to collapse at any time within the next ten years, with the entire structure being described as "precariously balancing on the edge of the cliff, and severely undercut", seeming to be only upheld by very few pieces of debris from a recent major fracture below the rock.
130:; the feature shows layers and is unusually eroded into a perfectly cuboid shape, in addition to being white, similar to a wedding cake. The feature is one of many formations between Bundeena and Marley Beach, including The Balcony (Bundeena Lookout) and the adjacent "White Cliffs" of Marley. Before its closure from the public, travellers to Wedding Cake Rock were often advised not to stand near the edge of the cliff, mainly due to regularly strong winds. The rock can be reached by the Royal National Park Coast Track, a walking trail through the park that spans the entire length of the park's coastline, from Bundeena to
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advised establishing a permanent viewing platform near the landmark. As part of the New South Wales
Government's 2016-17 state budget, the proposal was fully funded as part of a $ 9 million "windfall" granted to the NPWS over the subsequent 4-year period to upgrade the Royal National Park Coast Track.
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has been cited as the cause for the growth in patronage, with users going to the landmark to take pictures on top of it, often while performing a stunt. The spike in popularity became concerning for the NPWS, whose regional manager, Gary
Dunnett, questioned, "whether having 30 or 40 people standing
184:
to start patrolling the area; an operation which began in June 2016. By July 2016 six fines had been officially issued by the NPWS since the rock's closure, with seven more being issued by July 2018. The rock will remain closed to the public until its eventual demise, though proposals by the NPWS
179:
The closure of the landmark, however, did not deter visitors from jumping the safety fence established nearby and continuing to take photographs atop the unstable formation, prompting the NPWS to issue a $ 300 fine for visitors who do so, effective in late March 2016. This also did not prevent
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In early 2015, Wedding Cake Rock saw a sudden spike in popularity. The New South Wales
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) reported the number of visitors per month on the Royal National Park Coast Track had sharply risen from the average of 2,000 per month to over 10,000. The
142:
There has been one death at
Wedding Cake Rock that has not been the result of erosion. A 24 year old French tourist and amateur climber jumped from the lower tier to grab the upper tier, but slipped on impact, lost traction, and fell more than 40 meters to his death.
114:, citing the dangerous behavior of recent visitors, and later, safety concerns, after a survey conducted the following month determined that the rock was unstable, and that it would collapse into the
102:, and is suspended 25 metres (82 ft) above sea level. Wedding Cake Rock is noted for its scenic location and popularity with bushwalkers and tourists, as an attractive location for
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106:. Its reputation, however, was damaged after the landmark saw a sudden spike in popularity in 2015, and subsequently fell victim to
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Panoramic view of
Wedding Cake Rock's surrounds. The sandstone composition of the rock is distinct from surrounding cliffs.
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Visitors interacting with
Wedding Cake Rock, pictured in December 2014, prior to the landmark’s closure to the public.
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98:, accessible via the Royal National Park Coast Track. The rock is one of many formations that appear north of
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underneath. Concerns about the rock's stability led to the landmark's closure by the NPWS the previous year.
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134:. Wedding Cake Rock is situated 5.1 kilometres (3.2 mi) from the start of the trail at Bundeena.
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further instances of visitors jumping the fence, leading to the NPWS to collaborate with the
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589:"#sorrynotsorry: Thrillseekers to be fined for jumping safety fence at Wedding Cake Rock"
723:"NSW Police to help stop dangerous selfies at famous Sydney landmark Wedding Cake Rock"
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557:"Wedding Cake Rock could collapse any time, National Parks and Wildlife Service says"
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Southern view of part of the rock's structure in May 2016, showing visible signs of
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272:"The Royal National Park is the perfect nature escape...right on Sydney's doorstep"
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359:"French student in fatal Royal National Park fall 'may have been taking photos'"
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426:"Lives are at risk because of this cliff's extreme popularity on Instagram"
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486:"Authorities fence off Wedding Cake Rock amidst dangerous photos craze"
394:"Wedding Cake Rock Instagram craze: hashtag visitors on edge of danger"
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Wedding Cake Rock earned its name from its resemblance to a slice of a
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763:"Wedding Cake Rock 'likely to collapse into the sea in next 10 years'"
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58:
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110:. The rock was closed off from public access in May 2015 by the
877:
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454:"Wedding Cake Rock in the Royal attracting risky behaviour"
518:"Australia's Wedding Cake Rock may collapse into the sea"
192:
Sunset with a top view of
Wedding Cake Rock in July 2017.
795:"Wedding Cake Rock 'at risk of collapsing into the sea'"
239:- another high-altitude rock formation, located in the
688:"Video: Visitors disregard Wedding Cake Rock warnings"
621:"Cop a fine if you take a selfie at Wedding Cake Rock"
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911:
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New South Wales
National Parks and Wildlife Service
653:"Wedding Cake Rock selfie takers to be fined $ 300"
112:
New South Wales
National Parks and Wildlife Service
333:"The Wedding Cake Rock, The Royal National Park"
827:"Royal National Park wins big in state budget"
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16:Rock formation that looks like a wedding cake
8:
357:Levy, Megan; Koziol, Michael (9 June 2014).
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832:St George and Sutherland Shire Leader
693:St George and Sutherland Shire Leader
459:St George and Sutherland Shire Leader
7:
304:"A Guide to The Royal National Park"
1057:Royal National Park railway station
733:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
567:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
516:Wong, Maggie Hiufu (26 June 2015).
496:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
253:that partly collapsed into the sea.
1083:Rock formations of New South Wales
14:
825:Beichert, Kahlia (21 June 2016).
686:Beichert, Kahlia (11 July 2016).
1004:
860:Wedding Cake Rock Bushwalk Guide
619:Brown, Venessa (30 March 2016).
302:Jones, Lucy (18 December 2014).
219:
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651:Morris, Hugh (31 March 2016).
452:Gainsford, Jim (30 May 2015).
270:Murphy, Kara (16 April 2010).
78:rock formation located in the
1:
587:Levy, Megan (29 March 2016).
484:King, Brendan (3 June 2015).
793:Levy, Megan (24 June 2015).
424:Bogle, Ariel (31 May 2015).
392:Galvin, Nick (31 May 2015).
241:Blue Mountains National Park
182:New South Wales Police Force
759:Australian Associated Press
251:Port Campbell National Park
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721:Sas, Nick (31 July 2018).
528:Turner Broadcasting System
249:- a rock formation in the
1002:
800:The Sydney Morning Herald
594:The Sydney Morning Herald
399:The Sydney Morning Herald
364:The Sydney Morning Herald
331:Ly, May (14 April 2014).
247:London Bridge (Victoria)
118:within the next decade.
37:34.109667°S 151.152417°E
912:Suburbs and localities
837:Fairfax Regional Media
698:Fairfax Regional Media
555:staff (24 June 2015).
464:Fairfax Regional Media
213:New South Wales portal
193:
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42:-34.109667; 151.152417
1062:Lady Carrington Drive
663:Telegraph Media Group
191:
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147:Closure and aftermath
62:
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773:Guardian Media Group
138:Contemporary history
905:Royal National Park
658:The Daily Telegraph
631:News Corp Australia
282:News Corp Australia
80:Royal National Park
33: /
728:ABC News Australia
562:ABC News Australia
491:ABC News Australia
312:. Broadsheet Media
227:Environment portal
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68:Wedding Cake Rock
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1036:Wattamolla Beach
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761:(24 June 2015).
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70:, also known as
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865:The Coast Track
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739:on 31 July 2018
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169:photo sharing
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28:151°09′08.7″E
1040:
1031:Marley Beach
840:. Retrieved
830:
820:
808:. Retrieved
798:
788:
776:. Retrieved
768:The Guardian
766:
753:
741:. Retrieved
737:the original
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285:. Retrieved
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166:social media
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128:wedding cake
125:
100:Marley Beach
71:
67:
66:
25:34°06′34.8″S
18:
1021:Garie Beach
936:Helensburgh
842:20 November
703:20 November
626:News.com.au
532:Time Warner
104:photography
40: /
992:Wattamolla
977:Gundamaian
960:Localities
810:3 November
778:3 November
572:3 November
537:3 November
501:3 November
469:3 November
437:3 November
409:3 November
374:3 November
342:3 November
316:3 November
309:Broadsheet
287:3 November
277:Herald Sun
258:References
116:Tasman Sea
72:White Rock
951:Waterfall
931:Heathcote
173:Instagram
108:vandalism
96:Australia
76:sandstone
1077:Category
1014:Features
987:Warumbul
982:Lilyvale
941:Maianbar
926:Bundeena
668:23 April
636:23 April
604:23 April
553:ABC News
431:Mashable
197:See also
171:service
84:Bundeena
919:Suburbs
867:at the
743:31 July
157:erosion
122:Summary
74:, is a
1050:Travel
967:Audley
946:Otford
132:Otford
88:Sydney
82:near
844:2016
812:2015
780:2015
745:2018
705:2016
670:2016
638:2016
606:2016
574:2015
539:2015
503:2015
471:2015
439:2015
411:2015
376:2015
344:2015
318:2015
289:2015
523:CNN
86:in
1079::
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678:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
